Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Anak laki-laki itu boleh makan permen asalkan sudah makan nasi. - That boy may eat candy as long as he has already eaten rice.

Permission: Dia boleh pergi. = He may/is allowed to go.
Ability: Dia bisa/dapat pergi. = He can/is able to go. Using bisa/dapat in the sentence would change the meaning.

What does asalkan mean, and how is it different from kalau/jika?

Asalkan means provided that/so long as and introduces a required condition. It’s stronger than a neutral kalau/jika (if).

Boleh … asalkan … = permission is granted only on the condition that …
Boleh … kalau/jika … can work, but feels less like a strict requirement and more like a general if.

Why is sudah used before makan nasi?

Sudah = already, marking that the action (eating rice) must be completed first. Without sudah, the sentence sounds less natural for the “only after” meaning. With sudah, it’s clear: candy only after he has already eaten rice.

Why is there no subject like dia in the clause asalkan sudah makan nasi?

Indonesian often drops subjects when they’re obvious from context. The subject is the same boy mentioned earlier, so dia is understood: (dia) sudah makan nasi.

What does itu contribute in anak laki-laki itu?

Itu is a post-nominal demonstrative meaning that/that one, and frequently functions like English “the” for a specific, known referent.

Anak laki-laki itu = that/the boy (a specific boy).
Without itu, anak laki-laki could be generic (boys in general) or indefinite.

Is anak laki-laki the only way to say “boy”? What about laki-laki/pria/cowok?

Anak laki-laki = boy (child who is male).
Anak lelaki (variant) and lelaki kecil (less common) also occur.
Pria = adult male (not used for a child).
Laki-laki by itself usually means male/man, not necessarily a child.
Colloquial: anak cowok, cowok kecil (informal/slang).
Neutral “child” (gender unspecified): anak.

Is the hyphen in laki-laki required?

Yes. It’s a reduplicated form and standard spelling is laki-laki. A single-word synonym lelaki also exists (means male/man).

Is permen countable? How do I say “a candy” or “candies”?

Permen can be singular or plural from context.

A candy: sebuah permen or simply satu permen.
Candies: banyak permen, beberapa permen, or permen-permen (reduplication is optional and less common in everyday speech). Classifiers: buah is the common general classifier; butir can be used if the candies are small/round, but sebuah/satu permen is widely used.

Does makan nasi literally mean “eat rice,” or can it mean “have a meal”?

Literally it’s “eat rice” (cooked rice = nasi, raw rice = beras). Culturally, makan nasi often implies “have a proper meal,” since rice is the staple. So the line can be understood as “He may eat candy provided he has eaten a proper meal.”

Can I put the condition first?

Yes: Asalkan sudah makan nasi, anak laki-laki itu boleh makan permen. When the conditional clause comes first, use a comma. When it follows the main clause, a comma isn’t required.

What are informal and formal variants of parts of this sentence?

Informal: Anak cowok itu boleh makan permen asal udah makan nasi. (asal = short for asalkan; udah = colloquial sudah)
More formal: Anak laki-laki tersebut diperbolehkan makan permen asalkan telah makan nasi. (tersebut = the aforementioned; diperbolehkan = is permitted; telah = formal sudah)

How else can I express “only after eating (rice/meal)”?

… boleh makan permen setelah/sesudah makan nasi.
… baru boleh makan permen setelah makan nasi. (adding baru emphasizes “not until then”)
Negative-before: … tidak boleh makan permen sebelum makan nasi.

Can I use memakan instead of makan?

Grammatically yes (memakan permen), but in everyday speech makan is preferred for eating food. Memakan is more formal/literary and often used metaphorically (e.g., memakan waktu = take up time).

How do I make it plural: “The boys are allowed to eat candy …”?

Anak-anak laki-laki itu boleh makan permen asalkan sudah makan nasi. More natural if the group is already known: Anak-anak itu boleh makan permen asalkan sudah makan nasi. You can also say: Para lelaki kecil itu …, but anak-anak itu is the most straightforward.

How do I negate it?

Anak laki-laki itu tidak boleh makan permen sebelum makan nasi. = The boy may not eat candy before eating rice.
If he hasn’t eaten yet: Dia belum makan nasi, jadi tidak boleh makan permen. (belum = not yet)

Do I need a comma before asalkan as written?

Not when the condition follows the main clause: Anak laki-laki itu boleh makan permen asalkan sudah makan nasi. No comma needed. If you front the condition, add a comma after it.

Any regional or alternative words for permen?

Yes. Permen is standard Indonesian. You may also see gula-gula or kembang gula (more old-fashioned/regional), and specific types like permen karet (chewing gum) or lollipop/permen lolipop.