Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Bukankah prioritas kita mengatur waktu sebelum tenggat? - Isn’t our priority to manage time before the deadline?

It turns the statement into a confirmation-seeking or rhetorical question, roughly “Isn’t it…?” in tone. Bukankah = bukan (the negator for nouns) + the enclitic -kah (question marker). It assumes the listener will agree.

Why is it bukan, not tidak?

Because the predicate after the negation is a noun phrase (prioritas kita). Use:

bukan to negate nouns/pronouns/prepositional phrases.
tidak to negate verbs/adjectives.

So: Bukankah prioritas kita…? is correct. If you restructure to a verbal predicate, you can use tidak:

Tidakkah kita harus mengatur waktu sebelum tenggat?

How do you answer a Bukankah…? question?

To agree: Betul/Benar/Iya/Ya.
To disagree (here, with a nominal predicate): Bukan. For clarity, add the correction, e.g., Bukan, prioritas kita memastikan kualitas dulu.
Note: Use tidak to disagree when the predicate is a verb/adjective; here bukan fits better.

Can I say Apakah prioritas kita mengatur waktu sebelum tenggat? instead?

Yes. Apakah…? is a neutral yes/no question. Bukankah…? presumes the answer is “yes” and seeks confirmation.

Do I need adalah here?

No. Indonesian allows a noun-predicate without a copula. Both are fine:

Prioritas kita mengatur waktu… (as in the sentence)
Prioritas kita adalah mengatur waktu… (a bit more formal) Using adalah is optional style, not a grammatical requirement.

Why isn’t there untuk before mengatur?

After nouns like prioritas/tujuan/niat/tugas, an infinitive-like verb can appear directly:

prioritas kita mengatur… (natural and concise) You may hear prioritas kita untuk mengatur…, but many editors avoid adalah untuk constructions (e.g., prioritas kita adalah untuk…) as wordy or awkward.

What’s the difference between kita and kami here?

kita = “we/our” including the listener.
kami = “we/our” excluding the listener.
Using kami would mean it’s our (not your) priority.

Why mengatur and not base atur?

Mengatur is the active verb formed with the meN- prefix; because the root atur starts with a vowel, meN- surfaces as meng-: meN- + atur → mengatur.

Base atur is used for imperatives (Atur waktu!), in passive (diatur), or derivations (pengaturan, pengatur).
Informal speech often has ngatur.

Is mengatur waktu a set expression?

Yes, it commonly means “to manage one’s time.” Nuances:

mengatur waktu: arrange/organize time (broad, everyday).
mengelola waktu: manage time (slightly more formal/managerial).
menjadwalkan (waktu/kegiatan): to schedule.
Noun: manajemen waktu = time management.

Is tenggat the same as tenggat waktu, batas waktu, or deadline?

tenggat: standard word for “deadline” (concise; used in dictionaries and media).
tenggat waktu: very common and clear.
batas waktu: neutral-formal “time limit.”
deadline: widely used in everyday speech and writing.
For payments, jatuh tempo (“due date”) is more natural.

Do I need -nya (as in tenggatnya) to mean “the deadline”?

Not necessarily. Sebelum tenggat usually implies the relevant deadline from context. Use -nya when you want to point to a specific, previously mentioned deadline:

sebelum tenggatnya
or specify it: sebelum tenggat waktu proyek itu

Is the word order flexible?

Yes. Variants include:

Bukankah mengatur waktu prioritas kita sebelum tenggat?
Bukankah mengatur waktu adalah prioritas kita sebelum tenggat?
All are grammatical. The original flows naturally and is succinct.

Does Bukankah… sound formal or confrontational?

It can sound firm or pointed, depending on tone. Softer/colloquial options:

Prioritas kita mengatur waktu sebelum tenggat, kan?
…ya kan?
Bukankah sebaiknya kita mengatur waktu sebelum tenggat? (adds a softener)
Menurut saya, prioritas kita… (hedging)

Can I just ask Bukan prioritas kita…? without -kah?

In speech, with rising intonation, Bukan prioritas kita…? can work, but it’s ambiguous in writing because bukan prioritas kita… is also a plain statement. Bukankah…? is the clear written form.

What’s the difference between sebelum and sebelumnya?

sebelum = “before,” used as a preposition before a noun/time phrase: sebelum tenggat.
sebelumnya = “previously/before that/earlier”; it doesn’t take a direct noun complement. For example: Sebelumnya, kita sudah membahas rencana.