Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Saya takut petir, tetapi sepupu saya tenang. - I am afraid of lightning, but my cousin is calm.

Avoid takut terhadap petir with concrete things like lightning; it sounds stiff or off in everyday use. Use terhadap for abstract targets (e.g., “takut terhadap perubahan” = afraid of change).

Does “petir” mean lightning or thunder? What about “kilat” and “guntur”?

petir = lightning (the electrical discharge in the sky). Very common.
kilat = lightning/flash; also means “express/fast” in other contexts.
guntur = thunder (the sound).
Literary/poetic: halilintar (lightning/thunderbolt).
Colloquial/regional for thunder: gledek/geledek, gluduk/gludug (Jakarta/Sundanese areas).

So “Saya takut petir” = afraid of lightning. If it’s thunder, say Saya takut guntur (or colloquially, gledek).

What’s the difference between “tetapi,” “tapi,” and “namun”?

All mean “but/however,” but register and placement differ:

tetapi = “but” in neutral-to-formal Indonesian; fine in writing and speech.
tapi = informal “but”; very common in casual speech.
namun = “however”; more formal and often starts a new sentence or clause: Namun, sepupu saya tenang.

Could I use “sedangkan” or “padahal” instead of “tetapi” here?

sedangkan contrasts two different subjects/situations in parallel:
Saya takut petir, sedangkan sepupu saya tenang. (Good here.)
padahal means “even though/whereas (contrary to expectation).” It implies the second clause is unexpected given the first:
Saya takut petir, padahal sepupu saya tenang. (Sounds like you “shouldn’t” be afraid because your cousin is calm.)
Use tetapi/sedangkan for a neutral contrast; padahal adds a nuance of “contrary to what one might expect.”

Is the comma before “tetapi” correct?

Yes. Indonesian commonly places a comma before coordinating conjunctions like tetapi, sedangkan, and melainkan when linking two independent clauses:
Saya takut petir, tetapi sepupu saya tenang.

Why isn’t there an “adalah” before “tenang” in “sepupu saya tenang”?

Indonesian doesn’t use a copula (“to be”) with adjectives. You simply say Subject + Adjective:

Sepupu saya tenang. = My cousin is calm.
Use adalah mainly before noun phrases: Dia adalah guru.
If you must use adalah with “calm,” turn it into a noun phrase: Dia adalah orang yang tenang.

Does “sepupu saya” mean one cousin or my cousins?

It’s ambiguous; Indonesian doesn’t mark plural by default. Disambiguate like this:

Singular (one specific cousin): Sepupu saya itu tenang. (that cousin)
One of my cousins: Seorang sepupu saya tenang. / Salah satu sepupu saya tenang.
Plural: Sepupu-sepupu saya tenang. / Para sepupu saya tenang. / Semua sepupu saya tenang.

How do I specify a male/female cousin or older/younger?

Gender: sepupu laki-laki (male cousin), sepupu perempuan (female cousin).
Relative age: kakak sepupu (older cousin), adik sepupu (younger cousin).
Side of the family: sepupu dari pihak ibu/ayah (maternal/paternal cousin).

Can I say “sepupuku” instead of “sepupu saya”?

Yes. -ku is the informal possessive suffix for “my.”

Sepupuku tenang. = My cousin is calm.
Sepupu saya is neutral-to-formal; sepupuku is more personal/informal. In Jakarta slang, you may hear sepupu gue.

Could I replace “sepupu saya” with “dia,” or drop it altogether?

Replacing is fine if the referent is clear: Saya takut petir, tetapi dia tenang.
Dropping the subject in the second clause (…, tetapi tenang) can be ambiguous in writing. Spoken Indonesian sometimes drops repeated subjects when context is crystal clear, but it’s safer to keep dia or sepupu saya.

How can I say “stays calm” or “still calm”?

“Stays/remains calm”: tetap tenang (e.g., …tetapi sepupu saya tetap tenang.)
“Still calm (not changed yet)”: masih tenang
With emphasis: sangat tenang, or colloquially tenang banget.

How do I intensify or soften “takut” and “tenang”?

Common modifiers:

Stronger: sangat takut/tenang, takut/tenang sekali, colloquial takut/tenang banget.
Softer: agak takut/tenang, cukup/lumayan takut/tenang.
Comparison: lebih tenang (calmer), paling tenang (calmest).

Any tips on pronouncing the sentence naturally?

e in petir, tetapi, sepupu, tenang is often a schwa = pə-tir, te-ta-pi = tə-ta-pi, se-pu-pu = sə-pu-pu, te-nang = tə-nang.
ng in tenang is the “ng” in “sing” [ŋ].
r is a tapped or lightly rolled r.
Stress is light and usually near the penultimate syllable; Indonesian doesn’t have strong stress like English.

Is the word order fixed? Could I say “tenang sepupu saya”?

Keep it Subject + Predicate: Sepupu saya tenang.
“Tenang sepupu saya” is marked or poetic; in normal speech/writing it sounds odd.

Can I use “aku” or “gue” instead of “saya”?

Yes, but mind the register:

saya = polite/neutral; safe with strangers and in formal settings.
aku = informal/intimate with friends/family.
gue/gua = Jakarta slang; very casual.
Examples: Aku takut petir, tapi sepupuku tenang. / Gue takut petir, tapi sepupu gue tenang.

How do I express time, like “whenever there’s lightning”?

Add time markers; verbs don’t change:

Habitual: Setiap kali ada petir, saya takut, tetapi sepupu saya tenang.
Past event: Tadi waktu ada petir, saya takut, tetapi sepupu saya tenang.
General condition: Kalau ada petir, saya takut…

What are related forms of “takut” and “tenang” I should know?

From takut:
- menakutkan = frightening/scary (The storm is scary).
- menakuti = to scare (someone).
- menakut-nakuti = to spook/keep scaring.
- ketakutan = in a panic/terrified; also “fear” as a noun.
- penakut = a coward/timorous person.
From tenang:
- menenangkan = to calm (someone)/to soothe.
- ketenangan = calmness/tranquility.