Dia kena macet parah pagi ini.

He/She got stuck in heavy traffic this morning.

Breakdown of Dia kena macet parah pagi ini.

• dia: he/she
• pagi ini: this morning
• kena macet: to get stuck in traffic
• parah: heavy

Questions & Answers about Dia kena macet parah pagi ini.

What does the word kena mean here?

In this sentence, kena means “to get/be affected by.” So kena macet is “to get stuck in traffic” or “be affected by a traffic jam.” kena often carries a sense of an unwanted or unpleasant thing happening to you.

Is kena informal? Can I use terkena or terjebak instead?

• kena macet is neutral and very common in speech.
• terjebak macet = “trapped in traffic,” also common, slightly more descriptive.
• terkena is more formal; if you use it here, it fits best with the noun form: terkena kemacetan (rather than terkena macet).

What exactly is macet? Is it a noun or an adjective?

macet is primarily an adjective meaning “jammed/stuck.” In everyday use, it can function like a noun meaning “a traffic jam.” The clear noun form is kemacetan (“traffic congestion/jam”).

What does parah add, and where does it go?

parah means “severe/bad.” macet parah = “really bad traffic.” It comes after the word it modifies. Comparable intensifiers:

• Colloquial: banget → macet banget
• Neutral: sekali → macet sekali
• Formal-ish: sangat → sangat macet

Does this sentence express past tense? How does Indonesian show time?

Indonesian doesn’t mark tense on the verb. Time is shown by context/time words. pagi ini anchors it to “this morning,” which could be happening now or earlier today. To make it clearly past, say tadi pagi; to show it’s ongoing, add lagi: Dia lagi kena macet…

What’s the difference between pagi ini, tadi pagi, and pagi-pagi?

• pagi ini: this morning (today; could be ongoing or earlier today).
• tadi pagi: earlier this morning (definitely past).
• pagi-pagi: early in the morning (emphasis on earliness).

Can I move pagi ini to another position?

Yes. All are natural, with slight emphasis shifts:

• Pagi ini dia kena macet parah. (emphasizes the time)
• Dia pagi ini kena macet parah. (common in speech)
• Dia kena macet parah pagi ini. (neutral/frequent)

Do I need a preposition before pagi ini? Is di pagi ini okay?

No preposition is needed in everyday speech: pagi ini. In formal writing you might see pada pagi ini, but di pagi ini is generally avoided.

How would I say this more formally?

• Dia terkena kemacetan parah pagi ini.
• Dia terjebak kemacetan parah pagi ini.
• For extra formality or writing: Ia mengalami kemacetan parah pagi ini.

How do kena macet and terjebak macet differ in nuance?

kena macet frames the jam as something that befell you (affected you). terjebak macet highlights the “trapped” state. Both are fine; terjebak is a bit more visual.

Can I drop parah? What changes?

Yes: Dia kena macet pagi ini simply states he/she hit traffic, without saying how bad it was. parah adds that it was severe.

Is kena only used for bad things?

Mostly, yes: kena hujan (got rained on), kena denda (got fined), kena tilang (got a traffic ticket), kena flu (caught the flu). But it can be used positively in some set phrases, e.g., kena diskon (got a discount).

Can I omit dia if it’s clear from context?

Yes. Indonesian is often subject-dropping. If context makes the subject obvious, Kena macet parah pagi ini is fine.

Any quick pronunciation tips?

• c = “ch” as in “church” → macet = MAH-chet
• e in kena is a schwa: kuh-NA
• Tap/roll the r in parah
• Stress usually falls on the penultimate syllable: ke-NA, MA-cet, PA-rah

Is macet parah colloquial? What are neutral or formal alternatives?

parah is colloquial-ish and negative-leaning. Neutral/formal options:

• macet sekali
• sangat macet
• Using the noun: kemacetan parah (sounds more formal overall)

Are there other common ways to say the same idea?

• Dia kejebak macet parah pagi ini. (very colloquial; kejebak = colloquial for terjebak)
• Tadi pagi dia macet total. (macet total = gridlocked)
• Ongoing: Dia lagi kena macet parah.

Can I connect this to a consequence, like being late?

Yes. Common patterns:

• Dia telat karena macet parah pagi ini.
• Dia terlambat akibat kemacetan parah pagi ini. (more formal)