Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Setelah rapat mendadak, suasana akhirnya terkendali dan semua orang tenang. - After the sudden meeting, the atmosphere was finally under control and everyone was calm.

Indonesian normally places adjectives after nouns. So rapat mendadak = “a sudden meeting.” You could also say rapat yang mendadak (slightly more explicit/formal). As an adverb, mendadak can modify a clause: Mereka mendadak mengadakan rapat or Rapat itu mendadak diadakan.

Is setelah functioning as a preposition or a conjunction here?

Here it behaves like a preposition because it’s followed by a noun phrase (rapat mendadak). It can also be a conjunction introducing a clause: Setelah kami mengadakan rapat mendadak, ... or Setelah rapat selesai, ....

Do I need the comma after Setelah rapat mendadak?

Yes. When a time/condition phrase or clause comes first, standard writing uses a comma before the main clause. If the setelah phrase comes after the main clause, you usually omit the comma: Suasana akhirnya terkendali setelah rapat mendadak.

Why is there no “to be” verb in semua orang tenang?

Indonesian adjectives can function as predicates. semua orang tenang literally “everyone calm” means “everyone is calm.” To show a change, use menjadi: semua orang menjadi tenang (“everyone became calm”). Avoid adalah with predicate adjectives.

What nuance does akhirnya add, and where can it go?

akhirnya means “finally/at last,” often implying relief after difficulty. Placement:

Clause-initial: Akhirnya, suasana terkendali.
Before the predicate: Suasana akhirnya terkendali. It’s optional; leaving it out removes the “after a struggle” feel.

What does terkendali mean compared with dikendalikan or mengendalikan?

terkendali: stative “under control” (state, no agent).
dikendalikan: “(being) controlled by [agent]” (passive).
mengendalikan: active “to control.” Example: Suasana terkendali = the situation is under control; Suasana dikendalikan polisi = the situation is controlled by the police.

Could I say suasana menjadi terkendali instead?

Yes. menjadi highlights the transition into that state. Suasana akhirnya menjadi terkendali = “The situation finally came under control,” emphasizing the change.

Are there two separate clauses joined by dan?

Yes:

suasana akhirnya terkendali
semua orang tenang They’re two independent clauses coordinated by dan. You could also write them as two sentences for emphasis.

Is suasana the same as situasi?

They overlap but differ in nuance:

suasana: the mood/atmosphere (how it feels).
situasi: the objective situation/conditions. Both fit here; choose based on the focus you want.

Why not pluralize people as orang-orang in semua orang?

Because semua (“all”) already implies plurality. semua orang = “everyone/all people.” Use orang-orang when you mean “people” without semua, e.g., Orang-orang sudah tenang.

Are setelah and sesudah interchangeable?

Generally yes. They’re near-synonyms. Other options:

seusai/usai (slightly formal/literary): Usai rapat mendadak, ...
Colloquial habis/abis: Abis rapat mendadak, ...

Can I say rapat dadakan or rapat darurat?

rapat mendadak: neutral/standard “sudden meeting.”
rapat dadakan: colloquial “impromptu” meeting.
rapat darurat: “emergency meeting” (urgent/critical), not just short notice.

Could I use tiba-tiba instead of mendadak?

Not as an adjective after a noun. tiba-tiba is an adverb (“suddenly”), so use it like:

Tiba-tiba, mereka mengadakan rapat.
Rapat itu diadakan secara tiba-tiba. For “a sudden meeting,” use rapat mendadak or rapat dadakan.

How would this sound in casual speech?

A natural colloquial version: Abis rapat dadakan, akhirnya suasananya terkendali dan semua orang jadi tenang. Notes: Abis = casual habis/setelah; -nya marks definiteness; jadi + adjective = “become” in casual speech.

Is there any tense marking here? How do we know it’s past?

Indonesian doesn’t mark tense morphologically. Sequence/time comes from words like setelah and akhirnya. You can add aspect markers:

sudah/telah (“already”): Suasana sudah terkendali dan semua orang sudah tenang. With ter- statives like terkendali, sudah is optional.

Do I need to mark definiteness, e.g., suasananya?

Use -nya if you want to specify a particular, known situation. suasana can mean “the situation” from context without an article. Suasananya akhirnya terkendali = “the (aforementioned) situation is finally under control.”

Can I add pun for emphasis, as in semua orang pun tenang?

Yes. pun adds an “even/indeed” emphasis: Semua orang pun tenang ≈ “even everyone was calm,” often after you’ve mentioned other things becoming calm/controlled.

What’s the difference between rapat and pertemuan?

rapat: a meeting in a work/organizational context to discuss/decide.
pertemuan: any meeting/encounter (broader, can be social). So rapat mendadak fits workplace/news contexts better than pertemuan mendadak, unless it’s a non-work setting.