Teman perempuan saya kelelahan, seperti habis berlari jauh.

My female friend was exhausted, like after running far.

Breakdown of Teman perempuan saya kelelahan, seperti habis berlari jauh.

• adalah: to be
• teman: the friend
• saya: my
• berlari: to run
• jauh: far
• perempuan: female
• seperti: like
• kelelahan: exhausted
• habis: after

Questions & Answers about Teman perempuan saya kelelahan, seperti habis berlari jauh.

Does teman perempuan mean girlfriend, or just a female friend?

It usually means a female friend (non-romantic). To say a romantic partner:

• Neutral: pacar saya
• Casual/slang: cewek saya
• Formal/poetic: kekasih saya
• If married: istri saya

So your sentence most naturally refers to a friend who is female, not necessarily a girlfriend.

Why is saya placed after teman perempuan?

Indonesian puts the possessor after the noun: teman perempuan saya = my female friend. Alternatives:

• Using the suffix -ku: teman perempuanku (more intimate/casual)
• Using punya to express existence: saya punya teman perempuan (I have a female friend)

Putting saya before the noun (like English) is not the normal pattern.

Should I use perempuan, wanita, or cewek?

• perempuan: neutral, common in everyday speech.
• wanita: more formal/polite (often in media, institutions).
• cewek: casual/slang (youthful, informal). You can say teman perempuan, teman wanita (formal-ish), or teman cewek (informal).

What nuance does kelelahan have compared with lelah, capek, or letih?

• kelelahan: exhausted/over-fatigued; stronger than just tired.
• lelah: tired (neutral).
• capek/cape: tired (colloquial).
• letih: tired (formal/literary). Examples:
• Dia lelah. = She is tired.
• Dia capek banget. = She’s really tired (casual).
• Dia kelelahan. = She’s exhausted/overly tired.

What does the ke- -an pattern in kelelahan do?

The circumfix ke- -an often forms:

• A state/abstract noun: kelelahan (fatigue).
• A stative/experiential sense, often “over-/too …”: kedinginan (too cold), kepanasan (overheated). In your sentence, kelelahan functions as a predicate describing her state.

Can I say sedang kelelahan or lagi capek?

Yes:

• sedang (more neutral/formal): Teman perempuan saya sedang kelelahan.
• lagi (casual): Teman perempuan saya lagi capek banget. They highlight the current, ongoing nature of the state. They’re optional with stative adjectives; your original sentence is already fine.

In seperti habis berlari jauh, where is the subject?

Indonesian often omits the repeated subject in comparisons. The understood subject is the same as the main clause (your friend). You can make it explicit:

• Teman perempuan saya kelelahan; dia seperti habis berlari jauh.

What does habis mean here? How is it different from baru or sudah?

• habis: literally “finished/used up”; in this pattern it means “having just finished”: seperti habis berlari jauh = as if she just finished running far.
• baru: just/recently; seperti baru berlari jauh is also possible, focusing on recency.
• sudah: already; seperti sudah berlari jauh is less natural for this simile.

Why berlari and not just lari? And what about lari jarak jauh?

• berlari is the standard intransitive verb “to run.”
• lari also works as a verb in everyday speech. Colloquial: habis lari jauh.
• lari jauh = run far (distance).
• lari jarak jauh = long-distance running (as a sport category). Your berlari jauh is clear and natural.

Is jauh the right word for “long” here? When do I use lama?

• jauh = far (distance): berlari jauh (run far).
• lama = long (time): berlari lama (run for a long time). Choose based on whether you mean distance (jauh) or duration (lama).

Is the comma before seperti required?

It’s optional but helpful. Both are acceptable:

• Teman perempuan saya kelelahan, seperti habis berlari jauh. (clearer)
• Teman perempuan saya kelelahan seperti habis berlari jauh. (also fine)

How do I say “my female friends are exhausted”?

Indonesian doesn’t mark plural by default. Use repetition or quantifiers:

• Teman-teman perempuan saya kelelahan.
• Semua teman perempuan saya kelelahan.
• Banyak teman perempuan saya kelelahan.

Are there other natural ways to say “as if” here?

Yes, with slightly different tones:

• Neutral/formal: seolah-olah, seakan-akan, bagaikan
  • … seolah-olah habis berlari jauh.
• Casual: kayak
  • … kayak abis lari jauh. You can also use sehabis or baru saja:
• … seperti sehabis berlari jauh.
• … seperti baru saja berlari jauh.