Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Pagar rumah kami basah karena badai. - Our house fence is wet because of the storm.

Indonesian usually drops a verb like “to be” before adjectives. The adjective itself serves as the predicate. So basah on its own means “is wet/are wet.” Using adalah here would be unnatural; adalah is mainly used to equate nouns (e.g., X adalah Y), not before adjectives.

What exactly does kami mean, and how is it different from kita?

Both mean “we/our,” but:

kami = we/our (excluding the listener)
kita = we/our (including the listener)

So rumah kami = “our house” but not including the person you’re speaking to; rumah kita includes them.

Why say pagar rumah kami instead of just pagar kami?

pagar kami = “our fence” (could be any fence we own)
pagar rumah kami = specifically “the fence of our house” Indonesian stacks nouns to show relationships: X Y ≈ “X of Y.” Here, pagar (fence) is specified by rumah kami (our house).

Do I need a word like “of” or a preposition for possession?

No. Indonesian commonly uses noun–noun sequences: pagar rumah kami (fence + house + our). No preposition is needed. Prepositions like di would indicate location (e.g., pagar di rumah = “a fence at the house,” not necessarily belonging to it).

Can I start with the cause: Karena badai, pagar rumah kami basah?

Yes. Both orders are fine:

Pagar rumah kami basah karena badai.
Karena badai, pagar rumah kami basah. (Use a comma after the fronted cause.)

Does karena mean “because” or “because of”? Can it take a noun like badai?

karena covers both functions. It can be followed by:

a clause: karena (ada) badai
a noun phrase: karena badai Alternatives:
Neutral/formal: akibat badai, disebabkan (oleh) badai
Informal/colloquial (often with a negative/blaming tone): gara-gara badai
Positive cause: berkat (e.g., berkat cuaca cerah).

Why not use adalah: Pagar rumah kami adalah basah?

Because adalah is used for equating nouns, not before adjectives. For adjectives, just place the adjective after the subject: Pagar rumah kami basah.

How do I show “the” or definiteness? There’s no article in pagar.

Indonesian has no articles like “the/a.” Definiteness is inferred from context or shown by:

Possession: pagar rumah kami is already definite in context.
Demonstratives: itu (that/the) or ini (this/the). For emphasis: Pagar rumah kami itu basah (“that fence of our house is wet”).

How do I make it plural if there are multiple fences?

You can:

Reduplicate: pagar-pagar
Use a quantifier: beberapa pagar (several fences), dua pagar (two fences) Reduplication isn’t mandatory; context often suffices.

Does pagar mean fence or gate?

Primarily pagar = fence/railing. The large entrance gate is gerbang (or pintu gerbang). In everyday speech, people may casually refer to the house’s swing gate as pagar, but strictly speaking gerbang is the gate.

Can I use oleh instead of karena for the cause?

Usually use karena/akibat for causes. oleh means “by” (agent) and also “with” in set phrases. You might see basah oleh hujan (“wet with rain/sweat”), but basah oleh badai is odd because a storm isn’t the wetting substance. Prefer karena badai or akibat badai.

How do I emphasize that it became wet (a change), not just that it is wet?

Use menjadi (become) or a time cue:

Pagar rumah kami menjadi basah karena badai.
Setelah badai, pagar rumah kami basah. More formal: Pagar rumah kami dibasahi hujan badai (was wetted by storm rain).

Is badai the usual word for all storms? What about thunderstorm or typhoon?

badai = storm (general)
badai petir = thunderstorm
badai tropis = tropical storm
angin topan/topan = typhoon/cyclone In everyday chat, people also say hujan deras (heavy rain) and angin kencang (strong wind).

How would I negate this—do I use tidak or bukan?

Use tidak with adjectives and verbs:

Pagar rumah kami tidak basah. (not wet) Use bukan with nouns/pronouns or to correct identity:
Itu bukan pagar rumah kami. (That is not our house’s fence.)

Any pronunciation tips for these words?

pagar: PA-gar (g = hard g; r is tapped)
rumah: RU-mah (h pronounced)
kami: KA-mi
basah: BA-sah
karena: ka-RE-na (often said quickly like “karna” in casual speech)
badai: BA-dai (ai like the “eye” sound) Indonesian stress is light and usually near the penultimate syllable.

Other ways to say “our house” besides rumah kami?

rumah kita = our house (including the listener)
rumah kami sekeluarga = our family’s house (explicit) For singular “my/your/their” via clitics:
rumahku (my), rumahmu (your, sing.), rumahnya (his/her/its/the) Compare with full forms: rumah saya, rumah kamu, rumah mereka.