Log inSign up

Adik perempuan saya takut pada harimau, tetapi dia suka melihat kura-kura.

Adik perempuan saya takut pada harimau, tetapi dia suka melihat kura-kura.
My younger sister is afraid of tigers, but she likes looking at turtles.
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Indonesian grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Indonesian now

Questions & Answers about Adik perempuan saya takut pada harimau, tetapi dia suka melihat kura-kura.

What exactly does adik perempuan mean? Does it have to be younger sister?

Adik perempuan literally means younger female sibling. In practice it’s usually translated as younger sister.

  • adik = younger sibling (gender-neutral)
  • perempuan = female / woman
  • adik perempuan = younger female sibling = younger sister

If you just say adik saya, it could be a younger brother or sister. Adding perempuan makes the gender clear. It always implies younger; it cannot refer to an older sister.

Why is it adik perempuan saya and not saya adik perempuan for my younger sister?

Indonesian usually puts the possessor after the thing possessed:

  • adik perempuan saya = my younger sister
    • literally: younger female sibling I (mine)

So the pattern is:

  • [noun] + saya = my [noun]
    • rumah saya = my house
    • buku saya = my book
    • adik perempuan saya = my younger sister

Saya adik perempuan would be interpreted as something like “I am a younger sister,” and even that would normally need adalah or context to be clear.

Is dia in this sentence definitely referring to my younger sister?

Yes, in this sentence dia naturally refers back to adik perempuan saya.

  • The other nouns (harimau, kura-kura) are animals and don’t fit as a human subject for suka melihat in context.
  • Indonesian usually uses dia for he or she, and the gender is understood from context. Here, dia = she, because the context is adik perempuan saya.

So the sentence means:
My younger sister is afraid of tigers, but she likes watching turtles.

Why is there no word for “is” before takut? Why not Adik perempuan saya adalah takut…?

Indonesian usually does not use a verb like “to be” with adjectives.

  • Adik perempuan saya takut. = My younger sister is afraid.
  • Rumah itu besar. = That house is big.
  • Dia pintar. = He/She is smart.

You generally don’t say adalah before an adjective like takut, besar, pintar.
Adalah is mainly used before nouns in more formal sentences:

  • Dia adalah dokter. = He/She is a doctor. (formal)
What’s the function of pada in takut pada harimau? Can I leave it out?

Pada is a preposition, and here it works like “of” / “to” / “towards” in English:

  • takut pada harimau = afraid of tigers

You will hear all of these:

  • takut harimau
  • takut pada harimau
  • takut akan harimau

Differences:

  • takut harimau – colloquial, very common in speech.
  • takut pada harimau – natural and common, slightly clearer/safer in standard Indonesian.
  • takut akan harimau – more formal or literary.

For learners, takut pada … is a good default pattern.

Is harimau singular or plural here? How do I say “tigers” vs “a tiger”?

On its own, harimau is number-neutral; it can mean a tiger or tigers, depending on context.

To be explicit:

  • seekor harimau = a tiger
  • harimau-harimau or para harimau (less common) = tigers (plural focus)
  • banyak harimau = many tigers

In this sentence, takut pada harimau is naturally understood as afraid of tigers (in general), not just one specific tiger.

What’s the difference between tetapi and tapi? Which one should I use?

Both mean “but”.

  • tetapi – more formal/neutral, used in writing, news, speeches, also acceptable in everyday speech.
  • tapi – more informal/colloquial, very common in conversation.

You could say:

  • …, tetapi dia suka melihat kura-kura. (neutral / slightly formal)
  • …, tapi dia suka melihat kura-kura. (casual)

For writing exercises or exams, tetapi is a safe choice.

Why is it suka melihat and not something like menyukai melihat?

In Indonesian, suka already means “to like”, and it is normally followed directly by a verb in base or me- form, or by a noun:

  • suka makan = like to eat
  • suka membaca = like reading
  • suka melihat = like to see/watch
  • suka musik = like music

Menyukai is a different verb formed from the same root suka, and it usually takes a noun, not another verb:

  • Dia menyukai musik klasik. = He/She likes classical music.

So:

  • dia suka melihat kura-kura = She likes watching turtles.
  • dia menyukai kura-kura = She likes turtles.

You would not say menyukai melihat kura-kura.

Could I say suka lihat instead of suka melihat?

Yes, in casual speech you’ll often hear:

  • suka lihat kura-kura
  • mau makan → mau makan (base form is the same here)
  • bisa ngomong instead of bisa berbicara, etc.

In standard Indonesian, suka melihat is more correct and safer, especially in writing or exams.
Suka lihat sounds colloquial, but it’s very common in everyday conversation.

What exactly does kura-kura refer to? Does it include sea turtles?

Kura-kura is the usual word for tortoise / freshwater turtle (shell-dwelling animals that live on land or in fresh water).

More specific words:

  • kura-kura – tortoise / freshwater turtle
  • penyu – sea turtle
  • labi-labi – soft-shelled turtle

In casual conversation, many people will still understand kura-kura quite broadly as “turtles,” but technically penyu is used for sea turtles.

Why is kura-kura written with a hyphen and repeated? What does the repetition mean?

The repetition in kura-kura is a common feature in Indonesian called reduplication.

For animals, some names are naturally reduplicated:

  • kupu-kupu = butterfly
  • laba-laba = spider
  • ubur-ubur = jellyfish
  • kura-kura = turtle / tortoise

In many such cases, the reduplicated form is simply the standard dictionary form of the word; you don’t use kura alone with the same meaning. The hyphen just shows that the word is formed by repeating the same syllable/word.