Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Jika lampu dibiarkan menyala, tagihan bisa kena biaya tambahan. - If the lights are left on, the bill can get extra charges.

Indonesian often uses passive voice to highlight the affected thing and downplay the doer. Here, lampu is the focus, so lampu dibiarkan puts it first and omits the agent. The active version would be Jika kamu/Anda membiarkan lampu menyala…, which explicitly mentions the person doing it.

What does dibiarkan break down to morphologically?

dibiarkan = di- (passive prefix) + biar (root “let/allow”) + -kan (causative/applicative). So it literally means “to be allowed/left (to do something).”

Why menyala and not menyalakan?

menyala is intransitive: “to be on/to be lit.” menyalakan is transitive: “to turn something on.” So:

lampu menyala = the light is on.
menyalakan lampu = to turn on the light. In the sentence, the light is in the state of being on, so menyala fits.

Could I say tetap menyala or terus menyala?

Yes. dibiarkan tetap menyala or dibiarkan terus menyala emphasizes the continuity (“kept left on”). The original without tetap/terus is already fine and idiomatic.

Is Jika the same as Kalau, Bila, and Apabila?

They all mean “if,” with nuance:

Jika/Apabila: more formal.
Bila: slightly formal/literary.
Kalau: neutral/informal; kalo in casual speech. Any of them works here; pick based on formality.

Do I need akan for the future (e.g., tagihan akan…)?

No. Indonesian doesn’t require future marking; context and the conditional already imply it. You can add akan for emphasis: tagihan akan kena…, or keep bisa to express possibility: tagihan bisa kena… (can/may incur).

What does kena mean here?

kena is a versatile verb meaning “to get/receive/be hit by” something. With fees or penalties, kena means “to incur/be charged.” It’s common and informal-neutral. More formal is dikenai: tagihan dikenai biaya tambahan.

Can I use terkena instead of kena?

Yes, terkena is also used: bisa terkena biaya tambahan. It sounds a bit more formal/stative. kena is shorter and very common in speech.

Is it natural to say tagihan bisa kena biaya tambahan? Should the subject be a person instead?

It’s acceptable, but many speakers prefer either:

Make the person the subject: Kamu/Anda bisa kena biaya tambahan.
Use a more bill-focused phrasing: Tagihan bisa bertambah or Tagihan akan lebih tinggi. For formal style with “bill” as subject: Tagihan Anda bisa dikenai biaya tambahan.

What’s the difference between biaya, harga, ongkos, and tarif?

biaya: cost/fee (broad; often administrative/extra fees).
harga: price (sticker price of an item/service).
ongkos: expense/fare (colloquial, transport/effort).
tarif: rate/tariff (set rates, e.g., utilities). Here, biaya tambahan is the standard collocation for “additional fee.”

Should it be biaya tambahan or tambahan biaya?

Both are grammatical. biaya tambahan is the most common, fixed-sounding collocation. tambahan biaya is fine when “addition” is emphasized.

Do I need to mark possession, like tagihanmu or tagihan Anda?

Not required; Indonesian often omits possessives when context is clear. Add them for clarity or tone:

Neutral/informal: tagihanmu.
Polite/formal: tagihan Anda. Example: Jika lampu dibiarkan menyala, tagihan Anda bisa dikenai biaya tambahan.

Is the comma after the conditional clause required?

It’s standard and recommended: when the Jika/Kalau clause comes first, use a comma before the main clause. If you flip the order, the comma is usually omitted: Tagihan … jika lampu dibiarkan menyala.

How would I say this more formally vs more casually?

Formal: Apabila lampu dibiarkan tetap menyala, tagihan Anda dapat dikenai biaya tambahan.
Casual: Kalau lampu dibiarkan nyala, tagihan bisa kena biaya tambahan.

Can I front the participial phrase: Jika dibiarkan menyala, lampu…?

Yes: Jika dibiarkan menyala, lampu… is grammatical and natural. It slightly increases focus on the condition before mentioning the subject.

What’s the difference between membiarkan and meninggalkan here?

membiarkan = to let/allow (intentionally not turning it off).
meninggalkan = to leave (physically go away). For this meaning, membiarkan lampu menyala is idiomatic. meninggalkan lampu menyala is understandable but less idiomatic; it centers on you leaving, not on allowing the light to stay on.