Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Petugas menjelaskan aturan keamanan di kantor. - The staff explains the security rules at the office.

Petugas is a general term for “an attendant/official on duty” — someone assigned to carry out a task. It’s broader than “police officer.” For a police officer, say polisi or petugas kepolisian; for a security guard, petugas keamanan; for general employees, pegawai/karyawan/staf; for an office-holder/official (position), pejabat.

Is petugas singular or plural here? How do I show it clearly?

Indonesian doesn’t mark number by default, so petugas can be singular or plural. To make it explicit:

Singular: seorang petugas (one/an officer)
Plural: para petugas, beberapa petugas, or less commonly reduplication (petugas-petugas)

Does menjelaskan mark past tense (“explained”)? How do I show time?

Verbs in Indonesian don’t change for tense. Menjelaskan can mean explains/is explaining/explained. Add time/aspect words to clarify:

Past: tadi, kemarin, sudah/telah
Progressive: sedang
Future: akan

How is menjelaskan built and used?

It’s meN- + root jelas (clear) + -kan → menjelaskan “to explain/clarify,” a transitive verb that takes a direct object. Common frames:

menjelaskan [thing] (explain something)
menjelaskan [thing] kepada [person] (explain something to someone)
menjelaskan bahwa [clause] (explain that …)

Is menjelaskan tentang correct?

It’s common in speech, but many teachers consider tentang redundant after menjelaskan. Prefer:

Formal/neutral: menjelaskan aturan keamanan
If you want “about,” use a noun: memberikan penjelasan tentang aturan keamanan

What’s the nuance between aturan, peraturan, ketentuan, tata tertib, and prosedur?

aturan/peraturan: rules/regulations (peraturan sounds a bit more formal/official)
ketentuan: provisions/terms
tata tertib: house rules/code of conduct
prosedur: procedures/steps to follow

Difference between keamanan and keselamatan?

keamanan (from aman) = security (protection from threats/crime)
keselamatan (from selamat) = safety (protection from accidents/harm) So aturan keamanan = security rules; aturan keselamatan = safety rules.

Does di kantor mean “at the office” or “in the office”? What about ke kantor?

di kantor covers both “at” and “in.” ke kantor means “to the office” (movement/direction). pada kantor for location is unnatural; use di for places.

Where can I place di kantor in the sentence?

It’s flexible:

End: Petugas menjelaskan aturan keamanan di kantor.
Fronted for emphasis/topic: Di kantor, petugas menjelaskan aturan keamanan. Meaning is the same; the fronted version highlights the location.

Could di kantor modify the noun phrase (the rules) instead of the verb (where the explaining happened)?

It can be ambiguous. To be explicit:

Explaining happened at the office: Petugas menjelaskan aturan keamanan di kantor itu.
Rules that apply at the office: Petugas menjelaskan aturan keamanan yang berlaku di kantor itu or aturan keamanan kantor itu.

How do I say it in passive voice?

Passive (with agent): Aturan keamanan dijelaskan oleh petugas di kantor.
Passive (without oleh, common): Aturan keamanan dijelaskan petugas di kantor. Active (original): Petugas menjelaskan aturan keamanan di kantor.

How do I mark “the” (definiteness) for petugas and kantor?

Use demonstratives or -nya:

petugas itu / petugas tersebut / petugasnya = the officer
di kantor itu / di kantor tersebut / di kantornya = at the office (that/the)

Any spelling tip for di vs the passive prefix di-?

Yes: the preposition di is written separately (e.g., di kantor). The passive prefix di- is attached to the verb (e.g., dijelaskan). Don’t write di jelaskan or dikantor.

Can I drop the object and just say Petugas menjelaskan di kantor?

Generally no; menjelaskan expects an object. If the object is understood from context, it’s sometimes omitted in speech. Otherwise, use:

Petugas memberikan penjelasan di kantor.

What’s a natural informal version?

Colloquially, speakers shorten menjelaskan to jelasin/ngejelasin:

Petugas jelasin aturan keamanan di kantor.
With a recipient: Petugas jelasin aturan keamanan ke kami. (informal; formal: kepada kami)

How do I add the recipient “to the employees/us”?

Use kepada (formal/neutral) for people:

Petugas menjelaskan aturan keamanan kepada para karyawan/kepada kami. In casual speech, ke is common: ke karyawan/ke kami (less formal).