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Questions & Answers about Kami berlibur setiap tahun.
Does "kami" include the person I’m talking to? Can I use "kita" instead?
- kami = we/us (excluding the listener). The listener is NOT part of the group.
- Example: Kami berlibur setiap tahun. = We (not including you) go on vacation every year.
- kita = we/us (including the listener). The listener IS part of the group.
- Example: Kita berlibur setiap tahun. = We (you and I) go on vacation every year. Use the one that matches who is included.
Does this mean we’re on vacation right now?
No. Indonesian doesn’t mark tense on the verb. With setiap tahun (“every year”), the sentence expresses a habitual action. To specify time:
- Now: Kami sedang berlibur (sekarang). = We are on vacation (now).
- Past/already this year: Kami sudah berlibur tahun ini.
- Future: Kami akan berlibur tahun depan.
Where can “setiap tahun” go in the sentence?
All are acceptable:
- Kami berlibur setiap tahun. (neutral)
- Setiap tahun, kami berlibur. (fronted for emphasis on frequency; comma optional but common)
- Kami setiap tahun berlibur. (also used; slightly less common in careful writing) Avoid inserting a preposition before it (see below).
Is “setiap” the same as “tiap”? What about “setiap tahunnya”?
- setiap and tiap are synonyms; tiap is a bit more casual. Both are fine: setiap tahun / tiap tahun.
- setiap tahunnya adds -nya, often in writing, to mean “every year (as a regular occurrence).”
- Example: Festival itu diadakan setiap tahunnya.
What’s the difference between “berlibur,” “liburan,” and “libur”? Can I say “Kami liburan setiap tahun”?
- libur (root): off/holiday (no work/school). Example: Besok saya libur. = I have the day off tomorrow.
- berlibur (verb): to vacation, to go on holiday. Suits your sentence.
- liburan (noun): a vacation/holiday period.
- Kami liburan setiap tahun. is colloquial and common in speech, meaning the same as the original. More standard is Kami berlibur setiap tahun.
- You can also say pergi berlibur or pergi liburan (“go on vacation”).
Can I use “cuti” here?
Cuti is “leave” from work. Use it when talking about taking time off your job:
- Kami mengambil cuti setiap tahun. = We take (work) leave every year. Often paired: Kami (mengambil) cuti dan berlibur setiap tahun.
Do I need a preposition before “setiap tahun” (like “di” or “pada”)?
No preposition is needed. Say setiap tahun, not di setiap tahun.
Pada setiap tahun appears in formal writing but sounds stiff in everyday speech. Use pada with specific years: pada tahun 2022, not with “every year.”
How do I say “once a year” vs “every year”?
- Every year: setiap tahun.
- Once a year: setahun sekali.
- Twice a year: dua kali setahun.
- Every two years / once every two years: setiap dua tahun / dua tahun sekali (both are natural).
How do you pronounce the sentence?
- Kami: KAH-mee
- berlibur: bər-LEE-boor (e = schwa, r is tapped)
- setiap: sə-TEE-ahp
- tahun: TA-hoon (u like “oo”) Indonesian stress is light; syllables are pronounced clearly and evenly.
Do I need to mark plural, or can I drop “kami”?
- Kami is already plural; you don’t add a plural suffix. You can say kami semua (“all of us”) for emphasis.
- Reduplication (kami-kami) isn’t used for “we.”
- Dropping the subject is possible if context is clear, but Berlibur setiap tahun by itself is vague. Keep kami for clarity.
How do I say “We don’t go on vacation every year”? And when do I use “tidak” vs “bukan”?
- Negation: Kami tidak berlibur setiap tahun. = We don’t go on vacation every year. (Implies: not every single year.)
- Use tidak to negate verbs/adjectives: tidak berlibur, tidak murah.
- Use bukan to negate nouns/pronouns: Itu bukan liburan, Mereka bukan keluarga saya.
How do I add a destination?
Use:
- ke for destination (to): Kami berlibur ke Bali setiap tahun.
- di for location (at/in): Setiap tahun kami berlibur di Bali. (focus on where the vacation takes place)
Is this sentence formal or casual? Any synonyms for “berlibur”?
It’s neutral and fits most contexts. Alternatives:
- Casual: jalan-jalan (to stroll/go out for fun). Example: Kami suka jalan-jalan setiap tahun.
- More formal/neutral: berwisata (to travel for tourism). Example: Kami berwisata setiap tahun.
Should “tahun” ever be reduplicated here (tahun-tahun)?
Not with “every.” You say setiap tahun, not setiap tahun-tahun.
Use tahun-tahun when you mean “(the) years” in general or a specific span:
- Selama tahun-tahun itu, kami jarang berlibur. = During those years, we rarely went on vacation.