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Materi terakhir dibahas singkat di perpustakaan.

Materi terakhir dibahas singkat di perpustakaan.
The latest material is discussed briefly in the library.
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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?
  • Natural options:
    • Materi terakhir dibahas singkat di perpustakaan.
    • Materi terakhir dibahas di perpustakaan secara singkat.
    • Di perpustakaan, materi terakhir dibahas singkat.
  • Less typical: Materi terakhir di perpustakaan dibahas singkat (grammatical but marked; it pre-poses the place inside the clause).
  • Fronting Singkat, ... is possible for emphasis: Singkat, materi terakhir dibahas di perpustakaan.
Can I include the agent (“by the teacher”, “by us”) in the passive?
  • Yes, with oleh:
    • Materi terakhir dibahas singkat di perpustakaan oleh dosen.
  • In speech, many people use sama instead of oleh:
    • Materi terakhir dibahas singkat di perpustakaan sama dosen.
  • If the agent is “we/us,” oleh kami is correct but heavy; a more natural alternative is:
    • Materi terakhir kami bahas singkat di perpustakaan.
What exactly does terakhir mean here—“last” or “latest”?
  • terakhir primarily means “last/final.”
  • If you mean “most recent/latest,” use terbaru or terkini:
    • Final: materi terakhir
    • Latest: materi terbaru
  • Context often clarifies the intent; if there’s any ambiguity, prefer terbaru for “latest.”
Why does terakhir come after materi? In English the adjective comes before.
  • In Indonesian, descriptive adjectives usually follow the noun:
    • materi terakhir (last material)
    • buku baru (new book)
    • film lama (old movie)
  • You may see yang terakhir when enumerating items: yang terakhir = “the last one.”
Is materi singular or plural? How do I say “the last few materials/topics”?
  • materi is a mass/collective noun; singular/plural is usually inferred from context.
  • To make plurality explicit:
    • materi-materi terakhir (rare; duplication sounds formal/literary)
    • More natural: beberapa materi terakhir (the last few materials)
    • For “topics”: beberapa topik terakhir
What tense is dibahas? Does it mean “is/was discussed”?
  • Indonesian verbs don’t mark tense. dibahas can be present or past.
  • Add time/aspect words if needed:
    • Past/completed: sudah/telah — Materi terakhir sudah dibahas singkat di perpustakaan.
    • Recent past: tadi/barusan — Materi terakhir tadi dibahas singkat di perpustakaan.
    • Future: akan — Materi terakhir akan dibahas singkat di perpustakaan.
What’s the difference between singkat, sebentar, and sekilas?
  • singkat: brief/concise in treatment or explanation (quality of discussion).
    • Materi terakhir dibahas singkat.
  • sebentar: for a short time (duration).
    • Materi terakhir dibahas sebentar.
  • sekilas/sepintas: only in passing/at a glance (very cursory).
    • Materi terakhir dibahas sekilas.
  • All can be used, but they nuance the brevity differently.
Is di the right preposition here? What about ke or pada?
  • di = at/in (location): di perpustakaan
  • ke = to (movement): ke perpustakaan
  • pada is not used for physical location nouns like this; it’s used with times/abstract objects.
  • Note that di covers both “at” and “in” in English.
Any register or style differences I should know?
  • Your sentence is neutral-to-formal due to the passive and word choice.
  • More conversational:
    • Kita membahas materi terakhir sebentar di perpus. (colloquial: perpus = perpustakaan)
    • Materi terakhir kita bahas singkat di perpus.
Can I say “only briefly” or emphasize the brevity?
  • Yes, add hanya or saja, or intensifiers:
    • Materi terakhir hanya dibahas singkat di perpustakaan.
    • Materi terakhir dibahas singkat saja di perpustakaan.
    • Materi terakhir dibahas sangat singkat di perpustakaan.
Any common spelling pitfalls here?
  • Write the preposition di separately from a place noun: di perpustakaan, not “diperpustakaan.”
  • The prefix di- attaches to verbs for passive (e.g., dibahas), but as a preposition it must be spaced.