Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Berapa halaman materi yang harus aku baca?

Yang introduces a relative clause that modifies the noun right before it. Here, materi yang harus aku baca means “the material that I have to read.” You generally need yang to link a clause to a noun like this; dropping it would sound odd in careful Indonesian.

Why is it baca and not membaca?

Inside this kind of relative clause, Indonesian strongly prefers the bare verb: yang harus aku/saya baca, not ❌yang harus aku/saya membaca. In a normal main clause, both are fine: Saya harus membaca materi itu (more formal) and Saya harus baca materi itu (more colloquial).

Is Berapa halaman materi natural without dari?

Yes. The pattern berapa + unit + noun is natural: Berapa halaman materi … = “How many pages of material…”. You can add dari (…berapa halaman dari materi…) to highlight “from the material,” but it’s not required.

Do I need a classifier like lembar?

Use halaman for pages in a book/document. Lembar is a counter for loose sheets (photocopies, handouts). So:

Pages in a book: Berapa halaman …?
Loose sheets: Berapa lembar …?

Can I drop materi and just say Berapa halaman yang harus aku baca?

Yes. That’s common and natural if “what you have to read” is already understood from context.

Can I drop the whole relative clause and just ask Berapa halaman materi?

In isolation it sounds incomplete. If the material is already known, make it definite: Berapa halaman materinya? or Materinya berapa halaman? Those are very natural.

How formal is aku? Should I use saya instead?

Aku is informal/intimate. Saya is neutral/formal and is safer with strangers, elders, or in professional contexts. So a formal version is: Berapa halaman materi yang harus saya baca? Colloquial Jakarta-style speech might use gue with friends: …yang harus gue baca?

Is the word order fixed? What about yang aku harus baca?

Both yang harus aku/saya baca and yang aku/saya harus baca are used. The first is a touch more common and often feels smoother. Both are acceptable.

How would I say this in the passive?

Use dibaca: Berapa halaman materi yang harus dibaca (oleh saya)? Usually Indonesians drop the agent: …yang harus dibaca, and context supplies who reads it. If you want to keep “I,” the active yang harus saya/aku baca is more direct.

When should I add -nya or itu to materi?

Use them to mark definiteness (the specific material already known in context):

materinya = the material (known)
materi itu = that material Example: Berapa halaman materi itu yang harus saya baca?

Is it okay to start with Ada: Ada berapa halaman …?

Yes. Ada berapa halaman…? is very common in speech and sounds natural: “How many pages are there…?”

Are there shorter, colloquial rephrasings natives use?

Yes:

Materinya berapa halaman?
Berapa halaman yang harus aku baca?
Harus baca berapa halaman?
Jumlah halamannya berapa? / Totalnya berapa halaman?

What exactly does materi mean here? Any alternatives?

Materi is “material/content” (often academic or training content). You can be more specific:

materi pelajaran (school material)
materi kuliah (lecture/course material)
bahan bacaan (reading material; a bit more general)

Does halaman also mean “yard”? How do I avoid confusion?

Yes, halaman can mean “yard/courtyard” (e.g., halaman rumah). Context disambiguates. With reading, it clearly means “page” (e.g., halaman buku, halaman majalah).

Can I use Berapakah to sound more formal?

You can, but it’s stylistically heavy and mostly written: Berapakah halaman materi yang harus saya baca? In speech and most writing, plain Berapa is preferred.

What about the clitic ku- (as in kubaca)?

You can say …yang harus kubaca, where ku- = “I” attached to the verb (no space). It’s concise and common in writing; in everyday speech, people more often say …yang harus aku baca.