Dia sadar bahwa kereta terlambat.

He/She is aware that the train is late.

Breakdown of Dia sadar bahwa kereta terlambat.

• adalah: to be
• dia: he/she
• bahwa: that
• kereta: the train
• terlambat: late
• sadar: aware

Questions & Answers about Dia sadar bahwa kereta terlambat.

Does "dia" mean he or she? Are there gendered pronouns in Indonesian?

• Dia is gender-neutral and refers to “he/she/they (singular).”
• It isn’t used for inanimate objects.
• Honorific third person: beliau (respected people).
• Written/neutral subject form: ia (mostly for subjects in narratives). Note: ia is not used as an object.
  • Examples: Dia melihat saya. / Saya melihat dia.; Ia melihat saya. (but not: Saya melihat ia.)

Do I have to include "bahwa" after "sadar"? Can I leave it out?

• Standard/clear: Dia sadar bahwa kereta terlambat.
• Casual speech often drops it: Dia sadar kereta terlambat.
• Keeping bahwa is safer in writing because it clearly marks the start of the subordinate clause.

Can I use "kalau" instead of "bahwa" here?

• Colloquial and very common: Dia sadar kalau kereta terlambat.
• Caution: kalau also means “if,” so in some contexts it can be ambiguous. With verbs like sadar/bilang/tahu, it’s usually understood as “that.”
• In formal writing, prefer bahwa.

Is "sadar" a verb or an adjective? How is it different from "menyadari"?

• sadar is a stative verb/adjective meaning “be aware/conscious; realize.”
• menyadari is a transitive verb “to realize/be aware of (something).”
• Both can take a bahwa-clause: Dia sadar/menyadari bahwa kereta terlambat.
• With a noun object:
  • Dia menyadari keterlambatan kereta.
  • Dia sadar akan keterlambatan kereta. (use akan, not dengan, after sadar
    • noun)

Could "Dia sadar" also mean "He/She regained consciousness"?

• Yes. Without a following clause, Dia sadar often means “(s/he) regained consciousness” or “is conscious.”
• Context distinguishes meanings:
  • Dia sadar setelah pingsan. (regained consciousness)
  • Dia sadar bahwa kereta terlambat. (realized that…)

How is tense shown? Does this mean “realizes” or “realized”?

• Indonesian verbs don’t inflect for tense. Dia sadar can be present or past; time is inferred or marked with particles/adverbs:
  • Past/completed: Dia sudah sadar bahwa kereta terlambat., Dia tadi sadar…, Dia baru sadar… (just realized)
  • Future (less common with “sadar”): Dia akan sadar…

How do I say “the train” specifically, not just “a train”?

• Bare nouns are often definite by context. To make it explicit:
  • kereta itu (that/the train)
  • keretanya (the particular train; can also imply “his/her train” depending on context)
• Examples: Dia sadar bahwa kereta itu terlambat. / Dia sadar bahwa keretanya terlambat.

Is "kereta" enough for “train”? What about "kereta api"?

• In Indonesian (Indonesia):
  • kereta = train (common shorthand)
  • kereta api = full term (literally “fire carriage”); frequent in official contexts
• Note for Malay (Malaysia): kereta means “car” there. In Indonesian, “car” is mobil.

Does "terlambat" mean “late” or “delayed”? How is it different from "lambat", "telat", and "tertunda"?

• terlambat = late/behind schedule (people or things): Kereta terlambat.
• telat = colloquial for terlambat.
• lambat = slow (speed); kereta lambat ≈ “the train is slow,” not “arrived late.”
• tertunda = postponed: Kereta tertunda satu jam.
• Add amounts with terlambat: Kereta terlambat 10 menit.

Why isn’t there a word for “is” before "terlambat"? Shouldn’t it be “kereta adalah terlambat”?

• Adjectives/stative verbs can be predicates without a copula: kereta terlambat = “the train is late.”
• adalah is mostly used before noun phrases: Kereta ini adalah transportasi umum.
• Don’t say: kereta adalah terlambat.

How can I say “He just realized that the train is already late,” or make it stronger?

• Just realized: Dia baru sadar bahwa kereta sudah terlambat.
• Stronger emphasis:
  • Neutral: Kereta sangat terlambat.
  • Informal: Kereta telat banget.

Can I say “The train arrived late” instead of “is late”?

• Yes:
  • Kereta datang terlambat.
  • Kereta tiba terlambat.
  • With amount: Kereta tiba 15 menit terlambat.

Can I front the clause, like “That the train was late, he realized”?

• Possible but marked/formal: Bahwa kereta terlambat, dia sadar.
• Everyday Indonesian prefers the original order.

Are there other natural ways to express the same idea?

• Dia menyadari bahwa kereta terlambat.
• Dia sadar akan keterlambatan kereta.
• Colloquial: Dia sadar kalau kereta telat.
• Very casual/slang: Dia baru ngeh kalau kereta telat. (avoid in formal contexts)