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Baterai teleponnya lemah karena aplikasi video berjalan terus.

Baterai teleponnya lemah karena aplikasi video berjalan terus.
The phone’s battery is weak because the video app keeps running.
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Questions & Answers about Baterai teleponnya lemah karena aplikasi video berjalan terus.

What does the suffix -nya in teleponnya mean? Does it mean his/her/its or the?

In Indonesian, -nya can mean:

  • Possessive: his/her/its/their
  • Definite: the/that (referring to something already known)

Examples:

  • Baterai teleponnya lemah. = The phone’s battery is weak. Context decides whether it’s his/her phone or a previously mentioned phone.
  • To say my: Baterai telepon saya lemah.
  • To say that specific (non-possessive): Baterai telepon itu lemah.
Is lemah the normal word for a low battery? How is it different from habis or rendah?
  • lemah = weak; commonly used for low battery warnings.
  • habis = empty/dead (0%): Baterainya habis.
  • rendah = low (level), often in system messages: Daya baterai rendah.
  • Colloquial: lowbat (very common informal), drop (slang).
Could I just say Baterainya lemah instead of Baterai teleponnya lemah?
Yes. Baterainya lemah is natural if the context is clear (you’re talking about a phone). If you need to specify whose, say Baterai telepon saya/dia lemah or Baterai HP-nya lemah.
Which word for “phone” should I use: telepon, ponsel, or HP?
  • HP (pronounced “ha-pe”): most common in speech; casual/neutral.
  • ponsel: neutral/formal; common in writing and media.
  • telepon: general word for telephone; can be a mobile phone, but in everyday speech people often prefer HP. All are understood.
Why is there no word for “is”? Can I use adalah?

Indonesian doesn’t use a linking verb with adjectives. So:

  • Correct: Baterai teleponnya lemah.
  • Don’t use adalah with adjectives. Adalah is for noun predicates (e.g., Dia adalah dokter).
Is the placement of karena correct? Can I start the sentence with it? Any synonyms?
  • Both are correct:
    • Baterai teleponnya lemah karena aplikasi video berjalan terus.
    • Karena aplikasi video berjalan terus, baterai teleponnya lemah. (use a comma)
  • Synonyms:
    • sebab (more formal/literary)
    • gara-gara (colloquial, can imply blame/trouble): Baterai HP-nya lemah gara-gara aplikasi video.
  • To state the result instead of the cause: Makanya/Jadi baterai teleponnya lemah.
What does berjalan mean here? Doesn’t it literally mean “to walk”?

Literally yes, but in tech contexts berjalan = “to run (operate).”

  • Aplikasi video berjalan = The video app is running. Related words:
  • menjalankan (transitive) = to run something: Saya menjalankan aplikasi.
  • jalan (colloquial) = to run/work: Aplikasinya jalan nggak?
  • nyala = on/lit: Layarnya masih nyala.
  • aktif = active: Mode hemat daya aktif.
What does terus add? Can I say terus berjalan instead of berjalan terus? What about terus-menerus or selalu?
  • terus = continuously/keep on; here it means the app keeps running.
  • berjalan terus and terus berjalan are both fine; word order shifts emphasis slightly but meaning is the same.
  • terus-menerus (more formal/intense) ≈ continually.
  • terus-terusan (informal) ≈ nonstop.
  • selalu = always (habitual), not necessarily nonstop.
How do I say “running in the background” explicitly?

Add di latar belakang:

  • Baterai teleponnya lemah karena aplikasi video berjalan terus di latar belakang. You can also add: walaupun aplikasinya sudah ditutup (even though the app has been closed).
How do I express past or ongoing aspect? Is there a word like “was” or “-ing”?

Use particles/time words:

  • Ongoing now: sedang (optional when terus is present): Aplikasi video sedang berjalan (terus).
  • Still: masih: Aplikasinya masih berjalan.
  • Past: add time words: tadi/kemarin: Tadi aplikasinya terus berjalan, jadi baterai lemah.
  • Completed: sudah: Aplikasinya sudah berhenti, tapi baterai sudah terlanjur lemah.
Is aplikasi video natural, or should I be more specific?

It’s fine and generic (video-related app). To be specific:

  • aplikasi pemutar video (video player)
  • aplikasi panggilan video (video-calling app)
  • aplikasi streaming video (streaming app like YouTube/Netflix)
How should I spell and pronounce teleponnya? Is telponya okay?
  • Standard spelling: teleponnya (two n’s appear because it’s telepon
    • -nya).
  • telpon is informal spelling; avoid in formal writing.
  • Pronunciation: -nya is like the “ny” in “canyon.” teleponnya is pronounced roughly “te-le-pon-nya” (the n and ny blend smoothly).
Can I drop telepon and just say Baterainya lemah? Will it be understood?
Yes, if context makes it clear you’re talking about a phone. In conversation, Baterainya lemah is very common.
How would I say that someone kept running the video app (with an agent)?

Use the transitive verb menjalankan (or passive dijalankan):

  • Baterai teleponnya lemah karena dia terus menjalankan aplikasi video.
  • Passive (agentless): Baterai teleponnya lemah karena aplikasi video terus dijalankan.
What’s a casual, very natural colloquial version of the whole sentence?
  • Baterai HP-nya lowbat soalnya aplikasi video-nya jalan terus. Also common:
  • Baterai HP-nya lemah gara-gara aplikasi video jalan mulu. (very casual; mulu = terus)