Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Agen meminta uang muka kecil agar kos segera dipesan. - The agent asks for a small down payment so the boarding room can be reserved immediately.

Uang muka is a down payment paid upfront as part of the total price; in everyday speech people also say DP (from “down payment”), panjar, or tanda jadi. It’s similar to “a deposit to secure something.” Note that a refundable security deposit is usually uang jaminan, which is different from uang muka.

Why is "kecil" placed after "uang muka"?

In Indonesian, adjectives usually come after the noun they modify. So uang muka kecil literally means “deposit small,” i.e., “a small deposit.”

Can I say "uang muka sedikit" instead of "uang muka kecil"?

Not in that bare form. Kecil is the normal adjective for “small (in size/amount)” here. Sedikit means “a little/a few,” and you’d typically use it with a noun phrase like jumlah uang mukanya sedikit (“the deposit amount is small”) or uang mukanya sedikit (“the deposit is small”), not directly as uang muka sedikit.

What does "agar" mean here, and how is it different from "supaya," "biar," "untuk," and "sehingga"?

Agar means “so that / in order that” and is slightly formal. Supaya is a near-synonym, a bit less formal; biar is colloquial. Untuk means “to/for (doing something)” and takes a verb phrase, not a finite clause: e.g., untuk segera memesan kos. Sehingga means “so that/as a result,” expressing result, not purpose, so it’s not interchangeable with agar.

Why is the passive "dipesan" used instead of an active form?

Indonesian often uses the passive to foreground the thing affected and background the actor. Agar kos segera dipesan focuses on the kos getting reserved. Active alternatives are possible, e.g., agar agen segera memesannya (“so that the agent reserves it immediately”) or a colloquial passive type 2: agar kos segera saya pesan.

Who is understood to do the reserving in "agar kos segera dipesan"?

The actor is implied from context—likely the agent, or whoever is responsible after the deposit is paid. If needed, you can state it: agar kos segera dipesan oleh agen (“… reserved by the agent”).

What exactly is "kos"? Are "kos," "kost," "indekos," and "kos-kosan" the same?

Kos (also spelled kost) is a rented room/boarding house setup, common in Indonesia. Indekos is the more formal dictionary form. Kos-kosan usually refers to a kos complex or the business/property itself. People also say kamar kos for an individual room.

Is it more natural to say "kamar kos" instead of just "kos" when talking about reserving?

Often yes, because you usually reserve a specific room: agar kamar kos segera dipesan. But many speakers also say memesan kos when the context already implies a specific place/room.

What does "segera" mean, and where can it go in the sentence?

Segera means “immediately/soon.” Common placements include:

agar kos segera dipesan (very natural)
agar segera dipesan (if “kos” is already clear from context) Placing segera after the verb (e.g., dipesan segera) is possible but less common in careful prose.

Does Indonesian mark past or future tense here? Could we add "akan"?

Indonesian doesn’t inflect for tense. Meminta could be past, present, or future depending on context. You can add time words (e.g., tadi, kemarin, nanti) or akan (“will”) for clarity: agar kos akan segera dipesan is possible, but segera already implies near-future, so akan is often unnecessary.

What’s the difference between "dipesan" and "dipesankan"?

Dipesan = “is ordered/reserved.” Dipesankan (with -kan) implies “ordered/reserved for someone (benefactive).” Use dipesankan only if you want to highlight the beneficiary, e.g., kamar itu dipesankan untuk saya (“that room was reserved for me”).

Why not "meminta agar..."? Does "meminta" take a noun or a clause?

Both are possible but mean different things:

meminta + noun: asking for something (e.g., meminta uang muka kecil = “ask for a small deposit”).
meminta agar + clause: asking that someone do something (e.g., Agen meminta agar kos segera dipesan = “The agent asked that the kos be reserved soon”). The original sentence gives a reason (purpose) for asking for money.

Do we need "yang" before "kecil" (e.g., "uang muka yang kecil")?

No. Yang before an adjective adds a specifying/contrastive nuance (“the deposit that is small”). Plain uang muka kecil is the regular, neutral noun–adjective order.

Is "Agen" definite (“the agent”) or indefinite (“an agent”)? How is definiteness shown?

Indonesian has no articles, so agen can be “the agent” or “an agent,” decided by context. To mark definiteness explicitly, use itu/tersebut or -nya: agen itu, agen tersebut, agennya.

Any pronunciation tips for tricky parts?

g is always hard (as in “go”): agen = AH-gen.
c is “ch”: kecil = kə-CHIL.
e in unstressed syllables is often schwa: meminta = mə-MIN-ta, segera = sə-Gə-ra, dipesan = di-PƏ-san.
ng in uang is the velar nasal: oo-ANG.

Could we replace "dipesan" with "disewa"?

Different meanings: dipesan = “reserved/booked,” while disewa = “rented/leased.” Use dipesan for holding a room; use disewa when the rental agreement/period begins.

How would this sound in everyday informal Indonesian?

For a colloquial tone: Agennya minta DP kecil biar kosnya cepet dipesan. You may also hear loanwords like dibooking, but dipesan is the standard Indonesian verb.