Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Saya sedih melihat adik perempuan saya kecewa. - I am sad to see my younger sister disappointed.

In Indonesian, adjectives can function directly as predicates, so you don’t need a copula like “am/is/are.” Saya sedih literally works as “I (am) sad.” Using adalah before an adjective (Saya adalah sedih) is ungrammatical in everyday Indonesian; adalah is mainly for equating nouns, e.g., Saya adalah guru.

What exactly does adik mean, and why add perempuan?

adik = younger sibling (gender-neutral).
adik perempuan = younger sister.
adik laki-laki = younger brother. If gender is clear from context, Indonesians often just say adik.

Do I have to repeat saya at the end? Could I just say adik perempuan?

If you drop saya, it no longer means “my younger sister.” It would read as “(a/the) younger sister.” To express possession more compactly, you can use a clitic:

adik perempuan saya (neutral)
adik perempuanku / adikku (more intimate, written as one word)

What’s the structure of melihat adik perempuan saya kecewa?

It’s a “small clause” after lihat: lihat + NP + predicate (Adj/Verb). You’re “seeing [NP] [in a certain state].” Examples:

Saya melihat dia marah. = I saw him angry.
Kami mendengar mereka bernyanyi. = We heard them singing.

Can I insert yang before kecewa (…adik perempuan saya yang kecewa)?

Yes, it’s grammatical: …melihat adik perempuan saya yang kecewa (“…see my younger sister who is disappointed”). Without yang is shorter and very natural in speech. With yang, you’re explicitly making a relative clause modifying “adik perempuan saya.” The meaning is similar here.

Is “melihat bahwa …” natural? What about “kalau”?

melihat bahwa … = “see/realize that …” is acceptable but more formal/bookish.
melihat kalau … is colloquial in some regions, but with lihat it can sound a bit awkward. More idiomatic options:
- Saya sedih melihat adik perempuan saya kecewa. (most natural)
- Saya sedih mengetahui/menyadari bahwa adik perempuan saya kecewa. (if you want “that”-style)

Why use kecewa and not mengecewakan?

kecewa = disappointed (the person who feels it). Dia kecewa. = She is disappointed.
mengecewakan = disappointing / to disappoint (the cause/agent). Film itu mengecewakan. = That movie is disappointing. OR Ia mengecewakan saya. = He disappointed me. In your sentence, the sister is the one feeling disappointed, so kecewa is correct.

Can I mark the “ongoing” nature of the disappointment?

Yes, you can add sedang for an in-progress feel, though with stative adjectives like kecewa it’s optional and more emphatic:

…melihat adik perempuan saya sedang kecewa.

How do I show past or present? There’s no tense marking.

Indonesian doesn’t inflect for tense. Use time words:

tadi / tadi pagi = earlier / earlier this morning
kemarin = yesterday
sekarang = now Example: Tadi saya sedih melihat adik perempuan saya kecewa.

Is dropping perempuan okay if context already tells me it’s a sister?

Yes. Saya sedih melihat adik saya kecewa is perfectly natural if gender is understood. Add perempuan only if you need to specify “sister.”

Could I rephrase it with “because” instead of “seeing …”?

Yes:

Saya sedih karena adik perempuan saya kecewa. = I am sad because my younger sister is disappointed. This states the cause directly, without emphasizing the act of witnessing.

What’s the difference between melihat, menonton, and menyaksikan?

melihat = to see/look at (general, neutral).
menonton = to watch (shows, movies, performances).
menyaksikan = to witness (often something notable/serious). In your sentence, melihat is the natural choice.

Is lihat (without meN-) okay?

Yes, in informal speech you’ll hear/see:

Saya sedih lihat adik perempuan saya kecewa. This is colloquial; the standard/formal form is melihat.

When should I use saya vs aku? And how about possessive forms?

saya = neutral/formal.
aku = informal/intimate. Possessives:
adik perempuan saya (neutral)
adik perempuanku / adikku (informal/intimate; -ku attaches to the noun)

Is wanita interchangeable with perempuan here?

Prefer perempuan. Wanita is more formal and usually refers to adult women in public/formal contexts. For family terms, adik perempuan is the natural phrase.

Are there natural ways to intensify sedih or kecewa?

Yes:

sangat sedih / sangat kecewa (formal-neutral)
sedih sekali / kecewa sekali (neutral)
sedih banget / kecewa banget (informal)