Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Dia baru sampai rumah, sudah menggigil karena hujan. - She/He had just reached home, and was already shivering because of the rain.

In this sentence, baru means just (now), indicating recency: baru sampai = “just arrived.”
Other meanings of baru:
- new: buku baru = “a new book”
- only (so far): baru dua orang = “only two people (so far)”
Synonyms for the “just” meaning:
- baru saja / barusan / tadi (context-dependent). Example: Dia baru saja sampai.

Why do we see both baru and sudah in one sentence? Isn’t that redundant?

Not redundant. The pairing baru X, sudah Y is a common idiomatic pattern meaning “as soon as X happened, Y had already started,” often with a sense of speed/surprise.

Here: Dia baru sampai rumah, sudah menggigil = “He/She had only just arrived home and was already shivering.”

Can I omit sudah? What changes?

Yes. Dia baru sampai rumah, menggigil karena hujan is grammatical.

With sudah, you emphasize that the shivering had already started by the time of arrival (quicker-than-expected).
Without sudah, it’s a plain sequence with less emphasis. You can also use langsung for “immediately”: … langsung menggigil …

Is sampai rumah correct, or should it be sampai di rumah or ke rumah?

sampai di rumah = standard/neutral.
sampai rumah = very common in speech (elliptical but natural).
ke rumah is used with motion verbs like pergi/pulang; with sampai/tiba, prefer di.
sampai ke rumah is sometimes heard but often considered redundant; use sampai di rumah instead.

What’s the difference between sampai and tiba?

Both mean “arrive/reach.”

sampai: everyday, neutral; works as verb or preposition (“until/up to”).
tiba: a bit more formal/literary; used as a verb. Collocates strongly with di: tiba di. Example: Ia baru tiba di rumah, sudah menggigil.

Does dia mean “he” or “she”? What about ia and beliau?

dia = “he/she” (gender-neutral), common in speech and writing.
ia = more formal/literary, mostly as a subject. Example: Ia baru sampai…
beliau = respectful third person (for elders/important figures).
Possessive is -nya: rumahnya = “his/her house.”

What exactly does menggigil mean? How is it different from gemetar or kedinginan?

menggigil: “to shiver,” typically from cold (also possible from fear/fever). Intransitive. Example: Dia menggigil.
gemetar: “to tremble/shake” (broader causes: fear, nerves, weakness). Example: Tangannya gemetar.
kedinginan: “to feel cold” (stative). You can combine: menggigil kedinginan = “shivering with cold.”

Is karena hujan the most natural cause phrase? How about gara-gara hujan, kehujanan, or kena hujan?

karena hujan = neutral “because of the rain.”
gara-gara hujan = more colloquial, often a complaining/blaming tone.
kehujanan = “to get rained on (unintentionally).” Example: Dia menggigil karena kehujanan.
kena hujan = colloquial “got rained on.” Example: Dia menggigil karena kena hujan. All are acceptable with slightly different tones; choose based on register and nuance.

Can I move karena hujan earlier in the sentence?

Yes, but keep the cause close to what it modifies to avoid ambiguity.

Good: Dia baru sampai rumah, sudah menggigil karena hujan.
Fronted emphasis: Karena hujan, dia baru sampai rumah, sudah menggigil.
Avoid: Dia baru sampai rumah karena hujan, sudah menggigil if you mean the rain caused the shivering; that version can suggest the rain caused the late arrival instead.

Why is there a comma and no dan (“and”)? Is that correct?

Yes. Indonesian often links closely related clauses with a comma, omitting the repeated subject and even the conjunction.

Original: Dia baru sampai rumah, sudah menggigil…
Also fine: Dia baru sampai rumah dan sudah menggigil…
In formal writing, a semicolon or adding dan can be preferred for clarity.

How would I make this more formal or more casual?

More formal: Ia baru tiba di rumah dan sudah menggigil karena hujan.
Very casual: Dia baru nyampe rumah, udah menggigil gara-gara hujan.
- Note: nyampe and udah are colloquial; avoid in formal contexts.

Is there any past tense here? How does Indonesian show time?

Indonesian has no tense inflections. Time/aspect is shown with particles/adverbs and context:

baru (just), sudah/telah (already), tadi (earlier today), kemarin (yesterday), etc. Here, baru and sudah establish the timeline.

Why is it spelled menggigil with “ngg”? What is the meng- prefix doing?

The verb root is gigil (“shiver”). The active prefix meN- assimilates to meng- before g/k/h vowels, etc.
Since the root starts with g, you get meng- + gigil → menggigil (the “ng” from the prefix plus the root’s g).
meng- often makes active verbs from roots; menggigil is intransitive.

Should it be rumah or rumahnya?

rumah can mean “home” in general for the subject: Dia sampai rumah ≈ “He/She arrived home.”
rumahnya explicitly marks possession: “his/her house.” Use it if you need to contrast whose house: Dia sampai di rumahnya (bukan rumah saya).

Could I say baru pulang instead of baru sampai?

baru pulang = “just got back (home)” focusing on the act of returning.
baru sampai (di rumah) = “just arrived (home)” focusing on arrival at the destination. Both work here, with a slight nuance difference:
Dia baru pulang, sudah menggigil karena hujan.
Dia baru sampai (di) rumah, sudah menggigil karena hujan.