Setelah mengunggah file, saya mengarsipkan dokumen lama.

After uploading the file, I archive the old documents.

Breakdown of Setelah mengunggah file, saya mengarsipkan dokumen lama.

• saya: I
• setelah: after
• dokumen: the document
• lama: old
• file: the file
• mengunggah: to upload
• mengarsipkan: to archive

Questions & Answers about Setelah mengunggah file, saya mengarsipkan dokumen lama.

What does the prefix meN- do in the verbs mengunggah and mengarsipkan?

• meN- forms active transitive verbs (verbs that take a direct object).
• With vowel-initial bases, the allomorph is meng-: unggah → mengunggah, arsip → mengarsipkan.
• In imperatives you often use the bare base or base+-kan: Unggah file itu! Arsipkan dokumen lama!

Why is -kan used in mengarsipkan? Could I say mengarsip or mengarsipi?

• -kan often means “to apply/do X to something” or “to cause something to become X.” Here, mengarsipkan dokumen = “to archive the document(s).”
• Mengarsipkan is the natural, standard choice.
• Mengarsip is seen, but it’s less standard/formal.
• Mengarsipi would typically mean “to put archives into/onto something” (locative/benefactive nuance with -i), which doesn’t fit well with this direct-object meaning.

Is the comma after the setelah clause necessary?

Yes, when a subordinate (time) clause comes first, Indonesian convention puts a comma:

• Setelah mengunggah file, saya mengarsipkan dokumen lama. If the time clause comes after, no comma:
• Saya mengarsipkan dokumen lama setelah mengunggah file.

Do I need to state the subject in the setelah clause (e.g., Setelah saya mengunggah file)?

Not required if the subject is the same as in the main clause. Setelah mengunggah file, ... implicitly means “After I uploaded the file, ...” here. If the subject is different, you must state it:

• Setelah dia mengunggah file, saya mengarsipkan dokumen lama.

Can I move the setelah clause to the end?

Yes. Both orders are fine:

• Setelah mengunggah file, saya mengarsipkan dokumen lama.
• Saya mengarsipkan dokumen lama setelah mengunggah file. Fronting the time clause puts slight emphasis on sequence/time; placing it last emphasizes the main action first.

What’s the difference between setelah, sesudah, telah, and sehabis?

• Setelah and sesudah both mean “after.” They’re largely interchangeable; setelah is very common, sesudah can feel a touch more formal/traditional in some styles.
• Sehabis / seusai also mean “after,” but are more colloquial/literary depending on context. Habis is casual speech.
• Telah means “already/has” (perfective aspect), not “after.” Don’t confuse telah with setelah.

Why is it dokumen lama and not lama dokumen?

• Indonesian places adjectives after nouns: dokumen lama = “old document(s).”
• Lama before a noun is not how you express “old.” Lama also means “long (in duration)” in other constructions (e.g., sudah lama, berapa lama), but lama dokumen would be odd/unidiomatic.

Is dokumen lama singular or plural? How do I make it clearly plural?

By default, Indonesian doesn’t mark plural. Dokumen lama can mean “old document” or “old documents,” depending on context. To make it clearly plural, use:

• Reduplication: dokumen-dokumen lama
• Quantifiers: beberapa dokumen lama, semua dokumen lama, banyak dokumen lama

What’s the difference between unggah and unduh? I mix them up.

• Unggah / mengunggah = upload (sending from your device to a server).
• Unduh / mengunduh = download (getting from a server to your device). Informally, people also say (nge-)upload / (nge-)download, but standard Indonesian prefers mengunggah / mengunduh.

Is it okay to use both file and dokumen in one sentence?

Yes, and it sounds natural here: you uploaded a file (digital) and archived old documents (could be digital or physical). If you want to keep the same term:

• Setelah mengunggah berkas, saya mengarsipkan berkas lama. (more formal/administrative)
• Setelah mengunggah dokumen, saya mengarsipkan dokumen lama.

Can I use aku instead of saya? Can I drop the pronoun?

• Saya is neutral/formal; aku is casual/intimate. Choose based on context.
• Don’t drop the subject in the main clause here; Mengarsipkan dokumen lama without saya/aku sounds incomplete. The subjectless style is fine in the initial time clause but not in the main clause.

Are there passive or object-fronting alternatives?

Yes:

• Object fronting (active): Dokumen lama saya arsipkan setelah mengunggah file. (Note the verb becomes arsipkan, not mengarsipkan.)
• Passive: Dokumen lama diarsipkan setelah mengunggah file. (agent omitted) Both are common; they shift focus to the object (dokumen lama).