Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Ibu menyajikan sup hangat untuk keluarga.

A common noun meaning “mother.”
A respectful title for adult women, like “Ma’am/Mrs.” (e.g., Ibu Sari). Context decides which one. Here, with a family context and no name after it, it reads as “Mother.”

Do I need to capitalize Ibu?

Capitalize Ibu at the start of a sentence.
As a common noun (“a mother”), it’s usually lowercase (ibu).
When used as a form of address or as a title before a name, it’s capitalized (Ibu, Ibu Sari). You’ll also see people capitalize kinship terms when they function like names (e.g., addressing your own mother as Ibu).

What is the root of menyajikan, and what do the affixes do?

The root is saji (“to serve, present”). The verb is formed as:

Prefix meN- + root saji + suffix -kan → menyajikan.
With meN-, the initial s drops and the prefix surfaces as meny-: saji → menyaji → menyajikan.
The suffix -kan here makes it transitively “serve/present something (to someone).”

Can I just say sajikan or menyaji?

Sajikan is the imperative: “Serve (it)!” (drop the meN- for commands).
Menyaji (without -kan) exists but is uncommon in everyday speech. Menyajikan is the standard form when you have a direct object (e.g., food).

What’s the difference between menyajikan, menghidangkan, menyediakan, and menyuguhkan?

Menyajikan: to serve/present; used for food and also for data/reports.
Menghidangkan: to serve dishes/food, especially to the table; very common for meals.
Menyediakan: to provide/prepare (make available), not necessarily bring to the table.
Menyuguhkan: to offer/serve (often a bit formal/literary). In this sentence, menyajikan or menghidangkan both fit well.

How is tense/aspect shown? Could this be “serves,” “is serving,” or “served”?

Indonesian doesn’t change the verb for tense. Context or time words do the work:

Ongoing: sedang menyajikan (is serving)
Completed: sudah/telah menyajikan (has served)
Future/intended: akan/mau menyajikan (will/going to)
Habitual: add adverbs like sering, biasanya.

Why is hangat after sup? Can I say hangat sup?

Adjectives typically follow nouns: sup hangat (“warm soup”). Preposed adjectives are rare and usually for fixed expressions or special emphasis, so hangat sup is not natural here.

What’s the difference between hangat and panas?

Hangat = warm (comfortable warmth).
Panas = hot (can be too hot to touch/eat). Both are fine with drinks/food: teh hangat (warm tea) vs teh panas (hot tea). Figuratively, hangat can also mean “cordial/warm” (e.g., a warm welcome).

Is sup countable? How do I say “a bowl of warm soup”?

Use a measure word:

semangkuk sup hangat (a bowl of warm soup)
seporsi sup hangat (a portion/serving of warm soup) Indonesian doesn’t use a/ the articles; classifiers like mangkuk (bowl) handle countability.

Can I front the prepositional phrase? For example, Untuk keluarga, Ibu menyajikan sup hangat?

Yes. Fronting Untuk keluarga is natural and adds topical emphasis (“For the family, Mother serves warm soup”). The meaning stays the same.

Could I use kepada or bagi instead of untuk?

Untuk = for (beneficiary/purpose). Very common and neutral here.
Kepada = to (a recipient). With menyajikan, it’s acceptable but a bit less common: menyajikan sup … kepada keluarga.
Bagi = for (more formal/announcement-like): bagi keluarga sounds formal or generic. In casual speech, untuk is most natural.

How do I say this in the passive voice?

Standard passive: Sup hangat disajikan untuk keluarga (oleh Ibu).
Colloquial passive (without di- on the verb): Sup hangat Ibu sajikan untuk keluarga. Including oleh Ibu is optional; omit it if the agent is obvious or unimportant.

Should there be a possessive on keluarga? How do I say “our family” or “her family”?

You can specify if needed:

keluarga kami = our family (excluding the listener)
keluarga kita = our family (including the listener)
keluarganya = his/her/their family Without a possessor, keluarga is understood from context.

Does keluarga mean “the family” without any article? How do articles work here?

Indonesian has no articles (“a/the”). Keluarga can mean “the family” or “a family,” depending on context. The given sentence most naturally reads as “the (speaker’s) family.”

Any pronunciation tips for Ibu, menyajikan, sup?

Ibu: [i-bu], “u” like “oo” in “food.”
Menyajikan: me-nya-ji-kan. ny = [ɲ] (like Spanish ñ), j = [dʒ] (as in “jam”).
Sup: [sup]; in some accents you may hear a unreleased final consonant. Stress is light and fairly even; don’t over-stress syllables.

Is untuk often replaced by buat in everyday speech?

Yes. Buat is informal and very common in conversation: Ibu menyajikan sup hangat buat keluarga. Use untuk in neutral/formal contexts.

Can I say Ibu menyajikan keluarga sup hangat (double object) like in English?

No. Indonesian doesn’t take a double-object pattern here. You need a preposition:

Ibu menyajikan sup hangat untuk/kepada keluarga.

How do I negate the sentence?

Use tidak before the verb:

Ibu tidak menyajikan sup hangat untuk keluarga. Use bukan to negate nouns, not verbs.

Should I write sup or sop?

Both exist. Sup is a general, standard spelling for “soup.” Sop appears in many dish names (e.g., sop buntut) and is common in everyday usage. In this neutral sentence, sup is perfectly fine; sop would also be understood.