Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Penulis muda itu bekerja sebagai penerjemah online sambil menyiapkan portofolio. - That young writer works as an online translator while preparing a portfolio.

Penulis muda itu = that young writer / the young writer
Word order: in Indonesian, demonstratives (ini = this, itu = that) usually come after the noun phrase:
- buku itu = that book / the book
- rumah besar itu = that big house / the big house
- penulis muda itu = that young writer / the young writer

Using itu makes the noun definite: we expect the speaker and listener both know which young writer is being talked about. Without itu, it would be more like a young writer in a general sense.

Why is the adjective muda after penulis, not before like in English?

In Indonesian, adjectives normally come after the noun:

penulis muda = young writer
rumah besar = big house
film baru = new movie

So the structure is:

penulis (noun) + muda (adjective) + itu (demonstrative)
→ penulis muda itu = that young writer / the young writer

Putting muda before penulis would be ungrammatical in standard Indonesian.

Is penulis muda itu the subject of the sentence? Why is there no pronoun like dia?

Yes, penulis muda itu is the subject.

Indonesian does not require a separate pronoun when the subject is already clear from the noun phrase. So:

Penulis muda itu bekerja sebagai penerjemah online.
= That young writer works as an online translator.

You could add dia (he/she) for emphasis, but it’s not necessary and usually sounds redundant here:

Penulis muda itu bekerja sebagai penerjemah online. ✅
Penulis muda itu dia bekerja sebagai penerjemah online. ❌ (sounds wrong or childish)
Dia bekerja sebagai penerjemah online. ✅ (if context already makes it clear who dia is)

How is tense expressed in this sentence? How do I know if it’s present, past, or future?

Indonesian verbs do not change form for tense. Bekerja, menyiapkan, etc. stay the same for past, present, or future. The tense is understood from context or from time words.

The sentence could mean:

That young writer works as an online translator while preparing a portfolio. (general, present)
That young writer was working as an online translator while preparing a portfolio. (past, if context is past)
That young writer will work as an online translator while preparing a portfolio. (future, if context is future)

To be explicit, Indonesians often add time adverbs:

sekarang (now), sedang (currently)
tadi (earlier), kemarin (yesterday)
nanti (later), akan (will)

Example:

Penulis muda itu sekarang bekerja sebagai penerjemah online sambil menyiapkan portofolio.
= That young writer is now working as an online translator while preparing a portfolio.

What is the function of sebagai in bekerja sebagai penerjemah online?

Sebagai roughly means as (in the sense of in the role of).

bekerja sebagai penerjemah online
= work as an online translator

Common pattern:

bekerja sebagai guru = work as a teacher
bekerja sebagai dokter = work as a doctor
bekerja sebagai manajer proyek = work as a project manager

Without sebagai, bekerja penerjemah would sound wrong. Sebagai links the job to the verb bekerja.

Could I say bekerja sebagai seorang penerjemah online? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can say:

bekerja sebagai seorang penerjemah online

Seorang is a classifier for people (roughly like a/one person). Adding seorang:

can emphasize that it is a person in that role (an individual), and
can sound a bit more formal or descriptive in some contexts.

Differences:

bekerja sebagai penerjemah online
= neutral, very common, natural
bekerja sebagai seorang penerjemah online
= also correct, may feel slightly more explicit or formal, but still natural

Both are fine. In everyday speech and writing, Indonesians very often omit seorang here.

What’s the difference between penerjemah and translator? Are they the same?

Penerjemah is the standard Indonesian word for someone who translates language.

penerjemah = translator (general term)

Within Indonesian:

penerjemah tertulis = written translator
juru bahasa or penerjemah lisan = interpreter (spoken)

English sometimes distinguishes translator (written) from interpreter (spoken). Indonesian has separate terms, but penerjemah can be a general word unless you need to be precise.

In your sentence, penerjemah online suggests a translator working online (most likely written translation, but context would clarify).

Why is online placed after penerjemah, not before like in English?

Loanwords that function as adjectives or classifiers often come after the noun they modify, just like ordinary Indonesian adjectives.

penerjemah online = online translator
toko online = online shop
kelas online = online class

Pattern:

noun + descriptor (Indonesian, English, borrowed word, etc.)

So word order is:

penerjemah (noun) + online (descriptor)
not online penerjemah

What does sambil mean, and how is it different from sementara or ketika?

Sambil means while (doing two actions at the same time), with the idea that the same subject is doing both actions.

In the sentence:

bekerja sebagai penerjemah online sambil menyiapkan portofolio
= works as an online translator while preparing a portfolio

Key points about sambil:

The subject is the same for both actions (the young writer).
It suggests simultaneous or overlapping actions, often with one as the main activity and the other secondary.

Compare:

sementara
Often means while / whereas, and can be used when subjects differ:
- Saya bekerja, sementara adik saya tidur.
  = I work, while my younger sibling sleeps.
ketika / saat
= when, focusing on the time a single action happens, not the idea of multitasking:
- Ketika saya bekerja, dia datang.
  = When I was working, he came.

You generally don’t replace sambil with sementara or ketika in this sentence; it would change the nuance or sound odd.

Why is the second verb menyiapkan and not menyiap or siap?

The base adjective is siap (ready). The verb menyiapkan means to prepare (something).

Formation:

siap (ready)
menyiapkan = meN- + -kan + siap
→ to prepare / to get something ready

You can’t say menyiap; that form doesn’t exist. You need the full menyiapkan.

Similar patterns:

rapi → merapikan (to tidy something)
bersih → membersihkan (to clean something)

So:

menyiapkan portofolio = to prepare a portfolio

What’s the difference between menyiapkan portofolio and membuat portofolio?

Both can be used, but they have slightly different nuances:

menyiapkan portofolio
= prepare a portfolio (get it ready, organize it, compile it, maybe polish or update it)
membuat portofolio
= make/create a portfolio (focus on the act of creating it, especially from zero)

In this sentence, menyiapkan suggests the writer is getting a portfolio ready, possibly for future use (job application, clients, etc.). Membuat would be fine too, but it emphasizes creating more than getting ready.

Does portofolio mean singular or plural? How would I say portfolios?

Portofolio is a loanword from English portfolio. In Indonesian, nouns usually don’t change form for singular vs plural.

So:

portofolio can mean portfolio or portfolios, depending on context.

To make it clearly plural, you can:

Add a number or quantifier:
- beberapa portofolio = several portfolios
- dua portofolio = two portfolios
Use reduplication (more common with native words, less needed here):
- portofolio-portofolio (possible but not very common in everyday use)

In your sentence, portofolio is most naturally understood as a single portfolio, but context could stretch it to mean portfolio materials in general.

Is this sentence formal, informal, or neutral? Would it sound natural in everyday conversation?

The sentence is neutral and standard. It would sound natural in:

everyday conversation (especially slightly careful speech),
writing (emails, articles, textbooks),
formal and semi-formal contexts.

There is no slang, and the vocabulary (penulis, bekerja, penerjemah, sambil, menyiapkan) is standard Indonesian.

A more casual spoken version might shorten or rearrange slightly, but many Indonesians would say it exactly as it is.