Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Saya kesal karena kereta terlambat. - I am annoyed because the train is late.

kesal: annoyed/irritated, frustrated but not necessarily furious.
marah: angry/angry at someone; stronger and more confrontational.
jengkel: irritated/peeved, close to kesal but a bit sharper.
sebal: slangy/colloquial for annoyed; very common in speech. Example shades: Saya kesal (I’m annoyed), Saya marah (I’m angry), Saya jengkel (I’m peeved), Gue sebal (I’m so annoyed; informal).

Why is there no word for “am” here? Why not Saya adalah kesal?

Indonesian has no linking verb “to be” before adjectives. Adjectives act as predicates by themselves. So Saya kesal means “I am annoyed.” Adalah is used mainly before nouns, e.g., Kereta adalah sarana transportasi.

Can I drop the pronoun Saya?

Yes, if it’s clear from context. Options:

Kesal, karena kereta terlambat.
Aku kesal karena kereta terlambat. (informal)
Gue kesal karena kereta telat. (Jakarta informal) Dropping the subject is common in conversation when who/what is understood.

Can the because-clause go first?

Yes. Both are correct:

Saya kesal karena kereta terlambat.
Karena kereta terlambat, saya kesal. (Use a comma when it comes first.)

What exactly does terlambat mean, and what’s the role of the prefix ter-?

Terlambat means “late.” Here ter- forms a stative adjective (“in a state of being late”). In many words ter- can imply “accidentally/unintentionally” or a superlative, but with terlambat it’s just the standard word for “late.”

Is it okay to say telat instead of terlambat?

Yes, telat is very common in speech and informal writing. Nuance:

terlambat: neutral/standard; fine in formal contexts.
telat: casual/informal. Related words: tertunda/ditunda = delayed/postponed (more formal, often for flights), ketinggalan kereta = to miss the train.

Should I say kereta or kereta api? And what about keretanya?

In Indonesia, kereta already means “train”; kereta api is more explicit/formal.
keretanya adds definiteness/topicality: “the train” (the one we’ve been talking about). Example: Keretanya terlambat. Note: In Malaysia, kereta means “car,” and kereta api means “train.”

How do I express tense? What if I mean “was late” earlier today?

Indonesian doesn’t mark tense on verbs/adjectives; use time words:

Present/general: Saya kesal karena kereta terlambat.
Earlier today: Saya tadi kesal karena kereta terlambat. or Saya kesal karena kereta tadi terlambat.
Already late: Kereta sudah terlambat. (emphasizes “already”)

How do I negate this sentence properly? When do I use tidak vs bukan?

Use tidak to negate adjectives/verbs, bukan for nouns/pronouns/nominal clauses.

Saya tidak kesal karena kereta terlambat. = I’m not annoyed because the train is late. To negate the reason specifically, use:
Saya kesal, tapi bukan karena kereta terlambat.
Saya kesal bukan karena kereta terlambat, melainkan karena…

How can I intensify or soften kesal?

Stronger: sangat kesal, kesal sekali (formal/neutral), kesal banget (informal), kesal banget sih! (emphatic, casual)
Softer: agak kesal (a bit annoyed), lumayan kesal (quite annoyed) Example: Saya kesal banget karena kereta telat.

Can I use other connectors instead of karena?

Yes:

sebab: formal/literary synonym of karena. Saya kesal sebab kereta terlambat.
gara-gara: “because of” with a negative/annoying cause; colloquial. Saya kesal gara-gara kereta telat.
soalnya: “because/The thing is…” very conversational, often after a pause. Saya kesal, soalnya kereta telat.

Any pronunciation tips for this sentence?

Saya: sah-yah (y as in “yes”).
kesal: roughly kuh-sahl; the first e is a schwa.
karena: kah-ruh-nah; the first e is a schwa.
kereta: kuh-reh-tah; r is tapped; first e is a schwa.
terlambat: tuhr-lahm-baht; r tapped; t/d unaspirated. Stress is light, typically near the penultimate syllable, but Indonesian stress is not strong.

Can I rewrite the reason as a noun phrase?

Yes, use the noun keterlambatan (“delay/lateness”):

Saya kesal karena keterlambatan kereta.
More formal: Saya kesal atas keterlambatan kereta. (atas = “due to,” formal)

Is it okay to leave out karena and just juxtapose the clauses?

In casual speech, yes, especially with discourse markers:

Saya kesal, keretanya terlambat. (comma splice; conversational)
Saya kesal. Soalnya kereta telat. For clear formal writing, keep karena or another explicit connector.

Are there casual particles that fit this emotion?

Yes, sentence particles add tone:

… telat terus, sih! (frustration/emphasis)
… telat mulu, deh. (complaint; casual Jakarta)
… telat, dong! (adds insistence/surprise) Example: Saya kesal, soalnya kereta telat terus, sih!