Agen mengirim kontrak; saya membacanya lagi sebelum menyewa.

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Breakdown of Agen mengirim kontrak; saya membacanya lagi sebelum menyewa.

• membaca: to read
• sebelum: before
• nya: it

Questions & Answers about Agen mengirim kontrak; saya membacanya lagi sebelum menyewa.

What does the -nya in membacanya mean here?

It’s an attached third-person object pronoun meaning it (or his/her). So saya membacanya = “I read it.” Here, -nya refers back to kontrak. Compare:

• saya membaca kontrak itu = I read the contract (explicit noun)
• saya membacanya = I read it (clitic object)
• kontraknya can mean “the contract (in context)” or “his/her contract,” depending on context

Why is it menyewa, not sewa or something like “mensewa”?

The verb uses the meN- prefix, which assimilates based on the first consonant. With words starting in s (like sewa), s drops and meN- becomes meny-: menyewa. In casual speech you can use the bare verb: sebelum sewa is common.

Is the semicolon natural in Indonesian? Could I use something else?

Semicolons are acceptable but less common in everyday Indonesian. More typical:

• Agen mengirim kontrak, lalu/kemudian saya membacanya lagi sebelum menyewa.
• Setelah agen mengirim kontrak, saya membacanya lagi sebelum menyewa. A simple period also works.

How do I say “The agent sent me the contract”?

Several natural options:

• (formal recipient with kepada)