Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Koordinasi dengan rekan di toko berjalan lancar meski jadwal fleksibel. - Coordination with a colleague at the shop runs smoothly even though the schedule is flexible.

Proyek berjalan lancar = The project went smoothly.
Acara berjalan sesuai rencana = The event went according to plan. So Koordinasi … berjalan lancar means the coordination proceeded smoothly.

Is berjalan necessary? Can I say just lancar or use berjalan dengan lancar?

All are acceptable, with tiny nuance differences:

Koordinasi … lancar: concise and natural.
Koordinasi … berjalan lancar: highlights the process “went” smoothly; common in reports.
Koordinasi … berjalan dengan lancar: slightly more explicit/formal because of dengan. You can also add tetap for “still”: tetap (berjalan) lancar.

What’s the difference between meski, meskipun, walaupun, walau, and biarpun?

They all mean “although/even though,” with mild register nuances:

meski, walau: shorter, common in both speech and writing.
meskipun, walaupun: a bit more formal/complete; very common in writing.
biarpun: more casual in tone. Spelling notes: meskipun and walaupun are one word. You may also see meski pun (two words) as a slightly emphatic variant.

Can I move the meski clause to the front? Do I need a comma?

Yes. Both orders are fine:

Fronted: Meski jadwal fleksibel, koordinasi … berjalan lancar.
End position: Koordinasi … berjalan lancar, meski jadwal fleksibel. A comma is recommended to separate the clauses.

Why is there no “to be” word like “is” (adalah) in meski jadwal fleksibel?

Indonesian doesn’t need a copula (“to be”) before adjectives. Jadwal (nya) fleksibel is a complete clause. Adalah is generally used before a noun phrase, not before adjectives, so jadwalnya adalah fleksibel is unnatural.

Should it be jadwal fleksibel or jadwalnya fleksibel? How do I say “our schedule is flexible”?

jadwal fleksibel: states the general property “(the) schedule is flexible.”
jadwalnya fleksibel: “the schedule (in context) is flexible,” a bit more specific. To show possession: jadwal kami fleksibel or more specific jadwal kerja kami fleksibel.

Is the word order jadwal fleksibel correct? Could I say fleksibel jadwal?

Correct Indonesian order is noun + adjective: jadwal fleksibel. You don’t say fleksibel jadwal. If you want to expand it, you can say jadwal (kerja) yang fleksibel.

What’s the nuance of rekan compared to teman, kolega, or rekan kerja?

rekan: colleague/partner; neutral to formal.
rekan kerja: specifically “coworker/colleague.”
kolega: formal/literary “colleague,” often office/professional.
teman: “friend,” more casual, not necessarily a coworker. In a workplace context, rekan or rekan kerja is safest.

Is rekan singular or plural? How do I make it explicitly plural?

Bare rekan is number-neutral. To make it clearly plural:

rekan-rekan (reduplication)
para rekan (formal)
or add a quantifier: beberapa rekan, banyak rekan

What exactly does di toko mean? How is it different from ke toko or pada toko?

di toko: “at/in the store” (location).
ke toko: “to the store” (direction).
pada toko: generally not used for physical location; use di instead. Here, di toko most naturally modifies rekan (“colleagues at the store”).

Do I need yang in rekan di toko?

No. rekan di toko is already natural (“colleagues at the store”). Use yang when you want to contrast or specify: rekan yang di toko, bukan yang di gudang (“the colleagues who are at the store, not the ones in the warehouse”).

What’s the register/tone of the sentence? How would I say it more casually or more formally?

The given sentence is neutral-to-formal, suitable for reports. Variants:

Casual: Koordinasi sama temen-temen di toko jalan lancar, walau jadwalnya fleksibel.
More formal: Koordinasi dengan para rekan di toko tetap berjalan lancar meskipun jadwal kerja fleksibel.

Any spelling or spacing pitfalls here?

fleksibel is spelled with “ks,” not “x.”
di as a preposition is written separately: di toko (not “ditoko”).
Don’t add adalah before fleksibel in this structure.

What are some natural alternative wordings that keep the same meaning?

Koordinasi dengan rekan-rekan di toko tetap lancar meskipun jadwalnya fleksibel.
Koordinasi di toko berjalan dengan lancar walau jadwal kerja fleksibel.
Kami berkoordinasi dengan rekan di toko dengan lancar meskipun jadwalnya fleksibel.
Kerja sama dengan rekan di toko berjalan lancar meski jadwal kerja fleksibel.