Lowongan baru muncul di papan pengumuman kampus.

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Questions & Answers about Lowongan baru muncul di papan pengumuman kampus.

In the phrase lowongan baru, is lowongan singular or plural? Does it mean a new vacancy or new vacancies?

Indonesian doesn’t mark singular/plural on the noun, so lowongan baru can mean:

  • a new vacancy
  • new vacancies

Which one is correct depends on context or an added word:

  • Satu lowongan baru muncul… = One new vacancy appeared…
  • Beberapa lowongan baru muncul… = Several new vacancies appeared…
  • Banyak lowongan baru muncul… = Many new vacancies appeared…

Without a number or quantifier, listeners infer singular or plural from the situation.

What exactly does lowongan mean? Is it always about jobs?

Lowongan most commonly means job vacancy or opening (a position that needs to be filled).

Examples:

  • lowongan kerja = job vacancy
  • lowongan dosen = lecturer vacancy

It can also more generally mean an empty slot/open space, but in everyday usage, if you see lowongan (especially on a campus notice board), people will almost always think of job or position openings.

Compare with:

  • pekerjaan = job/work (the job itself, not the vacancy)
  • posisi / jabatan = position/role (once someone has the job)
What is the function of baru in this sentence? Does lowongan baru mean new vacancy or vacancy that has just appeared?

In lowongan baru, baru is an adjective meaning new.

So literally:

  • lowongan baru = new vacancy

However, in context (especially with muncul = appear), it often implies recently posted / just appeared, which is similar to a new vacancy has just appeared.

If you want to emphasize just now / recently more clearly as an adverb, you can use:

  • Lowongan baru saja muncul… = A vacancy has just appeared…
  • Lowongan baru-baru ini muncul… = A vacancy appeared recently…
Could baru modify muncul instead, like baru muncul meaning just appeared?

Yes, baru can also act like just / only recently, modifying the verb:

  • Lowongan baru muncul di papan pengumuman kampus.

This can be interpreted in two ways:

  1. lowongan baru (new vacancy) + muncul (appeared)
  2. lowongan (vacancy) + baru muncul (just appeared)

Indonesian is flexible here; the meaning is usually clear from context. If you really want to avoid ambiguity and emphasize “just appeared,” you can say:

  • Lowongan itu baru saja muncul di papan pengumuman kampus.
    That vacancy has just appeared on the campus notice board.
What nuance does muncul have here? Why not use ada instead?

muncul literally means to appear / to show up / to emerge.
So Lowongan baru muncul… suggests that the vacancy has newly appeared, where previously it wasn’t there.

Compare:

  • Lowongan baru muncul di papan pengumuman kampus.
    A new vacancy appeared on the campus notice board.
    → dynamic: it has just shown up.

  • Ada lowongan baru di papan pengumuman kampus.
    There is a new vacancy on the campus notice board.
    → more static: it exists there; no special focus on the moment it appeared.

Both are correct, but muncul highlights the change, like “appeared” or “has appeared.”

How does Indonesian show tense here? How do we know if it’s present, past, or “has just appeared”?

Indonesian verbs do not change form for tense. Muncul can mean:

  • appear / appears
  • appeared
  • has appeared

The time reference comes from context or extra words:

  • tadi (earlier, just now):
    Tadi, lowongan baru muncul di papan pengumuman kampus.
  • kemarin (yesterday), barusan/baru saja (just now), etc.

Without extra markers, Lowongan baru muncul… is often understood as past/recent past in a narrative context, similar to “A new vacancy has appeared…”

How is papan pengumuman kampus structured? Is kampus like “of the campus” or “at campus”?

Papan pengumuman kampus is a noun phrase:

  • papan = board
  • pengumuman = announcement
  • papan pengumuman = notice board / bulletin board
  • kampus = campus

kampus here functions like a noun modifier (similar to “campus” in campus notice board), so:

  • papan pengumuman kampusthe campus notice board

This implies it is the notice board that belongs to / is associated with the campus.

Compare with:

  • papan pengumuman di kampus = a notice board at the campus (could be any board located there)
  • papan pengumuman kampus = the campus’s notice board (more “official” sounding)
Why is the preposition di used before papan pengumuman kampus? Can we use something else?

di is the basic preposition for in / at / on (location).

  • di papan pengumuman kampus = on the campus notice board

Alternatives change the nuance:

  • pada papan pengumuman kampus
    → grammatical but sounds more formal/literary; di is much more natural in speech.

  • di atas papan pengumuman kampus
    → literally on top of the campus notice board (physically on top of it, a different meaning).

So di + place word is the standard way to say “at/in/on” a location.

There is no a/the in the Indonesian sentence. How do I know whether it means a new vacancy or the new vacancy?

Indonesian normally does not use articles like a/an/the.

  • Lowongan baru muncul di papan pengumuman kampus.

By default, this could be translated as:

  • A new vacancy appeared on the campus notice board.
  • The new vacancy appeared on the campus notice board.

English translators usually decide based on context. If the vacancy has been mentioned before, the sounds more natural; if not, a is more likely.

To make it more clearly definite in Indonesian, you can add:

  • lowongan itu = that/the vacancy
    Lowongan itu baru muncul di papan pengumuman kampus.
  • lowongan baru itu = that/the new vacancy
    Lowongan baru itu muncul di papan pengumuman kampus.
Is this sentence formal, informal, or neutral? Would it sound natural in everyday speech?

Lowongan baru muncul di papan pengumuman kampus. is neutral and sounds natural in both:

  • spoken Indonesian (among students, staff, etc.)
  • written Indonesian (emails, notices, messages)

It is not slangy, and it is not overly formal. For a more formal version, you might see something like:

  • Telah muncul lowongan baru pada papan pengumuman kampus.
    (uses telah and pada, sounds more official/bureaucratic)
Could I put the place at the beginning, like Di papan pengumuman kampus, lowongan baru muncul?

Yes. Indonesian word order is flexible for emphasis.

Original:

  • Lowongan baru muncul di papan pengumuman kampus.
    → neutral order: subject first.

Fronting the place:

  • Di papan pengumuman kampus, lowongan baru muncul.
    → emphasizes the location: On the campus notice board, a new vacancy appeared.

Both are grammatical and natural. The change mainly affects emphasis, not basic meaning.

How would I clearly say several new vacancies appeared on the campus notice board?

You can add a quantifier or a plural marker:

  • Beberapa lowongan baru muncul di papan pengumuman kampus.
    = Several new vacancies appeared on the campus notice board.

Other options:

  • Banyak lowongan baru muncul… = Many new vacancies appeared…
  • Beberapa lowongan kerja baru muncul… = Several new job vacancies appeared…

Indonesian doesn’t require -s, so plural is shown by words like beberapa, banyak, or by context.