Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Rapat dimajukan karena kendala mikrofon; kami menunggu di seberang lorong. - The meeting was moved earlier because of a microphone problem; we waited across the hallway.

It’s the passive of memajukan (to bring/move something forward, to advance). Morphology: di- + maju + -kan → dimajukan = “be brought forward/moved earlier.”

Active: Panitia memajukan rapat. = The committee brought the meeting forward.
Passive: Rapat dimajukan (oleh panitia). = The meeting was brought forward (by the committee). Near-synonyms: dipercepat (time is made earlier), dijadwalkan lebih awal.

How do I say “postponed” versus “brought forward” in Indonesian?

Brought forward (earlier): dimajukan, dipercepat.
Postponed/pushed back (later): diundur (very common), dimundurkan (more systematic), ditunda (postponed, often without a new time). Examples:
Rapat dimajukan ke jam 9. = The meeting was moved up to 9.
Rapat diundur ke jam 3. = The meeting was pushed back to 3.
Rapat ditunda sampai minggu depan. = The meeting is postponed until next week.

Is kendala mikrofon natural? Should it be kendala dengan/pada mikrofon?

All are acceptable, with small register differences:

kendala mikrofon: natural, concise compound (“microphone issue(s)”).
kendala pada/di mikrofon: a bit more formal/explicit (“issues on/with the microphone”).
kendala dengan mikrofon: conversational (“issues with the mic”). Common alternatives: masalah mikrofon, gangguan mikrofon, kendala teknis.

Could I use dikarenakan instead of karena?

You can, but it’s bureaucratic/formulaic. In most everyday or clear formal writing, karena is better:

Rapat dimajukan karena kendala mikrofon. (natural)
Rapat dimajukan dikarenakan kendala mikrofon. (bureaucratic tone)

Why no tense marking? Should I add sudah/telah or sedang?

Indonesian doesn’t inflect for tense. You add particles only if you want to highlight aspect/time:

Past/completed: sudah/telah (Rapat sudah/telah dimajukan.)
Ongoing: sedang (Kami sedang menunggu…)
Future: akan (Rapat akan dimajukan…) Context often makes this unnecessary.

Why kami and not kita?

kami = we (excluding the person spoken to).
kita = we (including the person spoken to). Use kami if the speaker’s group is waiting without the addressee. If talking to teammates who are also waiting, kita would fit.

Can menunggu stand without an object? Do I need to say menunggu sesuatu?

Menunggu can be transitive or intransitive. It’s fine to say Kami menunggu. You can add an object if you want: Kami menunggu rapat/direktur. For “to look forward to,” menantikan is common: Kami menantikan kabar Anda.

Is di seberang lorong the best way to say “across the hall”?

Yes, di seberang lorong is natural for location (“on the other side of the hallway”). Alternatives depending on context:

di seberang (if the referent is clear)
di ruang/ruangan seberang (in the room across [the hall]) Note the distinction:
di seberang lorong = located across the hall (static).
menyeberang lorong = to cross the hall (movement).

I see di in dimajukan and di in di seberang. Why is one attached and the other separate?

They’re different words:

di- (attached) is a prefix forming the passive voice: di-majukan.
di (separate) is a preposition meaning “at/in/on”: di seberang, di rumah, di kantor. Rule of thumb: If it’s a location word, di is separate. If it makes a verb passive, di- is attached.

Is the semicolon (titik koma) normal here? Could I use something else?

It’s acceptable and links two closely related independent clauses. In everyday writing, a period or a connector is more common:

Rapat dimajukan karena kendala mikrofon. Kami menunggu di seberang lorong.
Rapat dimajukan karena kendala mikrofon, jadi kami menunggu di seberang lorong.

Does karena need a comma before or after it here?

Not in this word order. If the karena-clause comes first, you’d add a comma:

Karena kendala mikrofon, rapat dimajukan.

What’s the difference between lorong, koridor, and gang?

lorong: hallway/corridor inside a building; very common.
koridor: corridor; a bit more formal/technical, often interchangeable with lorong.
gang: alley/lane between buildings outdoors; not used for indoor hallways.

Could I say diajukan instead of dimajukan?

No—different verbs:

mengajukan/diajukan = to submit/propose (a document/idea).
memajukan/dimajukan = to move forward/advance (time, progress). So: Rapat dimajukan (moved earlier), not diajukan.

Is mikrofon the standard spelling? What about mic?

Yes, mikrofon is the standard Indonesian spelling. In casual contexts you’ll see mic or mik (informal). In formal writing, use mikrofon.