Kami menyelesaikan proyek tepat waktu.

We completed the project on time.

Breakdown of Kami menyelesaikan proyek tepat waktu.

• kami: we
• tepat waktu: on time
• proyek: the project
• menyelesaikan: to complete

Questions & Answers about Kami menyelesaikan proyek tepat waktu.

What’s the difference between kami and kita?

• kami = we (excluding the listener). The listener is not part of the group.
• kita = we (including the listener). The listener is part of the group.
• In a report to your boss about your team’s work, kami is natural: Kami menyelesaikan proyek tepat waktu. If you tell your teammate who also worked on it, Kita menyelesaikan proyek tepat waktu is appropriate.

How is past tense shown here? There’s no “-ed” or past marker.

Indonesian verbs don’t conjugate for tense. Time is inferred from context or added words:

• Neutral (context supplies time): Kami menyelesaikan proyek tepat waktu.
• Emphasis on completion: Kami sudah/telah menyelesaikan proyek tepat waktu. (sudah = common; telah = formal)
• With a time word: Kemarin kami menyelesaikan proyek tepat waktu.

Why use menyelesaikan instead of selesai?

• menyelesaikan = to finish/complete something (transitive; needs an object): Kami menyelesaikan proyek…
• selesai = finished/done (intransitive; no object): Proyek itu selesai tepat waktu. / Kami selesai tepat waktu (“we were finished on time”).
  Avoid: ✗ Kami selesai proyek… (ungrammatical).

What’s inside the verb menyelesaikan morphologically?

• Base word: selesai (finished).
• Prefix meN-
  • base starting with s → assimilation to meny-: meN + selesai → menyelesa…
• Suffix -kan gives a causative/OBJECT-taking meaning: “to make [something] finished.”
• So menyelesaikan ≈ “to complete/finish (something).”

Can I drop the object proyek if it’s obvious?

• With a clear context, you can use a pronoun: Kami menyelesaikannya tepat waktu. (-nya = it/that)
• Plainly dropping the object after a transitive verb is usually avoided in careful Indonesian. Keep it or replace it with -nya.

Where does tepat waktu go? Can it go somewhere else?

• Default and most natural: at the end — Kami menyelesaikan proyek tepat waktu.
• Fronted for emphasis (more formal/literary): Tepat waktu, kami menyelesaikan proyek itu.
• Avoid placing it between verb and object: ✗ Kami menyelesaikan tepat waktu proyek.

Are there other ways to say “on time” or “on schedule”?

• tepat waktu = on time/punctually (very common)
• pada waktunya / tepat pada waktunya = at the right time (slightly more formal)
• sesuai jadwal = according to schedule/on schedule Examples:
• Kami menyelesaikan proyek sesuai jadwal.
• Pengiriman tiba tepat waktu.

How would I say this in the passive or with the object up front?

• Passive (no agent mentioned): Proyek diselesaikan tepat waktu.
• Passive with agent: Proyek diselesaikan tepat waktu oleh kami.
• Object-fronted active (topicalization): Proyek itu kami selesaikan tepat waktu.
  Note: terselesaikan exists but is not the natural choice here.

How do I say we didn’t finish on time, or haven’t finished yet?

• Didn’t finish on time: Kami tidak menyelesaikan proyek tepat waktu.
  More explicit about lateness: Kami terlambat menyelesaikan proyek itu or Kami menyelesaikan proyek itu terlambat.
• Not yet finished: Kami belum menyelesaikan proyek itu.

Is Kami selesai proyek tepat waktu acceptable?

No. selesai doesn’t take a direct object. Use:

• Kami menyelesaikan proyek tepat waktu. (active, correct)
• Or make the project the subject: Proyek itu selesai tepat waktu.

Is it proyek or projek?

In Indonesian, the standard spelling is proyek. The form projek is common in Malaysian Malay. Pronunciation: “proh-yek.”

Any pronunciation tips for the whole sentence?

• Kami: KAH-mee
• menyelesaikan: men-ye-le-SAI-kan (ny like “ñ” in “señor”; the two e’s are schwa-like “uh”)
• proyek: PROH-yek
• tepat: tə-PAHT (first e is a schwa)
• waktu: WAK-too
  Stress is typically on the penultimate syllable; for menyelesaikan, it falls on “sai.”

How do I make it clearly “the project” versus “a project”?

Indonesian has no mandatory articles. You can add:

• Definiteness: proyek itu (“that/the project” known to both) or specify: proyek ini (“this project”).
• Indefiniteness: sebuah proyek (“a project,” one project).
  Examples: Kami menyelesaikan proyek itu tepat waktu. / Kami menyelesaikan sebuah proyek tepat waktu.

How do I say “ahead of schedule” or “late”?

• Ahead of schedule: lebih cepat/awal dari jadwal
  Example: Kami menyelesaikan proyek lebih cepat dari jadwal.
• Late: terlambat
  Example: Kami menyelesaikan proyek itu terlambat.
• Not on time: tidak tepat waktu

What’s the difference between menyelesaikan and mengerjakan?

• mengerjakan = to work on/do something (process)
  Example: Kami sedang mengerjakan proyek itu.
• menyelesaikan = to finish/complete something (reaching the end)
  Example: Kami menyelesaikan proyek itu.
  You can combine them with aspect: Kami sudah menyelesaikan proyek yang kami kerjakan.

Is tepat waktu only an adverb, or can it modify nouns?

It can do both:

• Adverb: Kami menyelesaikan proyek tepat waktu.
• As a modifier: pengiriman tepat waktu (“on-time delivery”), ketepatan waktu (“punctuality,” as a noun phrase).