Kami kena macet di jalan tol pagi ini.

We got stuck in traffic on the toll road this morning.

Breakdown of Kami kena macet di jalan tol pagi ini.

• kami: we
• di: on
• jalan tol: the toll road
• pagi ini: this morning
• kena macet: to get stuck in traffic

Questions & Answers about Kami kena macet di jalan tol pagi ini.

What’s the difference between kami and kita?

Both mean we, but:

• kami excludes the listener (we = me and my group, not you).
• kita includes the listener (we = you and I and possibly others). So use kami if you’re not including the person you’re talking to.

What does kena mean here?

kena literally means “to be hit by / affected by / to get (subjected to).” It’s commonly used for things that happen to you, often unpleasant:

• kena hujan = got rained on
• kena tilang/denda = got a ticket/fine
• kena virus = caught a virus
• kena marah = got told off/got scolded Here, kena macet means “got stuck in traffic.”

Is kena macet idiomatic and natural?

Yes—very natural and very common in everyday Indonesian to mean “(we) got stuck in traffic.” It’s one of the default ways to say this.

Can I use terkena instead of kena?

You can say terkena macet, and it’s grammatical, but it sounds more formal or written. In speech, people overwhelmingly say kena macet. Another very common option is terjebak macet (“trapped in traffic”).

Is macet a noun or an adjective? What about kemacetan?

• macet is basically an adjective meaning “jammed/stuck.” You can say: Jalan tol macet (“The toll road is jammed.”).
• kemacetan is the noun “a traffic jam/congestion.” For example: Terjebak kemacetan (“stuck in a traffic jam”). In kena macet, macet behaves like the thing you were hit by, and the collocation is set and idiomatic.

Why is it di jalan tol and not ke jalan tol?

• di marks location (“at/on/in”): di jalan tol = on the toll road.
• ke marks movement toward a destination (“to”): ke jalan tol = to the toll road. In your sentence, you’re talking about where you were stuck, so di is correct.

Can I say just di tol instead of di jalan tol?

Yes. di tol is very common and natural in speech. di jalan tol is a bit more explicit/formal. Both are fine.

Can I move pagi ini to the front?

Yes. Indonesian word order is flexible for time expressions.

• Neutral: Kami kena macet di jalan tol pagi ini.
• Topicalized time: Pagi ini kami kena macet di jalan tol. Both are natural.

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

• pagi ini = this morning (typically used while it’s still the same morning).
• tadi pagi = earlier this morning (often used later in the day, or to emphasize “earlier”). If it’s already afternoon, tadi pagi is usually more natural.

How do I say it’s happening right now vs. it happened earlier?

• Right now: Kami lagi/sedang kena macet di tol.
• Earlier: Kami tadi kena macet di tol. or Kami sudah kena macet di tol tadi pagi.

Can I drop the subject and just say Kena macet di jalan tol pagi ini?

In conversation or messages where context is clear, yes. It’s common to omit the subject when it’s understood. In formal writing, keep kami.

Is Kami macet di jalan tol correct?

It’s understandable but sounds odd, because macet typically describes traffic/roads, not people. Prefer:

• Kami kena macet di jalan tol.
• Kami terjebak macet di jalan tol. You can, however, say Jalan tol macet (“The toll road is jammed.”).

Any spacing gotchas with di?

Yes. When di is a preposition (location), it’s written separately: di jalan tol. When di- is a passive prefix on verbs, it attaches to the verb: diambil (taken), dibayar (paid). Don’t write dijalan for location.

How do you pronounce macet and tol?

• macet: the c is “ch” as in “church” → “MAH-chet” (stress usually on the first syllable).
• tol: a pure Indonesian “o” → “tohl” (short, not a diphthong).

How can I say “We were stuck in heavy traffic on the toll road this morning”?

A natural upgrade is: Kami kena macet parah di tol pagi ini. You could also say: Pagi ini macetnya parah di tol, kami terjebak lama.