Breakdown of Setelah dia selesai, giliran saya menulis ringkas di papan tulis.
dia
he/she
menulis
to write
di
on
setelah
after
saya
my
selesai
to finish
papan tulis
the board
giliran
the turn
ringkas
concisely
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Questions & Answers about Setelah dia selesai, giliran saya menulis ringkas di papan tulis.
What exactly does the phrase giliran saya mean, and how is it used?
It literally means my turn. The common pattern is giliran + pronoun + [verb] to mean “it’s X’s turn to [do something].”
- Giliran saya menulis. (It’s my turn to write.)
- Giliran kamu bicara. (It’s your turn to speak.) You can add time markers like sekarang (now): Sekarang giliran saya.
Does dia mean “he” or “she”? How do I show gender or respect?
Dia is gender-neutral: it can mean either he or she. To add respect (e.g., for a teacher/elder), use beliau:
- Setelah beliau selesai, … (After he/she [respected] is done, …) You may also see ia (more formal/literary), usually as a subject:
- Setelah ia selesai, …
Where’s the past tense here? How does Indonesian show time with setelah?
Indonesian doesn’t inflect verbs for tense. Time is shown by context and time words. Setelah (after) already sets a sequence. You can add adverbs if needed:
- Past: Setelah dia selesai tadi, … (after he/she finished earlier, …)
- Future: Setelah dia selesai nanti, … (after he/she finishes later, …)
Is selesai a verb or an adjective? Can it stand alone?
It’s a stative predicate meaning “finished/done,” and it can stand alone:
- Dia selesai. (He/She is finished.) To say “finish something,” use:
- Dia menyelesaikan tugasnya. (He/She finished their assignment.) You can also specify the activity:
- Dia selesai menulis. (He/She finished writing.)
Is menulis ringkas natural? Should I say menulis ringkasan or merangkum instead?
- menulis ringkas = write concisely/briefly (focus on style)
- menulis ringkasan = write a summary (a product/result)
- merangkum / meringkas = to summarize If you mean “write a summary on the board,” prefer menulis ringkasan di papan tulis or merangkum di papan tulis. If you mean “write briefly,” menulis ringkas or menulis secara ringkas is fine. You can also use singkat as a near-synonym of ringkas.
Why is it di papan tulis and not ke papan tulis or pada papan tulis?
- di marks location (on/at/in): menulis di papan tulis (write on the board).
- ke marks movement toward: jalan ke papan tulis (walk to the board).
- pada is more formal/abstract and not used here; di papan tulis is the idiomatic choice.
Do I need the comma after Setelah dia selesai?
Yes, when a subordinate clause (like one introduced by setelah) comes first, Indonesian typically uses a comma:
- Setelah dia selesai, giliran saya … If the main clause comes first, the comma is usually not used:
- Giliran saya … setelah dia selesai.
Can I add untuk after giliran saya?
Yes. Both are acceptable:
- Giliran saya menulis …
- Giliran saya untuk menulis … With untuk can feel a bit more explicit/formal; without untuk is very common in speech.
What’s the difference between menulis and menuliskan?
- menulis = to write (neutral, most common)
- menuliskan = to write something down (often with an implied recipient/beneficiary or a more “complete” writing) In everyday usage they often overlap, but menulis is the safe default. Examples:
- Saya menulis ringkasan.
- Tolong menuliskan namamu di sini. (Please write your name here—for me/for the form.)
Is Setelah dia selesai missing an object? Should I specify what was finished?
It’s acceptable and common to leave it implicit if context is clear. To be explicit, add the activity:
- Setelah dia selesai menulis/berbicara/mengajar, …
Can I flip the clause order?
Yes:
- Setelah dia selesai, giliran saya menulis …
- Giliran saya menulis … setelah dia selesai. Both are natural. The first emphasizes the condition/time; the second emphasizes whose turn it is.
What’s the difference between setelah and sesudah (and sehabis)?
- setelah and sesudah are near-synonyms meaning “after.” Setelah is slightly more common/neutral.
- sehabis is more colloquial and often used with activities: Sehabis makan, …
Does papan tulis mean whiteboard or blackboard?
Papan tulis is generic (any writing board). If you need to be precise:
- papan tulis putih (whiteboard)
- papan tulis hitam (blackboard) In practice, papan tulis is usually enough.
Can I say giliranku instead of giliran saya? What about aku vs saya?
- giliranku is informal (using the suffix -ku for “my”). It fits casual contexts.
- giliran saya is neutral/formal and safest in class/work settings. Similarly, aku is informal; saya is polite/formal:
- Giliranku menulis. (casual)
- Giliran saya menulis. (neutral/formal)