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Saringan itu dibilas di wastafel setelah dipakai.

Saringan itu dibilas di wastafel setelah dipakai.
That strainer is rinsed in the sink after being used.
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Questions & Answers about Saringan itu dibilas di wastafel setelah dipakai.

Why is the passive form dibilas used here instead of an active verb?

Indonesian often uses passive with di- to:

  • focus on the object (the strainer) rather than the doer,
  • omit an unimportant/unknown agent,
  • sound neutral/instructional.

Active equivalents:

  • Dia/Kami/Saya membilas saringan itu di wastafel setelah memakainya. Passive alternatives:
  • Saringan itu dibilas di wastafel setelah dipakai. (di- passive, agentless)
  • Saringan itu saya bilas di wastafel setelah dipakai. (passive type 2 with a pronoun as agent)
What’s the difference between dibilas, dicuci, and dibersihkan?
  • dibilas = rinsed (usually water only, quick rinse).
  • dicuci = washed (often with soap/scrubbing).
  • dibersihkan = cleaned (broad/goal-focused; could involve any method). Choose based on the action you mean. After washing, you might say dibilas lagi to “rinse off” soap.
How can I add who did the rinsing?

Three common ways:

  • di- passive + agent with oleh (formal): Saringan itu dibilas oleh saya/oleh petugas.
  • Passive type 2 with a pronoun (very common): Saringan itu saya/dia/kami bilas di wastafel.
  • Active voice: Saya/Dia/Kami membilas saringan itu di wastafel. In everyday speech, the passive type 2 is the most natural with personal agents.
There are two uses of di. How do I tell the prefix di- from the preposition di?
  • di- (no space) is a prefix making the passive verb: di
    • bilas → dibilas.
  • di (spaced) is a preposition meaning “at/in/on”: di wastafel. Rule of thumb: if it’s a verb, it attaches; if it’s a location, it’s separate.
What does itu do after saringan? Is it “that” or “the”?

itu post-nominally marks a specific/known item; it’s often “that/the (aforementioned)”.

  • saringan itu = that/the strainer (already known in context).
  • saringan ini = this strainer (near speaker). Without itu/ini, saringan can be generic or indefinite. Note: itu saringan usually parses as “That is a strainer,” not as a noun phrase.
Can I move setelah dipakai to the front?

Yes. Word order is flexible:

  • Setelah dipakai, saringan itu dibilas di wastafel.
  • Saringan itu dibilas di wastafel setelah dipakai. Both are natural; fronting adds slight emphasis to the time condition.
Does dipakai refer back to the same strainer? Do I need -nya?

Yes. In setelah dipakai, the understood patient is the same saringan. No -nya is needed. If you want the active “after using it,” use:

  • setelah memakainya (the -nya refers back to the strainer).
Is wastafel the right word? Are there alternatives?

wastafel is standard Indonesian for a sink (often bathroom, but also used generally). Alternatives:

  • Kitchen sink: bak cuci piring.
  • Colloquial: wasbak (informal). Spelling tip: standard is wastafel (not “westafel”). In Malay, you’ll also see sink/sinki.
Why di wastafel and not ke wastafel?
  • di marks location (at/in/on): di wastafel = at the sink.
  • ke marks movement/destination: ke wastafel = to the sink. Here the action happens at the sink, so di is correct.
How do I indicate tense/aspect (was/is/will be rinsed)?

Indonesian uses particles/adverbs:

  • Completed: sudah/telah → Saringan itu sudah dibilas…
  • In progress: sedang → Saringan itu sedang dibilas…
  • Future/intended: akan → Saringan itu akan dibilas…
  • Not yet: belum → Saringan itu belum dibilas… Time words also help: tadi, kemarin, nanti, etc.
Could I say Saringannya dibilas instead of Saringan itu dibilas?

You can, but nuance differs:

  • Saringan itu: specific/that known strainer (neutral).
  • Saringannya: “the/that strainer” with -nya acting as anaphoric/possessive. It can imply “its/his/her strainer” or “the aforementioned one.” Use it only if the referent is clear from context. Avoid doubling: Saringannya itu is ungrammatical.
Is there any register difference between dipakai and digunakan?

Yes:

  • dipakai is neutral to informal, very common in speech.
  • digunakan is more formal/technical. Either works here: setelah dipakai / setelah digunakan.
What’s the active counterpart of setelah dipakai?

Active form with an object pronoun:

  • setelah memakainya = after using it. You could write: Setelah memakainya, saya membilas saringan itu di wastafel.
Is there a common colloquial alternative to setelah dipakai?

Yes:

  • habis dipakai (colloquial)
  • sehabis dipakai (slightly more formal than “habis”)
  • sesudah dipakai (synonym of setelah) All are widely understood. Register and region may affect preference.
How would I turn the sentence into an instruction?

Use the imperative:

  • Bilas saringan itu di wastafel setelah dipakai. Politer forms:
  • Tolong bilas saringan itu di wastafel setelah dipakai.
  • Silakan bilas saringan itu di wastafel setelah dipakai.