Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Piring kotor dibilas dulu sebelum dicuci. - Dirty dishes are rinsed first before being washed.

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.

Where should dulu go, and does its position change the meaning?

For the meaning “first,” dulu typically follows the verb: dibilas dulu. If you put Dulu at the very start (especially with a comma), it usually means “formerly/in the past,” not “first.”

Dulu, piring kotor dibilas… = “In the past, dirty plates were rinsed…” You can also say Piring kotor dulu dibilas, baru dicuci to focus on sequence, but the standard neutral placement is after the verb.

Do I need to mark plural for “plates”?

No. Indonesian doesn’t obligatorily mark plural. piring can mean “plate” or “plates.” If you want to be explicit, you can use:

Reduplication: piring-piring
Numbers/quantifiers: dua piring, beberapa piring

Why is the adjective after the noun (piring kotor)? Can I say piring yang kotor?

Adjectives follow nouns in Indonesian, so piring kotor is the normal order. Piring yang kotor is also correct and makes the restriction explicit: “the plates that are dirty (as opposed to others).” It can sound a bit more emphatic or precise.

How would I make it refer to specific dirty plates we’ve already talked about?

Add a demonstrative: Piring kotor itu dibilas dulu sebelum dicuci. (itu = those/the, previously mentioned).

Can I mix active and passive in one sentence, like an imperative then a passive clause?

Yes, very common and natural:

Bilas dulu piring kotor sebelum dicuci. The first clause is active imperative (Bilas), and the second is passive (dicuci) with an implicit agent (“by you/people”).

What does the -nya in forms like mencucinya or dicucinya do?

-nya is a clitic pronoun meaning “it/them” (or “his/her/its” in other contexts). It avoids repeating the noun:

…sebelum mencucinya = “…before washing them.”
…sebelum dicucinya = “…before they are washed (by him/her/you/people).” Both point back to the plates. Use it when the referent is clear from context.

Is sebelum a conjunction, and can I move that clause to the front?

Yes, sebelum is a subordinator (“before”). You can front the clause:

Sebelum dicuci, piring kotor dibilas dulu. Add a comma after the fronted clause. The meaning stays the same.

Can I say “sebelum cuci” without any prefix?

In casual speech you’ll hear sebelum cuci (piring), but in standard Indonesian you’d use either:

Active: sebelum mencuci (piring)
Passive: sebelum dicuci

What’s the difference between bilas and cuci?

bilas: rinse with water to remove loose residue/soap.
cuci: wash/clean (usually with soap/detergent). So the sentence gives a typical sequence: rinse first, then wash thoroughly.

Why not use terbilas instead of dibilas?

ter- often conveys accidental, unintentional, or resultant state. terbilas would suggest “(happened to) get rinsed,” which doesn’t fit an intended procedure. dibilas is the right choice for intentional, agent-caused rinsing.

Are there register variants of dulu?

Yes:

dulu: very common, neutral/informal.
dahulu: a bit more formal/literary.
terlebih dahulu / lebih dulu: “first/first of all” (politer or more formal), e.g., Piring kotor dibilas terlebih dahulu sebelum dicuci.