Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Dia ketinggalan payung di kantor, jadi kehujanan. - He/She left the umbrella at the office, so he/she got rained on.

ketinggalan = accidentally left behind / missed something (unintentional, unwanted). Example: Dia ketinggalan payung.
meninggalkan = deliberately left something/someone behind (intentional or at least agentive). Example: Dia meninggalkan payungnya di rumah (he left it there on purpose).
lupa (membawa) = forgot (to bring). Example: Dia lupa bawa payung. In your sentence, ketinggalan highlights the accidental nature.

How is ketinggalan formed from tinggal? What does the ke‑…‑an pattern mean?

Base: tinggal (to stay; to remain; to be left).
Pattern: ke‑…‑an often creates verbs/adjectives indicating an accidental, adverse, or unplanned experience.
Examples: ketinggalan (accidentally left behind/missed), kehujanan (got rained on), kecurian (got something stolen), kelewatan (missed, overlooked).

Can ketinggalan also mean “to miss” (like missing a bus) or “to be behind the times”?

Yes.

Miss transportation: Saya ketinggalan bus/kereta.
Behind the times/outdated: Ketinggalan zaman (out of date). Context tells you which meaning is intended.

Why is it payung and not payungnya? How do I show “his/her umbrella”?

Indonesian doesn’t require an article, so payung can mean “an umbrella.” To mark possession:

payungnya = his/her/the umbrella (context decides which). Example: Dia ketinggalan payungnya di kantor.
payung dia = his/her umbrella (less common than ‑nya in this slot). Leaving it as payung is fine if the context already makes it clear.

Does dia mean “he” or “she”? How do I specify gender?

dia is gender‑neutral (he/she). To specify, use context, a name, or add a clarifier:

dia (laki‑laki) = he
dia (perempuan) = she Honorific beliau is used for respected persons, typically older or of higher status.

What’s the difference between jadi and menjadi?

jadi (here) is a connector meaning “so/therefore.” Example: … , jadi kehujanan.
menjadi is a verb meaning “to become.” Example: Dia menjadi dokter. Don’t mix them in this sentence: jadi is correct as “so.”

Is the comma before jadi necessary? Are there other ways to say “so”?

A comma is common before jadi when linking two clauses, and it improves readability: …, jadi …. Alternatives:

makanya (colloquial): …, makanya dia kehujanan.
sehingga (more formal, cause → result): Dia ketinggalan payung di kantor sehingga dia kehujanan.
karena …, (maka) (reason clause first): Karena dia ketinggalan payung di kantor, (maka) dia kehujanan.

What exactly does kehujanan mean? Is it different from hujan‑hujanan or basah kuyup?

kehujanan = got rained on (involuntary, mildly adverse).
hujan‑hujanan = went out in the rain on purpose (e.g., kids playing).
basah kuyup = soaking wet (describes the result). You can combine: Dia kehujanan sampai basah kuyup.

Could I say Dia tertinggal payung di kantor?

Not idiomatic. Use:

Dia ketinggalan payung di kantor (actor‑focused, accidental).
Payungnya tertinggal di kantor (thing‑focused; “the umbrella was left behind at the office”). tertinggal works well when the thing is the subject.

Is di here a preposition or the passive prefix di‑?

It’s the preposition di (“at/in”), written separately: di kantor. The passive prefix di‑ attaches to verbs and is written together (e.g., ditinggalkan). Don’t confuse the two.

How do we know it’s past? Indonesian has no tense markers, right?

Correct—no mandatory tense. Time is inferred from context or adverbs:

tadi (earlier): Dia tadi ketinggalan payung di kantor.
kemarin (yesterday), tadi pagi (this morning), etc. sudah can mark completion: Dia sudah kehujanan (he/she has already been rained on).

Can I move di kantor elsewhere in the sentence?

Yes. Common placements:

Dia ketinggalan payung di kantor, jadi kehujanan. (most natural)
Di kantor, dia ketinggalan payung, jadi kehujanan. (fronted for emphasis on place) Avoid splitting the verb and its object: keep ketinggalan payung together.

Is the sentence formal or informal? How would I make it more formal?

Neutral‑informal. More formal options:

Ia ketinggalan payung di kantor, sehingga ia kehujanan.
Karena payungnya tertinggal di kantor, ia kehujanan.

Can I use ia instead of dia?

Yes, but ia is more formal/literary and is typically used as a subject pronoun (not after a preposition). Here: Ia ketinggalan payung di kantor, jadi kehujanan.

Are there shorter colloquial variants?

Yes:

Dia ketinggalan payung di kantor, jadi kehujanan. (original)
Dia lupa bawa payung, jadinya kehujanan.
Payungnya ketinggalan di kantor, makanya dia kehujanan.

Any pronunciation tips for ketinggalan and kehujanan?

ketinggalan: the ng is a single nasal sound [ŋ] as in “sing,” not “n+g.”
kehujanan: break it as ke‑hu‑jan‑an; the h in hujan is pronounced; vowels are pure and evenly timed.