Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Paman saya kena batuk ringan, jadi dia minum teh hangat dan istirahat. - My uncle has a mild cough, so he drinks warm tea and rests.

Kena literally means “to be hit/affected by” and, by extension, “to get/catch” (an illness, a fine, the rain, etc.). With ailments it means “came down with/has.” Examples:

kena flu = got the flu
kena hujan = got rained on
kena denda = got fined So kena batuk ringan means he’s affected by a mild cough.

Could I use terkena instead of kena?

Yes. Terkena is a bit more formal and common in writing: Paman saya terkena batuk ringan. In everyday speech, plain kena is very natural.

What about tertular? Does that work here?

Tertular means “to be infected/contagiously catch (something) from someone else.” It’s great with contagious diseases (e.g., tertular flu/COVID). Since batuk (a cough) is a symptom rather than a disease, people more often say tertular flu than tertular batuk.

Can I drop kena and say “My uncle has a mild cough” some other way?

Yes. Natural alternatives:

Paman saya sedang/lagi batuk = My uncle is coughing/has a cough.
To keep “mild,” say Batuknya ringan = His cough is mild.
Avoid Paman saya batuk ringan; it can sound like “he coughs mildly,” which is odd.

Is batuk a noun or a verb here?

After kena/terkena, batuk functions as a noun (“a cough”): kena batuk = got a cough. Without kena, batuk is commonly a verb (“to cough”): Dia batuk = He coughs. Reduplicated batuk-batuk means “to cough repeatedly.”

Why is it batuk ringan and not “ringan batuk”?

In Indonesian, adjectives usually follow nouns. So batuk ringan = “mild cough,” teh hangat = “warm tea.”

What does jadi do here? How is it different from karena, sehingga, or makanya?

jadi = “so/therefore” (introduces a result).
karena = “because” (introduces a cause): Karena paman saya kena batuk ringan, dia…
sehingga = “so that/as a result,” a bit more formal: …, sehingga dia…
makanya = very conversational “that’s why.”
Your sentence uses jadi to present the result action.

Do I need the comma before jadi?

It’s good style to use a comma when jadi connects two independent clauses: …, jadi …. You’ll also see Jadi, … at the start of a sentence as a discourse marker.

Why dia and not beliau or ia?

dia: neutral, everyday “he/she.”
beliau: respectful/polite for elders or respected people (you could use it for an uncle).
ia: often written/literary, typically used as a subject; you wouldn’t use ia after prepositions (you’d use dia/nya instead).

Can I omit dia in the second clause?

Yes. Indonesian often drops repeated subjects: Paman saya kena batuk ringan, jadi minum teh hangat dan istirahat. Keeping dia is also fine and can aid clarity.

Is istirahat okay without ber-? Should it be beristirahat?

Both are correct. Istirahat can function as a verb in everyday Indonesian. Beristirahat is more formal/polished. Either works here: …dan (ber)istirahat.

Why is there no extra verb before istirahat? Isn’t it “minum … dan [verb] istirahat”?

The verb is understood to be the same subject doing another action. It’s a coordination of predicates: [dia] minum … dan [dia] istirahat. Repeating dia is optional.

What’s the difference between minum and meminum?

Both mean “to drink.” Minum is the everyday base form and by far the most common. Meminum is a more formal/transitive form often seen in writing. Minum teh hangat sounds most natural in speech.

Does teh hangat mean “warm” or “hot”? What about teh panas or teh anget?

hangat = warm (pleasantly warm).
panas = hot (piping hot).
anget = colloquial/regional for “warm.”
So teh hangat = warm tea; teh panas = hot tea. Note: pedas = spicy (not used for temperature).

Do I need to say “a cup of” warm tea?

Not necessarily; teh hangat can be “(some) warm tea.” If you want to be specific:

secangkir teh hangat = a cup of warm tea (cup with a handle)
segelas teh hangat = a glass of warm tea

Is paman the only word for “uncle”? What about om or possessive forms?

Paman is the standard Indonesian word. Om is informal/colloquial (and common in some regions). Possession can be paman saya or the suffix form pamanku (more informal/literary).

How would I show this happened in the past?

Indonesian doesn’t mark tense on the verb. Add time/aspect words:

tadi (earlier), kemarin (yesterday), barusan (just now)
sudah/telah (already) Example: Tadi paman saya kena batuk ringan, jadi dia minum teh hangat dan istirahat.

Should it be untuk istirahat (“to rest”) instead of just dan istirahat?

Not here. Dan istirahat lists a second action. Untuk istirahat would express purpose and sounds odd with “drink tea” (drinking is not done “to rest”). If you want a purpose link, you’d say something like …minum teh hangat agar/biar lebih nyaman beristirahat (“so that resting is more comfortable”).