Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Kebersihan dapur penting agar makanan tetap aman. - Kitchen cleanliness is important so that food remains safe.

Kebersihan means cleanliness. It’s formed from the adjective bersih (clean) with the nominalizing affix ke- … -an, which often makes abstract nouns for “the state/quality of X,” e.g., kebaikan (goodness) from baik, keindahan (beauty) from indah.

Why is there no adalah in Kebersihan dapur penting?

Indonesian usually omits a copula (“to be”) when the predicate is an adjective. With noun predicates, adalah is common, but with adjectives it’s typically left out. Kebersihan dapur adalah penting sounds stiff or unnatural in most contexts. A natural way to add emphasis is Kebersihan dapur itu penting.

What exactly does agar do here? How does it compare with supaya, biar, and untuk?

Agar introduces a purpose clause: “so that/in order that.”
Supaya is a near-synonym of agar, slightly less formal and very common.
Biar is colloquial/informal for the same idea.
Untuk means “to/for” and is used with a noun or verb phrase, not a finite clause. You’d say: … penting untuk menjaga makanan tetap aman (important to keep the food safe), not … penting untuk makanan tetap aman.

Can I use sehingga instead of agar?

Not for the same meaning. Agar/supaya express intended purpose; sehingga expresses result/consequence.

Purpose: Kebersihan dapur penting agar makanan tetap aman.
Result: Kebersihan dapur itu penting, sehingga makanan tetap aman.
The second is grammatical but shifts the meaning from intention to consequence.

What does tetap mean here, and is it necessary?

Tetap means “remain/stay/keep being.” It emphasizes maintaining the state over time. Without it (… agar makanan aman), the sentence still works, but the nuance “remain” is lost; it becomes more like “so that the food is safe.”

Where does tetap go in relation to adjectives or verbs?

Place tetap before the predicate it modifies:

makanan tetap aman (the food remains safe)
ruangan tetap bersih (the room remains clean)
mesin tetap bekerja (the machine keeps working)

Why is there no article like “the” before makanan?

Indonesian has no articles. Makanan can mean “food/the food/foods” depending on context. If you need to specify, use determiners or modifiers:

makanan itu (that/the food)
makanan ini (this food)
makanan yang dimasak (the food that is cooked)

Is makanan singular or plural here? How do I say “foods”?

Number is usually unmarked. Makanan can be singular or plural from context. To mark plurality explicitly:

Reduplication: makanan-makanan (foods, formal/written)
Quantifiers: berbagai makanan (various foods), semua makanan (all foods), banyak makanan (many foods)

What’s the difference between kebersihan dapur and kebersihan di dapur?

Kebersihan dapur is a compact noun–noun phrase: “the kitchen’s cleanliness.”
Kebersihan di dapur is “cleanliness in the kitchen,” highlighting location.
Both are acceptable; the first is tighter and common in formal writing.

Can I change the sentence order?

Yes. Fronting the purpose clause is fine:

Agar makanan tetap aman, kebersihan dapur penting.
Keep a comma after the fronted clause for clarity. The meaning stays the same.

How can I intensify penting?

Use intensifiers:

sangat penting, amat penting, penting sekali (very important)
paling penting (most important)
lebih penting (more important) You may also see sangatlah penting in formal writing for emphasis.

Is Kebersihan dapur itu penting okay?

Yes. Adding itu after the topic is natural and adds emphasis or a “speaking to you” tone: “As for kitchen cleanliness, that is important.”

How do I say “It’s important to keep the kitchen clean so that the food stays safe”?

Penting untuk menjaga kebersihan dapur agar makanan tetap aman.
Also natural:
Menjaga kebersihan dapur itu penting supaya makanan tetap aman.

Do I need to specify “safe to eat,” like aman dikonsumsi?

Not required; in this context aman is understood as “safe (to consume).” To be explicit, you can say aman untuk dimakan or aman dikonsumsi.

What are the grammatical roles in the sentence?

Kebersihan dapur: noun phrase (subject)
penting: adjective functioning as the predicate
agar: subordinator introducing a purpose clause
makanan: subject of the subordinate clause
tetap: adverb (“remain/still”)
aman: adjective (predicate of the subordinate clause)
Indonesian doesn’t need a copula with adjective predicates.