Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Setelah hujan reda, kami merasa lega di teras. - After the rain lets up, we feel relieved on the porch.

In Indonesian, when a dependent time clause comes at the beginning, it’s standard to put a comma before the main clause. So: Setelah hujan reda, kami merasa lega di teras. If the time clause comes at the end, a comma is not needed: Kami merasa lega di teras setelah hujan reda.

Can I use ketika or saat instead of setelah?

Not if you mean “after.”

Setelah/sesudah/usai = after (subsequent time).
Ketika/saat/waktu = when (simultaneous time).
So you’d only use ketika/saat if the two things happen at the same time.

Is hujan reda natural, or should it be hujan berhenti or hujan mereda?

All are natural, with slight nuances:

hujan berhenti = the rain stops (clear stop).
hujan mereda = the rain is easing/letting up (may still drizzle).
hujan reda = the rain has abated/subsided (often implies it’s no longer a problem).
Your sentence with reda is idiomatic.

Do I need sudah before reda (e.g., Setelah hujan sudah reda)?

No. Setelah already expresses posteriority. Adding sudah just emphasizes completion: Setelah hujan sudah reda is acceptable but a bit heavier. To show the process starting, use mulai: Setelah hujan mulai reda.

What’s the difference between kami and kita?

kami = we (excluding the listener).
kita = we (including the listener).
Use kami if the person you’re talking to was not part of the group; use kita if they were.

Is merasa necessary? Can I say Kami lega di teras?

Yes, you can drop merasa.

Kami merasa lega emphasizes the subjective feeling (“we feel relieved”).
Kami lega is a simple state description (“we are relieved”).
Both are natural; merasa is common with adjectives of feeling (senang, sedih, lega).

What exactly does lega mean, and how can I intensify it?

Lega = relieved, unburdened, at ease after tension.
Common intensifiers: sangat lega, lega sekali (neutral), lega banget (colloquial). You may also hear plong (colloquial): rasanya plong.

Why di teras, not pada teras or di atas teras?

di is the normal preposition for physical location: di teras = at/on the terrace/porch.
pada is more formal and used with abstract objects or pronouns, not typical for physical location here.
di atas means literally “on top of,” used for surfaces; you’d say di teras, not di atas teras.

Is teras the same as beranda or balkon?

teras: terrace/porch, usually ground level at the front of a house.
beranda: veranda/porch; often interchangeable with teras in everyday use.
balkon: balcony (elevated, projecting from an upper floor).
Regional preference and house design can influence which term is used.

Can I move di teras elsewhere in the sentence?

Yes. Word order is flexible for emphasis:

Di teras, kami merasa lega. (Focuses on location.)
Kami di teras merasa lega. (Restricts “we” to the ones on the terrace.)
Kami merasa lega di teras. (Neutral/default sounding.)
All are fine.

Why is di written separately here? I’ve seen di- attached to words too.

Two different things:

di (separate) is a preposition meaning “at/in/on”: di teras.
di- (attached) is the passive prefix on verbs: ditulis, dibaca. Don’t attach di to a noun for location.

Could I say hujannya reda? What’s the nuance of -nya?

Yes: Setelah hujannya reda is possible and points to a specific, previously known rain (“the rain”). The enclitic -nya often makes a noun definite/specific or refers back to context. Without -nya, hujan is generic/indefinite.

How do I pronounce tricky vowels like in reda and teras?

reda: the first e is a schwa-like sound (ruh-DAH).
teras: the e is also a schwa (tuh-RAS).
hujan: hoo-JAN (a as in “father”).
lega: luh-GAH.
Indonesian stress is light and typically on the last syllable.