Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Para tukang datang pagi ini untuk mengecek langit-langit yang bocor. - The workers came this morning to check the leaking ceiling.

Para marks a plural group of people. Para tukang = “the workers/handymen.” Indonesian doesn’t normally mark plural, so without para, tukang could be singular or plural from context. Using para makes the plurality explicit and a bit formal. It’s optional.

Don’t combine para with reduplication: avoid para tukang-tukang.
Don’t use para with numerals or quantifiers: say dua (orang) tukang, beberapa tukang, not para dua tukang.

Why use tukang? Is it neutral, and what are alternatives?

Tukang is a general term for skilled manual workers (plumber, carpenter, handyman). It’s usually neutral. Alternatives:

Pekerja = workers (broad, neutral)
Buruh = laborers (often manual/blue-collar, sometimes lower-status)
Teknisi = technicians
Kontraktor = contractor
More specific: tukang listrik (electrician), tukang kayu (carpenter), tukang ledeng (plumber)

Why is datang bare? Should I add sudah to show past?

Indonesian doesn’t inflect verbs for tense. The time phrase pagi ini already places it in time. You can add:

sudah datang to emphasize completion (“have already come”).
tadi pagi if you mean “earlier this morning” (already past).

All are grammatical; choose based on nuance.

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

Pagi ini = “this morning” (the same morning/day you’re in).
Tadi pagi = “earlier this morning” (definitely past within today). If it’s afternoon now, both can refer to the morning that has passed, but tadi pagi sounds more clearly past.

Why is it untuk mengecek? Can I drop untuk, or use buat?

Untuk introduces purpose (“in order to”). In careful speech, use untuk.

Formal: untuk memeriksa / guna memeriksa
Colloquial: buat ngecek
Dropping untuk is not standard here; datang mengecek sounds off. Keep the linker: datang untuk... (formal) or datang buat... (casual).

Why mengecek, not mencek? And how does this prefix work?

The root is cek (“check”). With the active prefix meN-, one-syllable bases take menge-, hence mengecek (standard). Compare:

cat → mengecat (to paint)
cari (two syllables) → mencari (to search)

You’ll see mencek informally, but standard Indonesian prefers mengecek. A more formal synonym is memeriksa.

What does langit-langit mean, and why the hyphen?

Langit = sky; reduplicated langit-langit = ceiling. The hyphen marks reduplication (a normal word-building process). So write langit-langit, not “langit langit” or “langitlangit.” A common synonym is plafon.

What is yang doing in yang bocor?

Yang turns what follows into a clause modifying a noun: langit-langit yang bocor = “the ceiling that is leaking.” It’s a relative marker (“that/which/who”). Without yang, langit-langit bocor is a full clause (“the ceiling is leaking”), not a noun phrase, so you need yang here.

Is bocor an adjective or a verb? How else can I talk about leaks?

Bocor works like “leaky/leaking” or “to leak” (intransitive). Related forms:

kebocoran = a leak/leakage (noun)
membocorkan = to leak/reveal (transitive; usually information/secrets) For physical leaks: langit-langit bocor (is leaking) or kebocoran di langit-langit (a leak in the ceiling).

Can I start with the time phrase? Is word order flexible?

Yes. Indonesian is flexible with adverb placement. All of these are fine:

Para tukang datang pagi ini untuk...
Pagi ini para tukang datang untuk...

No comma is required, but you may add one for clarity after a long fronted time phrase.

Do I need a destination after datang (like ke rumah)?

Not required, but common if you want to specify the place:

Para tukang datang ke rumah (saya) pagi ini... You can also use the transitive verb mendatangi (“to visit/come to”): Para tukang mendatangi rumah saya...

How could I make this sentence more casual or more formal?

More casual: Para tukang dateng pagi ini buat ngecek langit-langit yang bocor. (Note the colloquial dateng, buat, ngecek.)
More formal: Para teknisi telah datang pagi ini untuk memeriksa plafon yang bocor.

If there was only one worker, how would I say it?

Use the classifier orang if you want to be explicit:

Seorang tukang datang pagi ini... (“one worker”) Or just Tukang datang pagi ini... (singular or plural from context).

Should I ever combine para with reduplication or pronouns?

Avoid redundancy: don’t say para tukang-tukang. Also, after para tukang, you usually don’t need to repeat mereka (“they”) unless you start a new clause and need clarity.

What’s the difference between datang, mendatangi, and kedatangan?

datang = to come (intransitive): Para tukang datang...
mendatangi = to visit/come to (transitive): Para tukang mendatangi rumah saya...
kedatangan (noun or passive-like) = the event of being visited: Saya kedatangan tukang pagi ini... (“I was visited by workers this morning.”)

Could I say untuk memeriksa kebocoran di langit-langit instead?

Yes. It’s a natural alternative and slightly more formal:

...untuk memeriksa kebocoran di langit-langit. Original: ...untuk mengecek langit-langit yang bocor. Both mean they came to inspect a leak in the ceiling; the first nominalizes “leak” (kebocoran), the second modifies “ceiling” with a relative clause.

Can I use agar instead of untuk for purpose?

Not here. Agar introduces a clause with its own subject and verb (“so that ...”), e.g., agar masalahnya cepat selesai. Untuk introduces a purpose phrase (noun or verb), e.g., untuk memeriksa. So keep untuk in this sentence.