Breakdown of Piring kotor dibilas dulu sebelum dicuci.
sebelum
before
dulu
first
kotor
dirty
dicuci
to be washed
Questions & Answers about Piring kotor dibilas dulu sebelum dicuci.
What does the prefix in the words dibilas and dicuci indicate?
The prefix di- marks the passive voice.
- dibilas = be rinsed (from the base verb bilas, rinse)
- dicuci = be washed (from the base verb cuci, wash) In this sentence, the plates are the patient/thing acted upon.
Why is the passive voice used here instead of the active?
Indonesian often uses passive to give neutral, generic instructions where the agent is obvious or unimportant (like “you/people”). It sounds natural and impersonal, like a step in a procedure. Active alternatives are fine, e.g.:
- Bilas dulu piring kotor sebelum mencucinya. (Imperative)
- Kita/Anda membilas piring kotor dulu sebelum mencucinya. (Active declarative)
Who is the implied doer of the actions?
It’s an unspecified agent—understood as “you,” “we,” or “people in general.” Indonesian commonly leaves agents implicit in passives when context makes it clear.
Is dulu redundant with sebelum? Why say both “first” and “before”?
They’re not redundant; they play slightly different roles:
- dulu emphasizes the first step (“first, beforehand”).
- sebelum dicuci states the temporal relation to the next step (“before being washed”). Using both is very natural in instructions. You can also use just one:
- Piring kotor dibilas dulu.
- Piring kotor dibilas sebelum dicuci.