Breakdown of Hujan deras menghalangi kami untuk berangkat ke kantor.
sebuah
a
kantor
the office
untuk
to
ke
to
berangkat
to depart
hujan
the rain
deras
heavy
kami
us
menghalangi
to prevent
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Questions & Answers about Hujan deras menghalangi kami untuk berangkat ke kantor.
Is untuk required after menghalangi, or can I say Hujan deras menghalangi kami berangkat ke kantor?
In standard Indonesian, the common pattern is menghalangi [someone] untuk [do something]. Omitting untuk is heard in casual speech, but it can sound rough or incomplete. Safest: keep untuk. Another neat option is to use a noun: menghalangi keberangkatan kami.
What’s the nuance difference between menghalangi, mencegah, menghambat, and membuat … tidak bisa?
- menghalangi: to obstruct/hinder; may or may not fully stop something; slightly formal; often takes untuk before a verb.
- mencegah: to prevent; stronger “stop” meaning. Prefer mencegah kami berangkat (without untuk).
- menghambat: to impede/slow down; suggests delay rather than total prevention; often with nouns (e.g., menghambat perjalanan/keberangkatan).
- membuat … tidak bisa / bikin … nggak bisa: very natural everyday way to say “make [someone] unable (to)”; no untuk needed.
Why kami and not kita?
- kami = we/us excluding the listener.
- kita = we/us including the listener. If you’re talking to someone who was not part of the group, use kami. If the listener was also affected, use kita.
Can I use pergi instead of berangkat?
Yes, but there’s a nuance. berangkat = depart/set off (often for a planned trip or commute). pergi = go (more general). For commuting, both berangkat ke kantor and pergi ke kantor are fine; also common is berangkat kerja (“set off to work”) without ke.
Why ke kantor and not di kantor?
ke marks movement toward a destination (“to”). di marks location (“at”). You depart to the office, so ke kantor is correct here.
Is hujan deras the most natural phrase? What about hujan lebat?
Both are natural. hujan deras and hujan lebat are near-synonyms; lebat is sometimes preferred in news/formal writing, but deras is very common. Note collocations: angin kencang (strong wind), not angin deras.
What’s the basic structure of the sentence?
- Subject: Hujan deras
- Verb (transitive): menghalangi
- Object: kami
- Complement (infinitive-like): untuk berangkat ke kantor Overall pattern: S–V–O–complement.
Can I say Hujan deras menghalangi untuk kami berangkat ke kantor?
No. The usual order is menghalangi [object] untuk [verb]. So: menghalangi kami untuk berangkat…, not menghalangi untuk kami….
Does kami change form when it’s an object (like “us” vs “we”)?
No. Indonesian pronouns don’t change for case. kami can be subject or object; the role is clear from position and verb.
Can I say ke kantor kami? Does that change the meaning?
Yes, and it changes the meaning to “to our office” (possessive). ke kantor usually implies “to the office (where we work)” without explicitly stating possession.
How would I make this sound more conversational?
- Gara-gara hujan deras, kami nggak jadi berangkat ke kantor.
- Hujan deras bikin kami nggak bisa ke kantor. Neutral alternative: Kami tidak berangkat ke kantor karena hujan deras.
Is menghalangi okay with inanimate subjects like weather?
Yes, it’s fine: natural phenomena can “obstruct.” You’ll also hear:
- Keberangkatan kami terhalang hujan deras.
- Hujan deras menghambat perjalanan kami.
Can I make a passive version with di-?
A direct passive like Kami dihalangi hujan deras untuk berangkat… sounds odd. Prefer:
- Keberangkatan kami terhalang hujan deras. (stative)
- Or just cause-result: Kami tidak bisa berangkat ke kantor karena hujan deras.
How do I add a time reference (since there’s no tense marking)?
Add time words:
- Tadi pagi/siang/malam, kemarin, barusan, besok, etc. Example: Tadi pagi hujan deras menghalangi kami untuk berangkat ke kantor.
Why is it menghalangi, not menhalangi? How is it formed?
The verb comes from halang. With the meN- prefix, before words starting with h, the form is meng- → menghalang-. It also uses the suffix -i (applying the action to an object), giving menghalangi.
Where does the adjective go: deras before or after hujan?
Adjectives usually follow nouns in Indonesian: hujan deras (not deras hujan). You may see derasnya hujan in different constructions, but as a basic noun phrase it’s hujan deras.