Sepatu lari baru saya basah karena hujan deras.

My new running shoes are wet because of heavy rain.

Breakdown of Sepatu lari baru saya basah karena hujan deras.

• adalah: to be
• baru: new
• karena: because
• saya: my
• hujan: the rain
• deras: heavy
• basah: wet
• sepatu: the shoe
• lari: running

Questions & Answers about Sepatu lari baru saya basah karena hujan deras.

Why is there no word for “are” in this sentence (no “adalah” or “itu”)?

In Indonesian, you usually don’t need a verb like “to be” (am/is/are) in simple “A is B” sentences with adjectives.

• Sepatu lari baru saya basah
  literally: “running shoes new my wet”
  = My new running shoes are wet.

The adjective basah (wet) directly follows the subject and acts like the English “are wet.”
You could add “itu” for emphasis or contrast:

• Sepatu lari baru saya itu basah.
  Those new running shoes of mine are wet (as opposed to others).

But “adalah” is not used before adjectives like basah. Adalah is mainly used before nouns, not adjectives.

Why is the word order “Sepatu lari baru saya” and not “sepatu lari saya baru”?

The typical order in Indonesian is:

Noun + (describing noun) + adjective(s) + possessor

So:

• sepatu = shoes
• lari = running (used here like an adjective, literally “run”)
• baru = new
• saya = my

Put together:

• sepatu lari baru saya = my new running shoes

If you say sepatu lari saya baru, it sounds off or ambiguous, and native speakers would usually rephrase it as:

• Sepatu lari saya yang baru
  literally: the running shoes of mine that are new
  Used when you want to contrast the new ones with old ones.

So sepatu lari baru saya is the natural “stack” for “my new running shoes.”

Does baru here mean “new” or “just now / recently”? Could the sentence mean “My running shoes just got wet”?

In this position, baru clearly means “new” and modifies sepatu lari:

• sepatu lari baru = new running shoes

To mean “just” / “recently” (talking about time), baru normally appears closer to the verb or with saja:

• Sepatu lari saya baru saja basah.
  My running shoes just got wet.

• Sepatu lari saya baru basah.
  Can mean have just become wet (but is clearer with baru saja).

Since in the original sentence baru is sandwiched between lari and saya, speakers interpret it as an adjective “new,” not a time adverb “just.”

What exactly is sepatu lari? Why not sepatu untuk lari?

Sepatu lari is a noun–noun compound:

• sepatu = shoes
• lari = run / running

Together: sepatu lari = running shoes. This structure is extremely common in Indonesian:

• sepatu olahraga = sports shoes
• tas sekolah = school bag
• mobil balap = racing car

You can say sepatu untuk lari (shoes for running), but it:

• sounds longer / more formal, and
• feels more like a description than a set phrase.

For the normal idea of “running shoes” as a product type, sepatu lari is standard.

Why does saya (my) go at the end instead of before the noun like in English?

Indonesian usually puts possessive pronouns after the noun:

• sepatu saya = my shoes
• rumah saya = my house
• teman saya = my friend

When there are adjectives, saya still stays at the end:

• sepatu baru saya = my new shoes
• sepatu lari baru saya = my new running shoes

So the whole chunk sepatu lari baru is “the new running shoes,” and saya adds “my” at the end: my new running shoes.

Could I say “Sepatu lari saya yang baru basah karena hujan deras”? Is that different?

Yes, that’s correct, and there is a small nuance difference:

• Sepatu lari baru saya basah…
  Neutral: My new running shoes are wet…

• Sepatu lari saya yang baru basah…
  Adds a slight contrast:
  The running shoes of mine that are new are wet…
  (implies maybe you have old running shoes too, but the new ones are the ones that got wet).

The yang highlights baru as a defining feature, often used when contrasting with other possible items.

Why is it hujan deras and not deras hujan?

In Indonesian, adjectives usually follow the noun they describe:

• hujan deras = heavy rain
• rumah besar = big house
• kucing lucu = cute cat

So:

• hujan = rain
• deras = heavy (for rain, flow, etc.)

Deras hujan is not correct for “heavy rain.” The typical order is noun + adjective: hujan deras.

What is the difference between basah and something like lembap / lembab?

Both relate to moisture, but they’re different:

• basah = wet, clearly soaked or visibly wet
  
  • Baju saya basah. = My clothes are wet.
• lembap/lembab = damp, slightly wet / humid
  
  • Handuknya lembap. = The towel is damp.
  • Udara di sini lembap. = The air here is humid.

In the sentence, basah fits because shoes in heavy rain are usually properly wet, not just slightly damp.

Is sepatu singular or plural here? How do you say “shoe” vs “shoes” in Indonesian?

Indonesian usually does not mark plural explicitly. Sepatu can mean shoe or shoes depending on context.

• Sepatu saya basah.
  Can be My shoe is wet or My shoes are wet.

If you really need to emphasize plurality, you can:

1. Use reduplication:

   • sepatu-sepatu = shoes (plural)
     But this sounds a bit odd for normal “a pair of shoes”; it’s more “multiple pairs of shoes.”

2. Use a number or classifier:

   • sepasang sepatu = a pair of shoes
   • dua pasang sepatu = two pairs of shoes

In the sentence Sepatu lari baru saya basah, context makes “shoes” the natural reading.

What does karena do here? Is “karena hujan deras” a full clause?

Karena means “because”.

It can introduce:

1. A full clause:

   • Sepatu saya basah karena hujan turun.
     My shoes are wet because it rained.

2. Or just a noun phrase, as in the given sentence:

   • Sepatu lari baru saya basah karena hujan deras.
     literally: …wet because heavy rain.

So karena hujan deras is understood as “because of the heavy rain.”
Indonesian allows karena + noun phrase where English often prefers “because of”.

Can I move “karena hujan deras” to the front of the sentence?

Yes. Both are natural:

• Sepatu lari baru saya basah karena hujan deras.
• Karena hujan deras, sepatu lari baru saya basah.

The meaning is the same: My new running shoes are wet because of the heavy rain.
Starting with Karena… just emphasizes the cause first.

Should I add something like sedang to show it’s happening right now?

You can, but you don’t have to.

• Sepatu lari baru saya basah.
  Can mean My new running shoes are (now) wet.
  Indonesian often relies on context to show time.

If you want to clearly mark the ongoing state (right now):

• Sepatu lari baru saya sedang basah.
  = My new running shoes are currently wet.

Sedang is more often used with actions (e.g., sedang makan = is eating), but with states like basah, it can still be used to emphasize “at the moment.”

Why is the subject at the beginning? Can I say “Basah sepatu lari baru saya karena hujan deras”?

The neutral order is:

Subject + (adjectives) + reason clause
Sepatu lari baru saya basah karena hujan deras.

Putting basah first, “Basah sepatu lari baru saya…”, sounds poetic, literary, or like you are exclaiming:

• Basah sepatu lari baru saya, karena hujan deras!
  More like: Soaked are my new running shoes, because of the heavy rain!

It’s not wrong grammatically, but it’s not the usual everyday order. For normal speech, keep the subject first.

Why is hujan deras used instead of something like badai (storm)?

Hujan deras focuses on heavy rain, without necessarily strong wind or thunder.

• hujan deras = heavy rain
• badai = storm (often with strong wind, maybe rain)
• hujan badai = stormy rain / rainstorm

In everyday conversation, if your shoes got wet because it rained a lot, hujan deras is the most natural choice.