Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Jam tangan dia berhenti, jadi dia terlambat sedikit. - Her/His wristwatch stopped, so she/he was a little late.

jam = clock/time (general).
jam tangan = wristwatch (specifies the kind of clock).
arloji = watch (more formal/literary; less common in casual speech). So jam tangan dia means his/her wristwatch.

Is dia gendered? How else can I say “he/she” in Indonesian?

dia is gender-neutral (he or she). Alternatives:

ia: formal/literary subject pronoun, usually before verbs (e.g., Ia terlambat).
beliau: respectful third person for elders or important figures.
You can often drop the pronoun entirely if context is clear.

Can I drop the second dia?

Yes. Indonesian allows subject omission when clear from context. You can say:

Jam tangan dia berhenti, jadi terlambat sedikit.

Why jam tangan dia and not jam tangannya? Are both correct?

Both are correct:

jam tangan dia = his/her watch (neutral).
jam tangannya = the watch of him/her; very natural in speech. You’ll often hear Jam tangannya berhenti. You can also use milik (formal): jam tangan milik dia.

Could I use punya for possession here?

Yes, but wordings change slightly:

Jam tangan punya dia berhenti (colloquial, emphasizes ownership). More common is simply jam tangannya or jam tangan dia.

What does berhenti mean here? Could I use mati?

berhenti = stop/cease moving (the watch stopped ticking).
mati = dead/off (battery is dead or device won’t power on). Both are used for watches:
Jam tangannya berhenti (it stopped).
Jam tangannya mati (it died/ran out of battery). Nuance: mati implies a dead battery; berhenti is neutral.

Is berhenti transitive? Can I say someone “stopped the watch” with it?

berhenti is intransitive (no object). To make something stop, use menghentikan:

Dia menghentikan mobil (He stopped the car). For a watch, menghentikan jam is unusual; people describe the state instead: Jamnya berhenti/mati.

What is jadi here? A verb or a conjunction?

Here jadi is a conjunction meaning so/therefore. As a verb, jadi means to become or to turn out (e.g., jadi dokter = become a doctor). Context decides the function.

Is the comma before jadi necessary?

Recommended but not strictly required. In writing, a comma commonly precedes jadi when it introduces the result clause: …, jadi …. You can also start a sentence with Jadi, … for emphasis.

Could I use karena instead of jadi?

Yes, but the structure changes:

Cause → result with jadi: Jam tangannya berhenti, jadi dia terlambat sedikit.
Result after karena (because): Karena jam tangannya berhenti, dia terlambat sedikit. Both are natural. Other options: sehingga, maka, oleh karena itu (more formal).

Does Indonesian mark past tense? How do we know this is in the past?

Indonesian doesn’t inflect for tense. Time is inferred from context or added words:

tadi (earlier): Jam tangannya tadi berhenti…
barusan (just now): Barusan jam tangannya berhenti…
sudah (already/completed): Jam tangannya sudah berhenti…

What does the ter- in terlambat do?

ter- in terlambat forms an adjective meaning late. It’s not a comparative or superlative here. The root is lambat (slow). With ter-, you get the established adjective terlambat (late).

Is telat acceptable instead of terlambat?

Yes. telat is informal/colloquial. Examples:

Formal/neutral: Dia terlambat sedikit.
Informal: Dia telat sedikit.

Why is sedikit after terlambat? Can I say sedikit terlambat?

Both are fine:

terlambat sedikit (very common, natural flow).
sedikit terlambat (puts slight emphasis on “only a little”). Semantically the same; choice is stylistic.

Are there other ways to soften “a little late”?

Yes:

agak terlambat (somewhat/ rather late).
sedikit telat (informal).
Quantify it: terlambat lima menit (five minutes late).

Can I replace the second clause word order: dia sedikit terlambat?

Yes. Both are natural:

dia terlambat sedikit
dia sedikit terlambat Post-position of sedikit is very common, but pre-position is fine for emphasis.

Is there any ambiguity with dia?

Yes. dia doesn’t specify gender. Context usually clarifies. If needed, you can specify laki-laki (male) or perempuan (female), but that’s uncommon unless necessary.

Is sebuah needed before jam tangan?

No. Classifiers like sebuah (a/an) are optional and usually omitted unless you need to emphasize the count or introduce a new, specific item. Here, possession already makes it specific.

Any other natural rephrasings I should know?

Jam tangannya mati, jadi dia agak telat. (informal)
Jam tangannya sempat berhenti, jadi dia terlambat sedikit. (implies it stopped temporarily)
Karena jam tangannya mati, dia terlambat lima menit. (explicit duration)