Jam dinding di ruang tamu berhenti tadi malam.

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Questions & Answers about Jam dinding di ruang tamu berhenti tadi malam.

Why is there no word for “the” or “a” in the sentence?

Indonesian has no articles. Jam dinding can mean either “the wall clock” or “a wall clock,” depending on context. To make it explicit:

  • Specific/definite: Jam dinding di ruang tamu itu berhenti tadi malam. (that/the specific wall clock)
  • Possessive/known: Jam dinding di ruang tamunya berhenti tadi malam.
  • Indefinite/singular: Sebuah jam dinding di ruang tamu berhenti tadi malam.
What does jam dinding literally mean, and how do I talk about clocks and time words like jam, pukul, arloji?
  • Jam dinding = “wall clock” (head noun first: jam ‘clock/time’, modified by dinding ‘wall’).
  • Jam = clock; also used colloquially to tell time (e.g., jam tujuh = 7 o’clock).
  • Pukul = more formal for telling time (e.g., pukul tujuh).
  • Jam tangan = wristwatch (everyday term).
  • Arloji = ‘watch’ (more formal/literary).
Why use berhenti? Could I say mati, macet, or rusak for a clock?
  • Berhenti = stopped (intransitive; the clock ceased moving). This is perfect here.
  • Mati = dead/off (common for devices: lights, phones, clocks with dead batteries). Jamnya mati suggests the battery died.
  • Macet = jammed/stuck (colloquial for a mechanism that’s stuck: Jamnya macet, jarumnya tidak bergerak).
  • Rusak = broken/out of order (general). Transitive counterpart: menghentikan = to stop something (e.g., Saya menghentikan jam), though in real life you’d say what you did: Saya melepas baterai jam.
What does di mean here, and how is it different from ke, pada, or di dalam?
  • Di = at/in (static location): di ruang tamu.
  • Ke = to/toward (movement): ke ruang tamu.
  • Pada = at/on/for (formal, often for time or abstract targets): pada pukul tujuh, pada kesempatan ini.
  • Di dalam = inside (adds emphasis to being inside): di dalam ruang tamu. Note: standard spelling is two words, not “didalam.”
Does ruang tamu mean “guest room”?
No. Ruang tamu is the living room (the space where you receive guests). A bedroom for guests is kamar tamu. Another common room is ruang keluarga (family room/den).
Where can I place the time expression tadi malam in the sentence?

Most common and natural:

  • End: Jam dinding di ruang tamu berhenti tadi malam.
  • Beginning: Tadi malam jam dinding di ruang tamu berhenti. You’ll hear tadi malam elsewhere too, but keeping it at the beginning or end is clearest. Avoid splitting the noun phrase in a way that confuses the listener.
Can I omit di ruang tamu?
Yes, if the location is already understood: Jam dinding berhenti tadi malam. You include di ruang tamu only when the location matters or disambiguates which clock you mean.
How would I single out “the one in the living room” using yang?

Use a relative clause with yang:

  • Jam dinding yang di ruang tamu berhenti tadi malam. This structure is handy when there are multiple clocks and you’re specifying which one.
How can I highlight that it has been stopped since last night or that it’s still stopped now?
  • Completion since a point in time: Jam dinding di ruang tamu sudah berhenti sejak tadi malam.
  • Still the case now: Pagi ini jam dinding di ruang tamu masih berhenti.
  • More formal writing: Jam dinding di ruang tamu telah berhenti sejak tadi malam.
Are tadi malam, kemarin malam, malam tadi, and semalam the same?
  • Tadi malam and kemarin malam both mean “last night” in everyday Indonesian; tadi malam often feels more immediate (the night that just passed).
  • Malam tadi is also “last night.”
  • Semalam can mean “last night” or “one night”; for “all night (long),” use semalaman (or semalam suntuk). All are common; choose based on style and clarity.
How do I mark plural “wall clocks”?

Plural is usually inferred from context. If you must mark it:

  • Use a quantifier: beberapa jam dinding (several), dua jam dinding, banyak jam dinding.
  • Reduplication is possible but clunky: jam-jam dinding (grammatical) or the whole compound jam dinding-jam dinding (rare in speech). Quantifiers are more natural.
How do I say “our/my living-room wall clock”?
  • Jam dinding di ruang tamu saya/kami berhenti tadi malam.
  • With a house noun: Jam dinding di ruang tamu rumah saya berhenti tadi malam.
  • As a compact modifier (more written): Jam dinding ruang tamu kami berhenti tadi malam. Notes: saya (formal “I/my”), aku (informal), kami (we/our, excluding the listener), kita (we/our, including the listener).
Is there any verb for “to be” (was) here? Why is there no past marker on the verb?
Indonesian doesn’t inflect verbs for tense and often omits a copula. Past time is shown with time words like tadi malam. So berhenti stays the same; the time phrase supplies the “was/ did” sense.
Pronunciation tips for the sentence?
  • jam: “jahm” (j as in “judge”).
  • dinding: “DIN-ding”; final ng = a velar nasal [ŋ], like the “ng” in “sing.”
  • ruang: “ROO-ahng” (two syllables: ru-ang; final ng = [ŋ]).
  • tamu: “TA-moo.”
  • berhenti: “ber-HEN-tee” (pronounce the h). Stress is light and even; Indonesian syllables are fairly even-timed.
Why dinding and not tembok? Could I say jam tembok?
Set phrase. The standard term is jam dinding. Tembok also means “wall” (often a thick masonry wall), but people don’t normally say jam tembok. Stick with jam dinding.
What’s the difference between ruang tamu and ruang keluarga?
  • Ruang tamu: living room/reception room (for receiving guests; often closer to the entrance).
  • Ruang keluarga: family room/den (more private, for daily family activities). Homes may have one or both; choose the term that matches the room you mean.
How do I make it clearly definite with “that” or “this”?

Use demonstratives:

  • Jam dinding di ruang tamu itu berhenti tadi malam. (that/the living-room wall clock)
  • Jam dinding di ruang tamu ini berhenti tadi malam. (this/the living-room wall clock)
If someone stopped it on purpose, how would I say that?

Use a transitive verb or describe the action:

  • Saya menghentikan jam dinding di ruang tamu. (I stopped the wall clock.)
  • More natural to state what you did: Saya melepas baterai jam dinding di ruang tamu, or Saya mematikan jam dinding di ruang tamu (turned it off).