Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Dia berkata, “Roket ini tidak pergi ke luar angkasa, ini hanya contoh.” - He/She said, “This rocket does not go to outer space, it’s only a model.”

Indonesian normally does not mark gender in third‑person pronouns. To know whether dia is male or female, you need extra context (earlier sentences, names, or the situation).

So in this sentence, Dia berkata… could be translated as He said… or She said….

What is the difference between berkata, bilang, and mengatakan? Could I replace Dia berkata with Dia bilang?

All three are related to “to say / to tell”, but they differ in formality and usage:

berkata – more neutral or slightly formal; common in written language and narratives.
- Dia berkata, … = He/She said, …
bilang – informal, very common in everyday spoken Indonesian.
- Dia bilang, … = He/She said, … (more casual)
mengatakan – more formal and often used with bahwa or an object.
- Dia mengatakan bahwa… = He/She stated that…

You can say Dia bilang, Roket ini tidak pergi ke luar angkasa…, especially in casual speech. For a textbook or written narrative, Dia berkata fits very well.

Why is there a comma after Dia berkata and then the spoken sentence? Is this how direct speech normally works in Indonesian?

Yes. This is a common pattern for direct speech in Indonesian:

Dia berkata, “Roket ini tidak pergi ke luar angkasa, ini hanya contoh.”

Structure:

Speaker + verb of speaking (e.g. Dia berkata)
Comma
Quoted speech, starting with a capital letter

You can also reverse the order:

“Roket ini tidak pergi ke luar angkasa, ini hanya contoh,” katanya.
(katanya = he/she said, literally his/her saying)

Both patterns are natural.

Why is it Roket ini and not Ini roket at the beginning of the quoted sentence? What’s the difference?

Both are grammatical but the meanings are slightly different:

Roket ini tidak pergi ke luar angkasa
Literally: This rocket doesn’t go to outer space.
Focus: the specific rocket being referred to (maybe one you’re pointing at). The topic is “this rocket”.
Ini roket, tidak pergi ke luar angkasa
Literally: This is a rocket; it doesn’t go to outer space.
The first part (Ini roket) is an identification (This is a rocket), then you add information.

In the original sentence, the speaker is already talking about a particular rocket, so Roket ini… (“this rocket…”) is the most natural topic‑comment structure.

Why is the negation tidak used with pergi? Could I use bukan instead of tidak?

No, here you need tidak, not bukan.

tidak negates:
- verbs (pergi, makan, tahu)
- adjectives (besar, mahal)
- some prepositional phrases
bukan negates:
- nouns (bukan dokter = not a doctor)
- pronouns (bukan saya = not me)
- noun phrases (bukan roket sungguhan = not a real rocket)

Since pergi is a verb, you must say:

Roket ini tidak pergi ke luar angkasa…
(This rocket does not go to outer space…)

Using bukan here (Roket ini bukan pergi ke luar angkasa) sounds wrong or at best very unusual.

Could I say just Roket ini tidak ke luar angkasa and drop pergi? Is pergi necessary?

You can say Roket ini tidak ke luar angkasa, and people will understand, but:

Roket ini tidak pergi ke luar angkasa is clearer and more natural in full sentences, because pergi explicitly means to go.
In casual speech, especially with motion verbs, Indonesians sometimes omit the verb and rely on ke + place, but this is more common in very informal contexts.

For a learner and in neutral style, keeping pergi is a good idea:

Roket ini tidak pergi ke luar angkasa.

What is the difference between ke luar and keluar? Why is it ke luar angkasa, not keluar angkasa?

These are two different things:

ke luar (two words): ke = to, luar = outside
- ke luar angkasa = to outer space
keluar (one word): verb to go out / to exit
- keluar (alone) = to go out

In ke luar angkasa:

luar angkasa is a noun phrase meaning outer space.
ke is the preposition to in front of that phrase.

So ke luar angkasa is correct for to outer space.
keluar angkasa would be incorrect here.

What exactly does luar angkasa mean, and is there any difference with angkasa luar or just angkasa?

luar angkasa is the standard term for outer space (beyond Earth’s atmosphere).
angkasa by itself can mean the sky / the heavens / the upper air, and in some contexts, outer space, but it’s less specific.
angkasa luar is sometimes seen, but luar angkasa is more common in modern standard Indonesian.

For your sentence, ke luar angkasa is the natural, textbook phrase for to outer space.

In ini hanya contoh, what does contoh mean exactly? Is it more like example, model, sample, or prototype?

contoh is a general word meaning example, and by extension:

a sample / specimen
a model / demonstration piece
an example to illustrate something

In context:

ini hanya contoh ≈ this is only an example / just a sample / just a model

For a display rocket, “just a model” or “only a demonstration piece” would be a natural translation of the idea. Indonesian doesn’t distinguish as finely here; contoh covers all those possibilities.

Why is ini used again in ini hanya contoh? Isn’t Roket ini already clear? Could I just say hanya contoh?

Using ini again is normal and helps clarity:

Roket ini tidak pergi ke luar angkasa, ini hanya contoh.
Literally: This rocket doesn’t go to outer space, this is just an example.

The second ini functions like this one in English.

You could say Roket ini tidak pergi ke luar angkasa, hanya contoh. in very casual speech, and people will understand, but:

ini hanya contoh sounds more complete and natural.
It clearly states: (this thing) is only an example.

How is tense understood here? Does Roket ini tidak pergi ke luar angkasa mean doesn’t go, won’t go, or didn’t go?

Indonesian verbs usually do not mark tense. pergi just means go, and tense is understood from context.

So Roket ini tidak pergi ke luar angkasa can mean:

This rocket doesn’t go to outer space (general fact)
This rocket isn’t going to outer space (about a planned launch)
This rocket won’t go to outer space (future)
In some contexts, even This rocket didn’t go to outer space (past event)

If you need to be very explicit, you can add time words:

tidak akan pergi ke luar angkasa – will not go
tadi tidak pergi ke luar angkasa – did not go (earlier)

Could I change this into indirect speech with bahwa? How would the sentence look, and is the meaning different?

Yes, you can turn the direct quote into indirect speech:

Direct: Dia berkata, “Roket ini tidak pergi ke luar angkasa, ini hanya contoh.”
Indirect: Dia berkata bahwa roket ini tidak pergi ke luar angkasa dan (bahwa) ini hanya contoh.

Notes:

bahwa = that (introduces a clause in reported speech).
The meaning is basically the same, but:
- Direct speech sounds more vivid and closer to the original words.
- Indirect speech sounds a bit more formal and report‑like.

In everyday conversation, many speakers would even drop bahwa, especially if the sentence is short:

Dia berkata roket ini tidak pergi ke luar angkasa, ini hanya contoh.