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Dia menjelaskan mengapa latihan kebugaran ditunda.

Dia menjelaskan mengapa latihan kebugaran ditunda.
He/She explains why the fitness training is postponed.
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Questions & Answers about Dia menjelaskan mengapa latihan kebugaran ditunda.

What is the word‑for‑word breakdown of Dia menjelaskan mengapa latihan kebugaran ditunda?

Roughly, word by word:

  • Dia = he / she (3rd person singular, gender‑neutral)
  • menjelaskan = to explain (active verb)
    • root: jelas = clear
    • prefix men-
      • suffix -kan → menjelaskan = make something clear / explain
  • mengapa = why
  • latihan = practice / training / workout
  • kebugaran = fitness (from bugar = fit, healthy, fresh)
  • ditunda = is/was postponed (passive)
    • root: tunda = to postpone / delay
    • prefix di- → ditunda = be postponed

Natural English: “He/She explained why the fitness training/workout was postponed.”

Does dia mean “he” or “she”? Can it ever mean “they”?
  • Dia is a gender‑neutral singular pronoun: it can mean he or she.
  • Indonesian does not mark gender in pronouns, so context tells you whether “he” or “she” is intended.
  • Dia is normally singular only.
    • “They” (plural people) would be mereka.
  • Sometimes in very casual speech people use dia for pets or even objects they personify, but normally it’s for a person: he/she.
Why is the verb menjelaskan and not just jelas?
  • Jelas is an adjective: clear, obvious.
    • Penjelasan = an explanation (noun)
    • Menjelaskan = to explain (verb, “to make clear”)

In this sentence we need a verb: “He/She explained…”, so we use menjelaskan.

Compare:

  • Penjelasan dia jelas.
    “His/Her explanation is clear.”
  • Dia menjelaskan alasannya.
    “He/She explained the reason.”
Why is there no direct object after menjelaskan? In English we usually say “explain something”.

In Indonesian, menjelaskan can:

  1. Take a direct object:

    • Dia menjelaskan alasan penundaan.
      “He/She explained the reason for the postponement.”

  2. Or be followed directly by a clause (like “why the fitness training was postponed”):

    • Dia menjelaskan mengapa latihan kebugaran ditunda.
      Literally: “He/She explained why the fitness training was postponed.”

In this sentence, the whole clause starting with mengapa functions as the “thing explained”, so there is no separate noun object.

What is the difference between mengapa and kenapa? Could we say Dia menjelaskan kenapa latihan kebugaran ditunda?
  • Mengapa and kenapa both mean “why”.
  • Mengapa is:
    • more formal/neutral
    • common in writing, news, presentations
  • Kenapa is:
    • more colloquial
    • very common in everyday conversation

You can say:

  • Dia menjelaskan kenapa latihan kebugaran ditunda.

Meaning is the same; it just sounds a bit more casual than mengapa.

If mengapa means “why”, why isn’t this sentence a question?

Because Indonesian, like English, allows indirect questions:

  • Direct question:
    Mengapa latihan kebugaran ditunda?
    “Why was the fitness training postponed?”

  • Indirect question embedded inside a statement:
    Dia menjelaskan mengapa latihan kebugaran ditunda.
    “He/She explained why the fitness training was postponed.”

Here, mengapa latihan kebugaran ditunda is not a full question; it’s a clause functioning as the object of menjelaskan (the thing explained).

What exactly does latihan kebugaran mean, and how is it different from olahraga?
  • Latihan = practice, training, exercise session
  • Kebugaran = fitness (general state of being fit)

So latihan kebugaran is roughly:

  • “fitness training / workout / exercise session for fitness”

Differences:

  • Olahraga = sports / physical exercise in general
    • Saya suka olahraga. = “I like sports / exercise.”
  • Latihan kebugaran is more specific:
    • A workout session (e.g., gym session, fitness class).

In everyday speech people also just say:

  • latihan (training)
  • latihan fisik (physical training)
  • nge-gym (slang: go to the gym)

But latihan kebugaran is clear and neutral.

How does ditunda work grammatically? Why di- and not men-?
  • Root: tunda = to postpone / delay
  • Menunda = to postpone (active voice)
    • Mereka menunda latihan kebugaran.
      “They postponed the fitness training.”
  • Ditunda = is/was postponed (passive voice)
    • Latihan kebugaran ditunda.
      “The fitness training was postponed.”

The prefix di- usually marks passive voice, so the object becomes the subject, and the agent (the one who postponed it) is:

  • either omitted
  • or added later with oleh:
    Latihan kebugaran ditunda oleh pelatih. = “The fitness training was postponed by the coach.”
Does ditunda mean “is postponed” or “was postponed”? There is no tense marker.

Indonesian verbs do not change form for tense. Ditunda itself is time‑neutral.

It can mean:

  • “is postponed”
  • “was postponed”
  • even “will be postponed” (in some contexts)

The actual time is understood from:

  • context
  • time words, if needed:
    • kemarin (yesterday)
    • tadi pagi (this morning)
    • nanti (later)

So:

  • Dia menjelaskan mengapa latihan kebugaran ditunda.
    Could be:
    • “He/She explained why the fitness training was postponed.”
    • or “...is postponed.”
      Context decides which is more natural.
Could we change the word order, for example: Dia menjelaskan latihan kebugaran ditunda mengapa?

No. That word order is ungrammatical in standard Indonesian.

The normal patterns are:

  • Dia menjelaskan mengapa latihan kebugaran ditunda.
    (statement with an indirect “why” clause)

  • If you want a question, you move mengapa to the front:

    • Mengapa latihan kebugaran ditunda?
      “Why was the fitness training postponed?”

Mengapa normally appears:

  • at the beginning of the clause it belongs to
  • or as the first word after the main verb in this kind of indirect‑question structure.
Can we add bahwa in this sentence, like Dia menjelaskan bahwa latihan kebugaran ditunda? Is the meaning the same?

  • Dia menjelaskan bahwa latihan kebugaran ditunda.
    = “He/She explained that the fitness training was postponed.”

  • Dia menjelaskan mengapa latihan kebugaran ditunda.
    = “He/She explained why the fitness training was postponed.”

Differences:

  • bahwa = “that” (introduces a statement clause)
    • Focus: the fact that it was postponed.
  • mengapa = “why” (introduces a reason clause)
    • Focus: the reason for the postponement.

So the structure is similar (verb + a clause), but the meaning is not the same.

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

It’s neutral to slightly formal, mainly because of:

  • mengapa (a bit more formal than kenapa)
  • latihan kebugaran (sounds like something from a program, schedule, or written notice)

In everyday casual conversation, someone might say:

  • Dia jelasin kenapa latihan (nya) ditunda.
    (more colloquial; jelasin is spoken form of menjelaskan)

But your original sentence is perfectly natural in:

  • news reporting
  • written explanations
  • formal or semi‑formal speech
  • polite conversation
How is latihan kebugaran ditunda pronounced and divided into syllables?

Syllable breakdown:

  • la‑ti‑han
  • ke‑bu‑ga‑ran
  • di‑tun‑da

Approximate pronunciation (using English‑like hints):

  • latihan → “LAH‑tee‑han”
  • kebugaran → “kə‑BOO‑gah‑ran”
    (the first ke‑ is a weak “keu/kuh” sound)
  • ditunda → “dee‑TOON‑dah”

Stress in Indonesian is usually even or slightly stronger on the second‑to‑last syllable, so:

  • la‑TI‑han
  • ke‑BU‑ga‑ran
  • di‑TUN‑da