Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Saya mengelola anggaran keluarga di aplikasi sederhana. - I manage the family budget in a simple app.

Saya: neutral–formal; safe for most situations (work, strangers).
Aku: informal/intimate; friends, family, lyrics, casual writing.
Gue/Gua: very informal Jakarta slang. You can switch the subject to match the context: Aku mengelola… (casual) or Gue ngatur… (slang). Be consistent within a conversation.

Why use mengelola? How is it different from mengatur or mengurus?

Mengelola: to manage/administrate systematically (budgets, projects, resources).
Mengatur: to arrange/set/adjust (schedules, settings, allocations).
Mengurus: to take care/handle paperwork or tasks. Examples:
Saya mengelola anggaran (I manage the budget, overall responsibility).
Saya mengatur pengeluaran (I arrange/adjust spending).
Saya mengurus tagihan (I take care of the bills).

What’s the root of mengelola, and how is it formed?

Root: kelola. The active transitive prefix meN- becomes meng- before roots starting with k, and the initial k drops: meN- + kelola → mengelola. Related forms:

Passive: dikelola (managed).
Noun: pengelolaan (management).

How do I show past, present, or future? Indonesian verbs don’t change, right?

Correct—no tense conjugation. Use particles/time words:

Past: sudah (already), tadi/kemarin (earlier/yesterday) → Saya sudah mengelola…
Progressive: sedang (currently) → Saya sedang mengelola…
Future: akan (will), nanti/besok (later/tomorrow) → Saya akan mengelola…

Do I need an article like “a” before aplikasi? Should I add sebuah?

Indonesian has no articles. Aplikasi sederhana already means “a simple app.” You can add sebuah to emphasize “one (single)”: di sebuah aplikasi sederhana.

Why di aplikasi? When would I use pada, dalam, melalui, or dengan/menggunakan?

di: “in/on/at” (most natural here) → location/context inside an app.
pada: more formal/literary “on/at” (acceptable but stiffer).
dalam: “within/inside,” a bit more literal.
melalui: “through” (channels/means) → … melalui aplikasi…
dengan/menggunakan: “with/using” (instrument) → … menggunakan aplikasi… Choose based on nuance: location (di), instrument (menggunakan), channel (melalui).

Is di here a preposition or the passive prefix di-? How can I tell?

It’s the preposition di. Clues:

Preposition is written separately before a noun: di aplikasi.
The passive prefix di- attaches to a verb with no space: dikelola.

How does the noun phrase anggaran keluarga work? Which word modifies which?

Head-first structure: anggaran (head noun) + keluarga (modifier/possessor) = “the family’s budget.” You can make possession explicit:

anggaran keluarga saya (my family’s budget)
anggaran keluarga kami (our family’s budget, excluding the listener)
anggaran keluarga kita (our family’s budget, including the listener)

Should I prefer keluarga or rumah tangga for “family/household budget”?

Both are fine, but for finances anggaran rumah tangga (“household budget”) is very common and sounds a bit more idiomatic in budgeting contexts.

Can I drop Saya?

Yes, if the subject is clear from context: Mengelola anggaran keluarga di aplikasi sederhana. Indonesian often omits pronouns when understood.

Does anggaran mean “the budget” or “a budget”? How do I make it plural?

It’s unspecified by default (could be “the” or “a”). To specify:

Definite: anggaran itu (that/the budget).
Plural: use context, beberapa anggaran (several budgets), or (less commonly) reduplication anggaran-anggaran.

Is aplikasi sederhana the same as aplikasi yang sederhana?

They can mean the same. Without yang is the default adjective placement. Adding yang can make it more explicit/emphatic or contrastive:

aplikasi sederhana (a simple app)
aplikasi yang sederhana tetapi efektif (an app that is simple but effective)

How would a more colloquial version sound?

Jakarta slang: Gue ngatur budget keluarga pake/pakai aplikasi sederhana.
Casual neutral: Aku mengatur anggaran keluarga pakai aplikasi simpel. Notes: budget is a common loanword; pakai is standard (spelled pake colloquially); ngatur is colloquial for mengatur.

How can I make it clearer that it’s a budgeting app?

Specify the app type:

… di aplikasi pengelola anggaran yang sederhana.
… di aplikasi keuangan yang sederhana.
… di aplikasi pencatat keuangan yang sederhana.

Any pronunciation tips for mengelola?

ng as in English “sing.”
The first e is often a schwa sound (like the first “a” in “about”): me-nge-LO-la.
Syllables: me-nge-lo-la; stress is light and fairly even.

Does mengelola require an object? Can I say mengelola dengan…?

Mengelola is typically transitive and expects an object: mengelola anggaran. To add an instrument, use dengan/menggunakan after the object:

Saya mengelola anggaran dengan/menggunakan aplikasi sederhana.