Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Setelah tukang membetulkan genteng, suara air berhenti. - After the worker fixes the roof tiles, the sound of water stops.

Indonesian doesn’t mark tense on verbs. The conjunction setelah (“after”) signals the sequence: first the fixing happened, then the sound stopped. If you want to be explicit about time, add time words like tadi (earlier today), kemarin (yesterday), or completion markers like sudah (already), e.g., Kemarin setelah tukang membetulkan genteng, suara air sudah berhenti.

What exactly does tukang mean? Is it specifically a roofer?

Tukang is a general word for a tradesperson/handyman. It becomes specific when you add the field: tukang atap (roofer), tukang bangunan (construction worker), tukang pipa/tukang ledeng (plumber). In everyday talk, tukang alone often implies “the repair person” relevant to the situation.

Why is there no word for “the” or “a” before nouns like tukang, genteng, and suara air?

Indonesian has no articles. Nouns are neutral for definiteness and number. Context tells you whether it’s “a” or “the.” To make something specific, add itu/ini (that/this) or the enclitic -nya (e.g., tukang itu, gentengnya, suaranya).

What’s the difference between membetulkan and memperbaiki?

Both can mean “to fix/repair.”

Membetulkan (from betul, “correct”) can feel like “to make something correct again,” and is common in speech for both errors and physical fixes.
Memperbaiki (from baik, “good”) is “to improve/repair,” often a bit more general/formal for repairs.
Here, either membetulkan genteng or memperbaiki genteng/atap is fine. Colloquial: benerin.

Could I use the passive voice instead?

Yes: Setelah genteng dibetulkan (oleh tukang), suara air berhenti. Passive shifts focus to the object (genteng). In conversation, you’d usually omit oleh unless the agent matters.

What’s the nuance difference between genteng and atap?

Genteng = roof tile(s), the individual pieces.
Atap = the roof as a whole.
If you mean the roof generally, memperbaiki atap is natural; if it’s specifically the tiles, membetulkan genteng fits.

Does genteng mean one tile or many?

It’s unmarked for number. It can mean one or several depending on context. To be explicit: satu/sebuah genteng (one tile), beberapa genteng (several tiles), or reduplication genteng-genteng to emphasize plurality.

Is suara air the best way to say “the sound of water”? What about bunyi?

Both are acceptable.

Suara often refers to voice/sound in general and is widely used with natural sounds (e.g., suara air mengalir).
Bunyi is often the sound of objects/phenomena.
If you want to emphasize dripping: bunyi tetesan air or suara tetesan air can be clearer.

Why berhenti and not menghentikan or terhenti?

Berhenti is intransitive: “to stop (by itself).” The subject (the sound) stops.
Menghentikan is transitive: “to stop (something),” e.g., menghentikan air menetes (stop the water from dripping).
Terhenti means “get/be stopped,” often more formal or sudden: suara air terhenti is possible but less common in everyday speech than berhenti.

Why is there a comma after the setelah-clause, and can I move that clause?

When a subordinate clause comes first, Indonesian typically uses a comma: Setelah … , …. You can also place it after the main clause without a comma: Suara air berhenti setelah tukang membetulkan genteng. Both are natural; initial position slightly foregrounds the condition/time.

Do I need yang after tukang?

No. Here tukang is the subject of the verb membetulkan, so no yang is needed. Use yang to make a relative clause like tukang yang membetulkan genteng itu (“the handyman who fixed the tiles”), which turns it into a noun phrase.

How can I show that we’re talking about a specific known handyman or specific sounds?

Use demonstratives or -nya:

tukang itu (that/that particular handyman)
gentengnya (the/its tiles)
suara airnya (that specific water sound / the water’s sound already known in context)

Can I use other words for “after” besides setelah?

Yes: sesudah is a direct synonym. More formal: seusai, usai. Colloquial: habis/abis at the start of a clause, e.g., Abis tukang benerin genteng, … (casual).

Any pronunciation traps here, especially with air?

Yes. Air means “water” and is pronounced as two syllables: a-ir (roughly “AH-eer”), not like English “air.” Final -ng in tukang/genteng is the velar nasal (as in “sing”). The e in membetulkan/genteng is the schwa-like sound.

Is there a more idiomatic way to say the leak stopped?

You can focus on the leak itself: Setelah tukang memperbaiki atap yang bocor, tetesan air berhenti, or Setelah atap dibetulkan, kebocoran pun berhenti. Using bocor/kebocoran makes the context of a leaky roof explicit.