Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Dia memakai syal tipis sepanjang perjalanan karena angin. - He/She wears a thin scarf throughout the trip because of the wind.

Dia is gender‑neutral: it can mean either “he” or “she.”
If you need to be explicit, add context, a name, or a noun: dia (perempuan/laki-laki), Budi, teman saya, etc.
For respectful third person (e.g., elders, officials), you can use beliau.
You might also see ia, a more formal subject pronoun. Unlike dia, ia is rarely used as an object.

What tense is memakai? Is the sentence past or present?

Indonesian verbs don’t inflect for tense. Memakai can be “wears,” “is wearing,” or “wore,” depending on context.
Add time words to clarify:
- Past: tadi, kemarin, tadi pagi
- Progressive: sedang
- Future: akan, besok

Why memakai and not pakai or mengenakan? Are they interchangeable?

Memakai = to wear/use; neutral and common.
Pakai = colloquial, shorter; very common in speech: Dia pakai syal…
Mengenakan = to put on/wear; a bit more formal/elevated: Dia mengenakan syal…
Menggunakan usually means “to use” (tools, methods). With clothing it sounds bureaucratic unless it’s part of a formal report (e.g., menggunakan pakaian pelindung).

Why is the adjective after the noun (syal tipis, not tipis syal)?

In Indonesian, descriptive adjectives generally follow the noun: syal tipis, baju tebal, cuaca buruk.
To emphasize or specify, you can insert yang: syal yang tipis itu (“that thin scarf”).

Is syal the same as selendang or kerudung?

Syal: scarf (loanword); usually for warmth or fashion, any gender.
Selendang: a long piece of cloth/shawl; traditional, versatile (can carry a baby), often wider.
Kerudung/jilbab/hijab: headscarf worn for modesty/religious reasons.
Depending on what you mean, you could choose syal (scarf) or selendang (shawl).

Can I say “a thin scarf” with an article, like sebuah syal tipis?

Indonesian doesn’t require articles. Syal tipis already means “a thin scarf.”
If you must count or emphasize a single piece of cloth, use the classifier sehelai (for flat/flexible items): sehelai syal tipis. Avoid sebuah syal; it’s not idiomatic.

What exactly does sepanjang mean here, and how is it different from selama?

Sepanjang can mean “throughout” (time) or “along” (space). Here, it means “throughout” the trip.
Selama only marks duration/time. So selama perjalanan is always temporal.
With perjalanan, both sepanjang perjalanan and selama perjalanan are natural when you mean “throughout the trip.”
For physical space, use sepanjang jalan (“along the road”). You wouldn’t use selama there.

Should it be di sepanjang perjalanan?

Use di sepanjang when the noun is a physical stretch: di sepanjang jalan/pantai (“along the road/beach”).
With perjalanan (the trip as an event/time), di is usually not used. Prefer sepanjang perjalanan or selama perjalanan.

Does sepanjang perjalanan mean time (“throughout the trip”) or route (“along the way”)?

It can mean either, depending on context. With memakai syal, readers will interpret it as time (“throughout the trip”).
To highlight the route: di sepanjang jalan or di sepanjang rute.

Is karena angin natural, or should I say something like “windy” or “strong wind”?

Karena angin (“because of the wind”) is grammatical and understandable, but many speakers specify the quality:
- karena angin kencang (strong wind)
- karena anginnya dingin (the wind was cold)
- karena cuaca berangin / karena berangin (because it was windy)
Choose what fits your meaning: cold, strong, dusty, etc.

What’s the difference between karena, gara-gara, and sebab?

Karena: neutral/standard “because.”
Gara-gara: colloquial, often implies inconvenience or blame: Gara-gara angin, …
Sebab: more formal/literary as a conjunction or noun (“cause”). As a conjunction it sounds elevated: sebab angin…

Can I move the karena phrase or other parts around?

Yes, adverbials are mobile:
- Dia memakai syal tipis sepanjang perjalanan karena angin.
- Karena angin, dia memakai syal tipis sepanjang perjalanan.
- Dia, karena angin, memakai syal tipis sepanjang perjalanan. (less common)
Keep the sentence clear; starting with Karena… plus a comma is very natural.

Is there a way to say “his/her own scarf,” or make it definite?

Add -nya to mark definiteness/possession in context: dia memakai syalnya (“wore his/her scarf”).
To specify the trip: sepanjang perjalanannya (“throughout his/her trip”), sepanjang perjalanan ini/itu (“this/that trip”).
Indonesian often omits possessive markers if the owner is obvious from context.

How do I pronounce syal? Is shal a valid spelling?

Syal is pronounced with the Indonesian sy sound, like English “sh”: roughly “shal” with a short a.
Standard modern spelling is syal (per KBBI). Shal is a nonstandard/older variant you may see informally.

What’s the difference between perjalanan, jalan, and jalanan?

Jalan: road/street; also the root “to walk/go.”
Jalanan: the roads/streets collectively; can feel colloquial.
Perjalanan: the trip/journey (event or process).
So: sepanjang jalan = along the road; sepanjang perjalanan = throughout the trip.

Can I use the passive voice here?

Yes, but it’s less common for simple “wear” statements:
- Syal tipis dipakai dia sepanjang perjalanan karena angin.
- More formal: Syal tipis dikenakan olehnya sepanjang perjalanan karena angin.
Active voice (Dia memakai…) is more natural in everyday use.

Why does memakai lose the p from pakai?

Memakai is meN-
- pakai. With p-initial roots, the meN- prefix assimilates to mem- and the p is dropped:
  - meN- + pakai → mem
    - akai → memakai.
This is a regular sound change with meN- (e.g., membaca from baca, mengirim from kirim).

What are good alternative wordings for the whole sentence?

Dia pakai syal tipis selama perjalanan karena angin kencang. (colloquial + clearer cause)
Karena berangin, dia mengenakan syal tipis sepanjang perjalanan. (fronted reason)
Dia memakai sehelai syal tipis sepanjang perjalanan karena anginnya dingin. (with classifier + specific nuance)