Komika itu membuat penonton tertawa sepanjang malam.

That comedian made the audience laugh all night long.

Breakdown of Komika itu membuat penonton tertawa sepanjang malam.

• itu: that
• membuat: to make
• malam: the night
• penonton: the audience
• tertawa: to laugh
• sepanjang: throughout
• komika: the comedian

Questions & Answers about Komika itu membuat penonton tertawa sepanjang malam.

What exactly does komika mean? Is it the same as pelawak or stand-up comedian?

Komika is a relatively modern Indonesian word that usually refers to a stand‑up comedian – someone who performs comedy on stage, often alone with a microphone.

• pelawak = a comedian in general (can be on TV, in a comedy troupe, in sketches, etc.)
• komika = more specifically, a stand‑up comic, or at least a comic whose main job is telling jokes in front of an audience

In many contexts, komika will be understood as stand‑up comedian, not just any funny person.

Why is itu placed after komika, and what nuance does it add?

In Indonesian, demonstratives like itu (that/the) usually come after the noun:

• komika itu = that comedian / the comedian
• buku itu = that book / the book

Here, itu:

1. Points to a specific comedian that both speaker and listener know.
2. Often works like English the rather than strictly that.

If you drop itu and say Komika membuat penonton tertawa sepanjang malam, it becomes more general: “A comedian made the audience laugh all night,” or “Comedians make audiences laugh all night” (depending on context). With itu, it’s clearly one particular comedian.

Is penonton singular or plural here? How do I know if it means “viewer” or “viewers / audience”?

Penonton can be singular or plural, depending on context. Indonesian usually does not mark plural with an ending like ‑s.

In this sentence, because we’re talking about a show and laughter all night, penonton is naturally understood as the audience (many people).

If you want to make plurality very explicit, you can say:

• para penonton = the audience (emphasizing many people)
• semua penonton = all the viewers / all members of the audience

But plain penonton is already sufficient and sounds natural.

Why is it membuat penonton tertawa and not membuat penonton untuk tertawa?

With causative verbs like membuat (to make/cause), Indonesian normally uses a bare verb afterwards, without untuk:

• membuat orang tertawa = to make people laugh
• membuat dia marah = to make him/her angry

Adding untuk in this structure (membuat penonton untuk tertawa) is ungrammatical or at least very unnatural.

So the pattern is:

membuat + [person] + [verb/adjective]
= to make + [person] + [do/be something]

What is the function of the prefix meN‑ in membuat?

The basic root is buat (to make).

Adding meN‑ forms an active transitive verb:

• buat → membuat = to make, to create, to cause

The prefix meN‑:

• Marks an active verb (subject is doing the action).
• Frequently appears with verbs that take an object.

Sound changes apply when adding meN‑:

• meN‑ + buat → membuat (the N becomes m before b).

What does the prefix ter‑ in tertawa mean? Is it the same ter‑ as in other verbs?

In many verbs, ter‑ can mean things like:

• unintentional / accidental action (terjatuh = to fall accidentally)
• ability (terbaca = readable)
• superlative (terbaik = the best)

But in tertawa, ter‑ is part of a fixed word meaning “to laugh”. It’s not productive here; you can’t simply say tawa as a normal verb.

So:

• tawa = laughter (noun), rarely used alone as a verb
• tertawa = to laugh

Learners can treat tertawa as a basic verb “to laugh” without trying to analyze the ter‑ too much in this one case.

Could I say Komika itu tertawa penonton sepanjang malam instead?

No. Tertawa is an intransitive verb (it doesn’t take a direct object):

• penonton tertawa = the audience laughed
• komika itu tertawa = that comedian laughed

You cannot use tertawa directly with an object:

• ✗ tertawa penonton (incorrect)

To express “make someone laugh”, you need a causative verb like membuat:

• Komika itu membuat penonton tertawa sepanjang malam.
  = The comedian made the audience laugh all night.

What is the difference between sepanjang malam, selama malam, and semalaman?

All three are related to “all night”, but usage differs:

• sepanjang malam
  
  • Very natural.
  • Literally “along the length of the night” → “throughout the night / all night long”.
• semalaman
  
  • Also very natural and common.
  • Means “all night (long)”.
  • You could say Komika itu membuat penonton tertawa semalaman.
• selama malam
  
  • Grammatically possible, but much less natural in this exact phrase.
  • selama is more often used with longer durations or more abstract periods, e.g.
    
    • selama dua jam (for two hours)
    • selama liburan (during the holiday)

For this sentence, sepanjang malam or semalaman are preferred.

Can I move sepanjang malam to a different position in the sentence?

Yes, Indonesian word order is flexible for time expressions. These are all possible and natural:

• Komika itu membuat penonton tertawa sepanjang malam.
• Sepanjang malam, komika itu membuat penonton tertawa.
• Komika itu sepanjang malam membuat penonton tertawa. (a bit more marked/emphatic)

The most neutral is the original version, with sepanjang malam at the end.

How do we know if this sentence means “made the audience laugh” (past) or “makes the audience laugh” (present)?

Indonesian verbs usually don’t mark tense. Membuat itself is neutral: it can be past, present, or future.

Context or time words specify the tense:

• Tadi malam, komika itu membuat penonton tertawa sepanjang malam.
  = Last night, the comedian made the audience laugh all night. (past)

• Setiap malam, komika itu membuat penonton tertawa sepanjang malam.
  = Every night, the comedian makes the audience laugh all night. (habitual present)

Without extra context, Komika itu membuat penonton tertawa sepanjang malam can be translated as past or present, depending on what makes more sense in the situation.