Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Pompa di bengkel itu secepat pompa di rumah; ban kami aman sekarang. - The pump at that workshop is as fast as the pump at home; our tire is safe now.

Bengkel is a repair shop/workshop, usually for vehicles or machines. A home garage is garasi. For a training/educational “workshop,” Indonesians say lokakarya. So here it refers to a mechanic’s shop, not a home garage.

Why is “itu” after “bengkel” (bengkel itu) and not before?

In noun phrases, ini/itu typically follow the noun: bengkel itu = “that workshop,” pompa ini = “this pump.” If you put itu before the noun (itu bengkel), it reads as a full clause: “That is a workshop.”

Why is “di” used before “bengkel” and “rumah”? Could I use “ke” or “pada”?

di marks location (“at/in/on”). ke marks movement (“to/toward”), and pada is used with recipients/people or abstract references (and with times in formal style). So use di bengkel, di rumah; use ke bengkel only for “to the workshop.” Note: preposition di is written separately (di rumah), while the passive prefix di- attaches to verbs (diperbaiki).

How does “secepat” work?

se- + adjective means “as … as”: secepat = “as fast as,” setinggi = “as tall as,” sebesar = “as big as.” Pattern: se + ADJ + [comparison]. Don’t add dengan after secepat here. Don’t confuse secepat with secepatnya, which means “as soon/fast as possible.”

Could I say “sama cepatnya dengan pompa di rumah” instead?

Yes. sama ADJ-nya dengan … is another common equality pattern: Pompa di bengkel itu sama cepatnya dengan pompa di rumah. It means the same as secepat; the sama … dengan form can sound a bit more explicit or conversational.

Why is there a semicolon? Would a comma or connector be better?

The semicolon links two closely related independent clauses. You could also write:

…, jadi ban kami aman sekarang. (so)
…, karena itu ban kami aman sekarang. (therefore)
…, makanya ban kami aman sekarang. (that’s why; informal) A comma alone is also common in informal Indonesian.

Does “ban” mean one tire or multiple tires here?

Indonesian usually doesn’t mark plural. ban kami could mean one tire or several; context decides. To be explicit, use satu ban/dua ban, semua ban, ban depan/ban belakang, etc.

Why “kami” and not “kita”?

kami = we/us excluding the listener. kita = we/us including the listener. Use kami if you mean “our (not yours),” and switch to kita if you want to include the person you’re talking to.

Is the position of “sekarang” fixed?

No. All of these are fine, with small emphasis differences:

Ban kami aman sekarang.
Sekarang ban kami aman.
Ban kami sekarang aman. To highlight a change of state, Indonesians often add sudah: Ban kami sudah aman.

Can I avoid repeating “pompa” the second time?

Yes, with a relativizer or light ellipsis:

Pompa di bengkel itu secepat yang di rumah.
Colloquial: … secepat di rumah. In careful writing, repeating the noun (… secepat pompa di rumah) is the clearest.

Is “pompa” ever used as a verb?

The verb is memompa (“to pump”): Mekanik memompa ban. As a noun, pompa combines with other nouns: pompa ban (tire pump), pompa air (water pump).

Should it be “di rumah kami” instead of just “di rumah”?

di rumah often defaults to “at my/our home” when context makes it clear. If you need to be explicit, say di rumah kami (our house), di rumah saya (my house), di rumahnya (his/her/their house).

Any pronunciation tips for tricky letters here?

c is “ch”: secepat = se-CHƏ-pat.
ng is one sound (as in “sing”): bengkel = BENG-kel.
Unstressed e often reduces to a schwa: the first syllable of sekarang is roughly sə-.
a is “ah”: pompa = POM-pah, aman = AH-man.

Could I use “kencang” instead of “cepat”?

Usually no. cepat describes speed in general and fits pumps. kencang means “tight/taut/fast” and is common with wind, knots, or tightness; for pumps you’d more naturally say cepat or talk about pressure/strength: tekanannya kuat.

Does “ban kami aman” sound natural? What else might people say?

It’s fine and means the tires are safe/okay to use. Common alternatives:

Ban kami sudah aman.
Ban kami sudah oke/beres. (informal)
Ban kami sudah tidak bocor.
Tekanan ban sudah pas.

What’s the difference between “Pompa di bengkel itu” and “Pompa bengkel itu”?

Pompa di bengkel itu = the pump located at that workshop (location).
Pompa bengkel itu = that workshop’s pump (possessive/association). Both are grammatical; di emphasizes place, while the noun–noun sequence emphasizes ownership/affiliation.