Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Dia lembur malam ini karena mengejar bonus proyek. - He/She is working overtime tonight because he/she is chasing a project bonus.

In this sentence, lembur functions as a verb meaning “to work overtime.”
It can also be a noun (“overtime”), e.g., uang lembur = overtime pay.
Alternatives:
- More formal: bekerja lembur (“to work overtime”).
- Colloquial: kerja lembur (drops the prefix on bekerja).
- All three are natural; your sentence with bare lembur is perfectly idiomatic.

Do I need to add akan or sedang since it’s about “tonight”?

Not necessary. Malam ini already pins the time.
Options:
- Plan/schedule: Dia (akan) lembur malam ini. Adding akan makes the futurity explicit but is optional.
- Ongoing right now (and it is already night): Dia sedang/lagi lembur (sekarang). Pairing sedang/lagi with malam ini is odd unless it is already that night.

Why is there no subject after karena? Shouldn’t it be karena dia mengejar?

Indonesian often drops the repeated subject in the subordinate clause when it’s the same as the main clause. So karena mengejar… is fine.
You can include it for clarity: karena dia/ia mengejar bonus proyek.
Include the subject if it’s different: Dia lembur… karena bosnya mengejar target.

Does mengejar sound too literal (like “to chase”)? Is it idiomatic here?

It’s idiomatic. Mengejar commonly means “to pursue” in work contexts: mengejar bonus/target/deadline.
Synonyms/near-synonyms: mengincar (to aim for), memburu (to hunt, often figurative), mengejar target (very common).
If you want “to obtain,” use (untuk) mendapatkan/mendapat.

Should it be karena mengejar or untuk mengejar? What’s the difference?

karena = because (cause): He’s working overtime because he is pursuing a bonus.
untuk = in order to (purpose): He’s working overtime in order to pursue a bonus.
Both are acceptable; choose based on whether you want to emphasize cause or purpose.
Other purpose options: demi mengejar…, agar/supaya mendapat(kan)… (followed by a clause/verb).

What exactly does bonus proyek mean? Do I need -nya?

bonus proyek = a project-related bonus (general/unspecified).
bonus proyeknya can mean:
- the specific project bonus already known in context (“the project bonus”),
- or “his/her project bonus” (possessive). Context disambiguates.
bonus dari proyek (itu) emphasizes the source (“a bonus from the/that project”).

Can I move malam ini to other positions?

Natural positions:
- Dia lembur malam ini karena mengejar bonus proyek.
- Malam ini dia lembur karena mengejar bonus proyek. (fronting for emphasis)
Less natural/avoid:
- Dia malam ini lembur… (sounds marked/awkward in many contexts).
- Dia lembur karena mengejar bonus proyek malam ini can be misread as modifying the bonus (“the project bonus tonight”); place time near the verb to avoid ambiguity.

What’s the difference between dia, ia, and beliau? Are they gendered?

dia: common, neutral, spoken/writing, subject or object, ungendered (he/she).
ia: more formal/literary; typically subject-only (not after prepositions).
beliau: respectful “he/she” for elders/superiors.
Your sentence with Dia is natural and neutral.

How do I say “last night,” “later tonight,” and “tomorrow night”?

tadi malam = last night.
malam ini = tonight/this evening (neutral).
nanti malam = later tonight (often used in speech for future “tonight”).
besok malam = tomorrow night.
Examples:
- Dia lembur tadi malam.
- Dia akan lembur nanti malam.
- Dia lembur besok malam.

Is the sentence appropriate for workplace communication?

Yes for everyday speech/chat: Dia lembur malam ini karena mengejar bonus proyek.
More formal (e.g., email/report):
- Ia akan bekerja lembur malam ini karena mengejar target bonus proyek.
- With respectful subject: Beliau akan bekerja lembur malam ini…

Any pronunciation tips?

dia: DEE-ah
lembur: lum-BOOR (u as in “put”)
malam: MAH-lahm
ini: EE-nee
karena: kah-REH-nah (rolled/trilled r; the e is like schwa in the middle syllable)
mengejar: muh-nuh-JAR (the e in me and ge is schwa)
proyek: PROH-yeck (final k is unreleased) Indonesian stress is light and often falls near the penultimate syllable; vowels are pure.

Why mengejar and not just kejar?

kejar is the bare root. The active transitive form uses the meN- prefix: mengejar (“to pursue [something]”).
With kejar, you’ll commonly see:
- Imperative: Kejar bonusnya! (Chase the bonus!)
- Passive: Bonus itu sedang dikejar (oleh dia). (“is being pursued”)
Spelling note: meN- + kejar → mengejar (the initial k drops when the prefix attaches).

Are there casual variants natives might say?

Very common in speech/text:
- Dia lembur malam ini, ngejar bonus proyek. (colloquial ngejar = mengejar)
- Dia lembur malam ini soalnya lagi ngejar bonus proyek. (soalnya = “because,” informal)
- Texting spellings: karna/krn for karena (informal only).

Is proyek ever spelled projek?

In Indonesian, the standard spelling is proyek. projek is more common in Malay; in Indonesian it may appear informally but is nonstandard.
Pronunciation stays with a “y” glide: pro-yek.

Could I replace the bonus with a deadline/target in the same structure?

Yes, same pattern:
- Dia lembur malam ini karena mengejar deadline/target proyek.
- Formal Indonesian alternative to “deadline”: batas waktu (though “deadline” is very common in offices).