Word
Materi terakhir dibahas singkat di perpustakaan.
Meaning
The latest material is discussed briefly in the library.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of Materi terakhir dibahas singkat di perpustakaan.
di
in
perpustakaan
the library
singkat
briefly
materi
the material
Questions & Answers about Materi terakhir dibahas singkat di perpustakaan.
Why is the passive form used here (dibahas), and what does it imply?
- dibahas is passive: prefix di-
- root bahas (“to discuss”).
- Passive lets you put the topic/focus first (here, Materi terakhir) and downplays or omits the agent.
- It is very natural in Indonesian when the agent is unknown, unimportant, or already understood from context.
How would I say it in active voice?
- Most neutral active: Kami membahas materi terakhir secara singkat di perpustakaan.
- If “we” includes the listener, use kita: Kita membahas materi terakhir secara singkat di perpustakaan.
- Colloquial topicalization (often called “short passive/type 2”): Materi terakhir kami bahas singkat di perpustakaan.
Do I need the word secara before singkat?
- Not required. Indonesian often uses adjectives adverbially without secara.
- All of these are acceptable:
- dibahas singkat
- dibahas secara singkat (a bit more formal)
- dibahas sangat singkat (with intensifier)
- dengan singkat is possible but less common than secara singkat or just singkat.
Where can I place singkat and di perpustakaan in the sentence?