Barusan saya mengecek saldo.

I just checked the balance.

Breakdown of Barusan saya mengecek saldo.

• saya: I
• mengecek: to check
• barusan: just now
• saldo: the balance

Questions & Answers about Barusan saya mengecek saldo.

Can I replace the time word barusan with baru saja (or baru)?

• barusan and baru saja both mean “just (now).”
  • barusan is very common in speech, slightly informal/neutral.
  • baru saja is a bit more formal/neutral, fine in writing.
• baru alone also means “just,” e.g. Saya baru mengecek saldo. It doesn’t force the “seconds ago” feeling as strongly as barusan, but it’s still recent.
• Avoid baru at the start here (Baru saya mengecek saldo) unless you mean “Only then did I check the balance,” which is a different meaning.

What’s the difference between barusan and tadi?

• barusan = a moment ago, very recent (minutes/seconds).
• tadi = earlier (today), not necessarily very recent. You can also specify time: tadi pagi (this morning), tadi malam (last night—still within the previous night).
• Not to confuse with baru-baru ini (recently over days/weeks).

Why is it mengecek and not mencek?

• The root cek is one syllable. With the active prefix meN-, one-syllable roots take menge- + root. So it’s mengecek, not mencek.
• Other examples: mengecat (from cat), mengeklik (from klik).
• Spelling mencek is nonstandard.

Can I say saya cek saldo or saya ngecek saldo?

• Saya cek saldo is common in casual speech (bare verb).
• Saya ngecek saldo is very colloquial; nge- is the spoken reduction of menge-.
• In careful/standard writing, prefer Saya mengecek saldo.
• After modals/auxiliaries, the bare form is normal: Saya mau/bisa/harus cek saldo.

Where can barusan go in the sentence?

All of these are acceptable:

• Barusan saya mengecek saldo. (time is foregrounded)
• Saya barusan mengecek saldo. (very natural)
• Saya mengecek saldo barusan. (fine in speech; a bit less common in writing)

Don’t split the verb: you can’t insert barusan inside mengecek.

Do I need to say saldo saya to mean “my balance”?

• Not required if context is obvious. Indonesian often omits possessives when understood.
• To be explicit: Saya barusan mengecek saldo saya or …saldo rekening saya (bank account), …saldo e-wallet saya.
• saldonya means “the balance (that specific one)” or “his/her/its balance,” depending on context.

Is saldo only for bank accounts?

• No. Saldo is any account balance:
  • saldo rekening (bank account)
  • saldo e-wallet/dompet digital (GoPay, OVO, DANA, ShopeePay, etc.)
  • saldo kartu (stored-value card)
• For phone credit, people often say pulsa, though some apps label it saldo.

Indonesian doesn’t have past tense—so what makes this past?

• Verbs don’t inflect for tense. Time words/adverbs set the timeframe.
• barusan marks it as immediate past.
• Completion can also be signaled by sudah/telah (already), e.g. Saya sudah mengecek saldo. Without barusan, that lacks the “just now” nuance.

Are there passive or alternate wordings?

• Passive with di-: Saldo barusan dicek (oleh saya).
• Object-fronting (active, bare verb), common in speech: Saldo barusan saya cek.
• More formal verb: Barusan saya memeriksa saldo.

How should I pronounce these words?

• barusan: bah-ROO-san (light tap on r; stress typically on ROO).
• mengecek: muh-ngeh-CHEK (both e are schwa; c like English “ch”; stress on CHEK).
• saldo: SAL-do (stress on SAL).
• In casual speech, ngecek ≈ ngeh-CHEK.

What’s the nuance difference between mengecek and memeriksa?

• mengecek: to check/verify quickly (tick off, confirm).
• memeriksa: to examine/inspect more thoroughly; also used for doctors/police. With saldo, it’s fine but a bit more formal/serious.
• Typical collocations: mengecek saldo/email/pesan; memeriksa berkas/laporan/pasien.

Is it okay to say Barusan saya sudah mengecek saldo?

• Yes, common in speech. barusan (just now) + sudah (already) is slightly redundant but used for emphasis.
• In careful writing, choose one:
  • Barusan saya mengecek saldo.
  • Saya sudah mengecek saldo.

Can I drop the subject saya?

• Yes, if context is clear:
  • Barusan mengecek saldo.
  • Very casual: Barusan ngecek saldo.
• In formal writing, keep saya for clarity.

What about saldo, sisa saldo, and jumlah saldo?

• saldo: the balance.
• sisa saldo: the remaining balance (emphasizes what’s left).
• jumlah saldo: the balance amount (explicit “total”), common in app interfaces.