Siapa yang bercita-cita menjadi penulis atau penerjemah di masa depan?

Who aspires to become a writer or translator in the future?

Breakdown of Siapa yang bercita-cita menjadi penulis atau penerjemah di masa depan?

• di: in
• menjadi: to become
• yang: that
• atau: or
• bercita-cita: to aspire
• siapa: who
• penulis: the writer
• penerjemah: the translator
• masa depan: the future

Questions & Answers about Siapa yang bercita-cita menjadi penulis atau penerjemah di masa depan?

What does yang do in this sentence, and why do we say Siapa yang … instead of just Siapa …?

Yang links siapa (who) to the rest of the clause bercita-cita menjadi penulis atau penerjemah di masa depan. It is similar to saying who is it that… in English.

• Siapa yang bercita-cita…? literally: Who is it that has the aspiration to become…?
• Without yang, Siapa bercita-cita menjadi…? is still understandable, but it sounds a bit less natural and less standard in many contexts.
• In questions of the pattern Siapa yang + verb …?, yang is very common and makes the sentence feel complete and clear.

What does bercita-cita mean exactly, and how is it different from ingin?

Bercita-cita means to have an aspiration / life goal, often something long-term or serious (career, life dream).

• Bercita-cita: suggests a more serious, long-term ambition.
  
  • Saya bercita-cita menjadi dokter. – I aspire to become a doctor.
• Ingin: simply to want, can be short-term or casual.
  
  • Saya ingin makan. – I want to eat.
  • Saya ingin menjadi penulis. – I want to become a writer. (not necessarily a lifelong dream)

So bercita-cita adds a nuance of a deeper, more considered dream or ambition, which fits well with di masa depan.

Why is bercita-cita written with a hyphen? What is cita-cita?

The base noun is cita, but in everyday Indonesian the usual word is cita-cita, formed by reduplication.

• cita-cita = aspiration, ambition, life goal
• Reduplication (X-X) is a common way to make plural-like or intensified meanings in Indonesian. Here it makes the idea of dreams/aspirations more natural.
• ber-
  • cita-cita → bercita-cita, a verb: to have aspirations.

So the hyphen just shows that cita-cita is a reduplicated word; bercita-cita is a single verb built from that noun.

What is the function of the prefix ber- in bercita-cita?

Ber- is a verb-forming prefix. Roughly, it often means to have / to be in a state of / to do something as an activity.

In bercita-cita:

• cita-cita = aspiration(s)
• bercita-cita = to have aspiration(s), to aspire

Other examples:

• bermain (ber- + main) – to play
• berbicara (ber- + bicara) – to speak
• berkeluarga (ber- + keluarga) – to have a family

So ber- turns the noun cita-cita into the verb to aspire.

How does menjadi work here? Why do we say menjadi penulis instead of just penulis?

Menjadi means to become. In this sentence:

• menjadi penulis = to become a writer
• menjadi penerjemah = to become a translator

If you remove menjadi, bercita-cita penulis would be ungrammatical. You need a verb that links the aspiration to a role or state, and menjadi does that.

You can optionally add seorang:

• bercita-cita menjadi seorang penulis – aspire to become a writer
• seorang emphasizes that it is one person of that profession, but it is often omitted.

What are penulis and penerjemah formed from, and do these prefixes show a pattern?

Both are profession/agent nouns derived from verb roots.

• penulis

  • root: tulis – write
  • pe- + tulis → penulis – writer (a person who writes)

• penerjemah

  • root: terjemah – translate
  • peN- + terjemah → penerjemah – translator (a person who translates)
  • The N in peN- assimilates to n because of the initial t in terjemah.

This peN- + verb root pattern is very productive:

• mengajar (to teach) → pengajar (teacher, instructor)
• mimpin (from memimpin, to lead) → pemimpin (leader)

Why is there no explicit subject like kamu or dia? Who is the subject of the sentence?

The subject is siapa (who) itself.

• Structure: Siapa yang [bercita-cita menjadi penulis atau penerjemah di masa depan]?
• The clause bercita-cita menjadi penulis atau penerjemah di masa depan describes that unknown person.

Indonesian does not need a separate pronoun here (like who is it that you who… or similar). Siapa already functions as the subject, linked via yang to the verb phrase.

How do we know this sentence is talking about the future, since there is no tense marking on the verb?

Indonesian verbs do not change form for tense. Time reference is usually shown by time expressions or context.

• di masa depan = in the future

That phrase tells us the aspiration is about something that will happen later. Without di masa depan, the sentence would still usually be understood as future because bercita-cita menjadi X normally refers to a future goal, but di masa depan makes it explicit.

What does di masa depan literally mean, and can it be replaced with something else?

Literally:

• di – in/at
• masa – period, time (in the sense of an era or stretch of time)
• depan – front / ahead

So di masa depan = in the time ahead → in the future.

Common alternatives:

• kelak – someday, in the future (more literary/formal in some contexts)
  
  • Siapa yang bercita-cita menjadi penulis kelak?
• nanti – later (often nearer future, context-dependent)

Di masa depan is neutral and widely used, especially in written or somewhat formal contexts.

Can the word order change, for example putting di masa depan earlier in the sentence?

Yes, you can move di masa depan without changing the basic meaning, though some positions are more natural than others.

Grammatical possibilities include:

• Siapa yang bercita-cita menjadi penulis atau penerjemah di masa depan? (most natural)
• Siapa yang di masa depan bercita-cita menjadi penulis atau penerjemah? (possible, slightly heavier/more formal or contrastive)

Placing di masa depan at the end is the most common and neutral for this type of question.

What is the difference between di in di masa depan and the prefix di- that makes passive verbs?

They look the same but function differently:

• di as a separate word: a preposition meaning in, at, on

  • di masa depan – in the future
  • di rumah – at home

• di- as a prefix attached to a verb: passive voice marker

  • makan (to eat) → dimakan (be eaten)
  • buat (to make) → dibuat (be made)

In di masa depan, di is clearly a preposition because it stands alone before a noun phrase (masa depan), not attached to a verb.

Does atau here mean “or” in the normal sense, and is it inclusive or exclusive?

Atau means or.

• penulis atau penerjemah = a writer or a translator

Indonesian atau is usually neutral in written form; whether it is inclusive (writer or translator or both) or exclusive (one but not both) depends on context and common sense.

In this question, Siapa yang bercita-cita menjadi penulis atau penerjemah di masa depan?, it can be understood as:

• anyone who wants to be a writer
• anyone who wants to be a translator
• anyone who is open to either of those careers

So in practice it feels inclusive unless the context strongly forces an exclusive reading.

Is this sentence formal, informal, or neutral in tone?

The sentence is neutral and can be used in both spoken and written Indonesian:

• Vocabulary like bercita-cita, menjadi, di masa depan is standard and not slang.
• It would sound appropriate in a classroom, a survey, a textbook, or casual conversation.

To make it more casual, people might say something like:

• Siapa yang pengin jadi penulis atau penerjemah nanti? (using pengin instead of bercita-cita and nanti instead of di masa depan)