Telepon saya berbunyi tadi malam.

My phone rang last night.

Breakdown of Telepon saya berbunyi tadi malam.

• tadi malam: last night
• saya: my
• telepon: the phone
• berbunyi: to ring

Questions & Answers about Telepon saya berbunyi tadi malam.

What does berbunyi mean, and why does it have the prefix ber-?

• The root bunyi means “sound.”
• The prefix ber- makes an intransitive verb meaning “to make a sound.”
• So berbunyi = “to sound / to ring / to make a noise.”

Is berdering better than berbunyi for a phone?

• Both are correct.
• Berdering specifically means “to ring (with a ringing tone),” so it’s the most natural for phones.
• Berbunyi is broader: any sound (ring, beep, alarm, etc.). If you want precision for a ringing phone, use berdering.

Can I drop the prefix and just say bunyi?

• In casual speech, yes: HP saya bunyi tadi malam is common.
• In neutral/formal style, prefer berbunyi or berdering.

Why is the possessor after the noun (telepon saya) instead of before?

• Indonesian uses “noun + pronoun” for possession.
• Telepon saya = “my phone.”
• Alternatives: teleponku (more casual), telepon Anda (formal “your phone”), teleponnya (“his/her phone” or “the phone”).

Does saya telepon mean “my phone”?

• No. Saya telepon means “I call” (verb).
• Telepon saya means “my phone” (noun + possessor).

Can I move the time phrase tadi malam to the front?

• Yes. Word order is flexible for time adverbs:
  
  • Tadi malam, telepon saya berbunyi.
  • Telepon saya berbunyi tadi malam.
• Both are natural. Beginning or end is preferred; putting it in the middle can sound less smooth.

Exactly what does tadi malam mean—“last night” or “earlier tonight”?

• It means the night earlier than now.
• If you’re speaking the next day, it’s “last night.”
• If you’re still on the same night, it can mean “earlier tonight.” Context/time of speaking clarifies.

How do tadi malam, malam tadi, kemarin malam, and semalam differ?

• Tadi malam and malam tadi: interchangeable; both commonly mean “last night” or “earlier tonight.”
• Kemarin malam: “last night” (literally “yesterday night”); also common.
• Semalam: often “last night,” and sometimes “all night/overnight.” In Indonesian it’s fine; note in Malay it can also mean “yesterday” broadly.

Do I need a past marker like sudah here?

• No. Indonesian doesn’t inflect for tense; time words like tadi malam set the time.
• Sudah can be added for emphasis (“already”), but it’s unnecessary: Telepon saya sudah berdering tadi malam is grammatical but redundant.

How do I pronounce the tricky parts?

• Telepon: roughly “tuh-LEH-pon.” The first e is often a schwa.
• Berbunyi: “bər-BOO-nyi.” ny = the “ny” in “canyon.”
• Indonesian r is tapped/flapped; vowels are short and clear.

Which spelling is right: telepon, telpon, or telefon? And menelepon or menelpon?

• Standard Indonesian: telepon (noun), menelepon (verb “to call”).
• Telpon/menelpon are common informal spellings/pronunciations.
• Telefon is nonstandard/older in Indonesian.

If I want to say “I got a phone call last night,” how do I say that explicitly?

• Saya mendapat telepon tadi malam.
• Or: Tadi malam ada yang menelepon saya.
  These clearly say you received a call, not just that the phone made a sound.

How do I say “My phone kept ringing last night”?

• Telepon saya terus berdering tadi malam.
• For “again and again”: Telepon saya berdering berkali-kali tadi malam.

How do I say the phone vibrated instead of rang?

• Telepon saya bergetar tadi malam.
• Or colloquially: HP saya getar tadi malam.

Is telepon a landline? What about a mobile phone?

• Telepon is generic “telephone.”
• For mobile, common terms are HP (spoken “ha-pe,” very common), ponsel, or telepon genggam.
• Example: HP saya berdering tadi malam.

How do I make it plural: “My phones rang last night”?

• Indonesian doesn’t require a plural marker: context often suffices.
• To be explicit: Telepon-telepon saya berdering tadi malam or Semua telepon saya berdering tadi malam.

Can I use aku instead of saya?

• Yes, aku is more intimate/casual.
• Possession forms: telepon aku (less common), or the suffix form teleponku (very natural).
• Examples: Teleponku berdering tadi malam (casual), Telepon saya berdering tadi malam (neutral).