Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Karena batas waktu dekat, kami menyederhanakan materi presentasi. - Because the deadline is near, we simplify the presentation material.

Karena batas waktu sudah dekat, ...
Karena tenggat waktunya sudah dekat, ... (very natural)
Karena tenggat sudah dekat, ... (concise) Adding sudah or -nya makes “is near” feel more complete.

Where is the word “is”? Why can you just say batas waktu dekat without something like “is”?

Indonesian often uses adjectives as predicates without a verb like “is.” Here, dekat itself functions as “is near.” You generally don’t use adalah with adjectives; adalah is for equating nouns (e.g., X adalah Y).

How is tense expressed here? Does it mean “we simplified,” “we are simplifying,” or “we will simplify”?

Indonesian verbs don’t change form for tense. Context decides. To be explicit:

Past/completed: kami sudah menyederhanakan
In progress: kami sedang menyederhanakan
Future/intended: kami akan (atau mau/ingin) menyederhanakan Time adverbs (e.g., kemarin, tadi, besok) also help.

Why kami and not kita?

kami = “we” excluding the listener.
kita = “we” including the listener. If you’re talking to someone who is not part of the team doing the task, use kami.

Is batas waktu the best way to say “deadline”? Any alternatives?

All are common:

tenggat waktu (very standard)
tenggat (short, common)
batas waktu (widely understood)
deadline (loanword; informal but frequent in offices/tech)

Should there be yang in batas waktu dekat (e.g., batas waktu yang dekat)?

batas waktu yang dekat = “a deadline that is near” (describes the noun).
batas waktu (sudah) dekat = “the deadline is near” (a full clause). In your sentence (a cause clause), most speakers prefer the full clause feel: Karena batas waktu sudah dekat, .... Using yang is fine if you mean “because of a near deadline” as a noun phrase.

What exactly does menyederhanakan mean morphologically?

Root: sederhana (“simple”)
Prefix: meN- becomes meny- before an S-initial root; the initial s drops: meny + (s)ederhana → menyederhana-
Suffix: -kan (causative/transitive) Overall: menyederhanakan = “to make something simple,” i.e., “to simplify.”

When would I use menyederhanakan vs mempermudah vs meringkas?

menyederhanakan: reduce complexity/structure (fewer moving parts/less detail).
mempermudah: make something easier (remove difficulty, add convenience).
meringkas: condense/summarize (shorten content). For slides, all can apply depending on intent:
Simplify visuals/structure: menyederhanakan
Make it easier to follow: mempermudah
Condense content: meringkas

Can I move the karena clause to the end?

Yes. Both orders are fine:

Fronted cause: Karena (tenggat) sudah dekat, kami menyederhanakan ...
Cause at the end: Kami menyederhanakan ... karena (tenggat) sudah dekat. Putting the cause first highlights the reason.

What’s the difference between materi presentasi and bahan presentasi?

materi presentasi: the content/substance (topics, points, message).
bahan presentasi: the materials/resources (files, slides, handouts). In practice they overlap; for slide content, materi is slightly more “what we say,” bahan is slightly more “what we use.”

How would I say “because the deadline is tight/too close”?

Common options:

Karena tenggatnya mepet, ... (colloquial; very common)
Karena waktunya mepet, ...
Karena waktunya sangat sempit, ... (more formal) Note: ketat is natural for schedules/rules (e.g., jadwal ketat), but mepet is the go-to for time being too close.

How do I make this passive or topicalize the object?

Passive with di- (agent optional): Materi presentasi disederhanakan (oleh kami) karena tenggat sudah dekat.
“Short passive” (pasif 2), very common with pronoun agents: Materi presentasi kami sederhanakan karena tenggat sudah dekat.
Active baseline: Kami menyederhanakan materi presentasi karena tenggat sudah dekat.

Do I need a comma after the karena clause?

Yes, when the dependent clause comes first: Karena ..., [comma] .... If the cause comes after the main clause, a comma is usually not needed.

Should I add -nya anywhere, like batas waktunya or materi presentasinya?

-nya often marks definiteness or “the known one.”

batas waktunya = “the deadline (we both know about)”
materi presentasinya = “the presentation material (in question)” It’s optional; add it if you want to signal a specific, known referent.

Is karena interchangeable with sebab or gara-gara?

karena: neutral, most common.
sebab: a bit formal/literary; also used as a noun (“cause”).
gara-gara: informal/colloquial; can imply annoyance/blame. Your sentence fits karena best.

Can I drop the subject kami?

In context, Indonesians do drop pronouns, but here dropping kami risks ambiguity or sounding like an impersonal statement. In writing or stand-alone sentences, keep kami.

Is dekat only for space, or also time? Any useful modifiers?

dekat works for both space and time. Helpful modifiers:

sudah dekat (is near already)
semakin/ kian dekat (getting nearer)
sangat/ cukup dekat (very/quite near) So: Batas waktu sudah dekat or Tenggat kian dekat are both natural.