Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Upacara wisuda diadakan di auditorium kampus yang besar. - The graduation ceremony is held in the campus auditorium, which is large.

But upacara wisuda emphasizes the ceremonial event itself, like the formal ceremony in the auditorium, rather than the broader idea of graduating.

What exactly does diadakan mean here, and how is it different from just saying ada or berlangsung?

diadakan comes from mengadakan (to hold/organize something) → passive form: diadakan (to be held).
- Upacara wisuda diadakan di auditorium…
  = The graduation ceremony is held in the auditorium…
ada = to exist, to be there
- Ada upacara wisuda di auditorium.
  = There is a graduation ceremony in the auditorium.
  Focuses on existence, not on the fact that it’s an organized event.
berlangsung = to take place, to go on
- Upacara wisuda berlangsung di auditorium.
  = The graduation ceremony takes place in the auditorium.
  Focuses on the event happening, less on the organizer/arrangement.

All three can be correct, but:

diadakan is more formal and organizational: is held.
berlangsung is neutral: takes place.
ada is just: there is.

Is diadakan a passive verb? What would the active form be?

Yes, diadakan is a passive verb.

Base form (root): ada in this context is just part of the verb pair mengadakan / diadakan (it’s not the same “ada = to exist”).
Active (transitive): mengadakan = to hold, to organize.
- Universitas mengadakan upacara wisuda.
  = The university holds a graduation ceremony.
Passive: Upacara wisuda diadakan (oleh universitas).
- The graduation ceremony is held (by the university).

So the sentence you gave is in passive form, focusing on the event, not on who organizes it.

What’s the difference between di in diadakan and di in di auditorium?

They are two completely different things:

di- (attached, no space) in diadakan is a prefix that forms a passive verb.
- mengadakan → diadakan
di (separate word, with space) in di auditorium is a preposition meaning in/at/on (location).
- di auditorium = in/at the auditorium
- di rumah = at home

Spelling rule to remember:

Prefix di- for passive verbs: no space → diadakan, dibaca, ditulis
Preposition di for location: with space → di rumah, di sekolah, di auditorium

Why is it auditorium kampus yang besar instead of something like big campus auditorium the way we say it in English?

Indonesian noun + adjective order is usually:

noun + (optional noun) + adjective

So:

auditorium = auditorium
auditorium kampus = campus auditorium
auditorium kampus yang besar = campus auditorium that is big / which is big

In English, adjectives generally come before the noun; in Indonesian, they come after:

big auditorium → auditorium besar
big campus auditorium → auditorium kampus yang besar

You can also say auditorium besar di kampus (a big auditorium on the campus), but that shifts the focus slightly:

auditorium kampus yang besar: emphasizes the campus auditorium, specifying it as the big one.
auditorium besar di kampus: emphasizes a big auditorium located on the campus (not framed as “the campus auditorium” as a unit).

What is the function of yang in auditorium kampus yang besar? Can I remove it?

yang introduces a relative clause or descriptive phrase. Here it links auditorium kampus (the noun phrase) with besar (the descriptor):

auditorium kampus yang besar
= the campus auditorium that is big
(literally: auditorium campus which big)

You cannot remove yang in this structure; auditorium kampus besar sounds incomplete or unnatural here. In many cases:

Noun + yang + adjective = the noun that is adjective
- orang yang ramah = a person who is friendly
- rumah yang besar = a house that is big

Without yang, adjectives can still follow the noun, but the pattern and nuance can change. Here, yang clearly marks besar as a description of auditorium kampus and makes the phrase flow naturally.

Could I say auditorium besar kampus instead of auditorium kampus yang besar?

That wording is not natural in Indonesian. Typical options would be:

auditorium kampus yang besar
– very natural; “the campus auditorium which is big”
auditorium besar di kampus
– “a big auditorium on campus”
auditorium besar milik kampus (less common in speech)
– “a big auditorium owned by the campus/university”

auditorium besar kampus doesn’t follow a well-used pattern. When you want:

Noun1 (auditorium) + Noun2 (kampus) + adjective (besar)
→ the smooth way is usually Noun1 + Noun2 + yang + adjective
→ auditorium kampus yang besar

What does kampus mean exactly? How is it different from universitas?

kampus = campus (the physical area, buildings, and by extension the place of study)
universitas = university (the institution, the organization)

Often in everyday speech, kampus can also stand in for the university as a place:

Saya pulang ke kampus. = I’m going back to campus.
Pihak kampus mengadakan upacara wisuda. = The university (campus side/administration) holds the graduation ceremony.

So:

auditorium kampus = the auditorium on campus / belonging to the university.
Using auditorium universitas is less common and sounds a bit more formal or specific.

Where is “the” in this sentence? How do articles like a / the work in Indonesian?

Indonesian does not use articles like a, an, the. The noun phrase upacara wisuda can mean:

a graduation ceremony
the graduation ceremony

Context tells you whether it’s definite or indefinite.

In your sentence:

Upacara wisuda diadakan di auditorium kampus yang besar.

Most natural English reading:
→ The graduation ceremony is held in the large campus auditorium.

But grammatically Indonesian doesn’t mark a/the. If you need to be explicit, you can add words like:

sebuah (a / one – for counting)
itu (that / the specific one)

Example:

Upacara wisuda itu diadakan di auditorium kampus yang besar.
= That graduation ceremony / The (particular) graduation ceremony is held in the large campus auditorium.

Is this sentence formal, informal, or neutral? In what situations would it be used?

The sentence is neutral to formal:

Vocabulary like upacara wisuda, diadakan, auditorium, kampus is natural in written announcements, official emails, school websites, etc.

You might see it in:

University announcements
Schedules / brochures
News articles about a graduation event

In more casual speech, someone might say:

Wisuda di kampus, di auditorium besar.
(Dropping upacara and using a simpler structure)

But the original sentence is perfectly natural in both written and spoken formal or semi-formal contexts.

Are there synonyms for diadakan here, and do they change the nuance?

Yes, common alternatives include:

diselenggarakan
- Upacara wisuda diselenggarakan di auditorium kampus yang besar.
  Often used in formal writing; emphasizes organizing/hosting an official event.
dilaksanakan
- Upacara wisuda dilaksanakan di auditorium kampus yang besar.
  Emphasizes carrying out / implementing something that’s planned.
berlangsung (intransitive)
- Upacara wisuda berlangsung di auditorium kampus yang besar.
  = The graduation ceremony takes place in the large campus auditorium.

All are acceptable, but:

diadakan / diselenggarakan / dilaksanakan → more formal, focus on the organized nature.
berlangsung → slightly more neutral; focuses on the event happening, not the organizer.

Why doesn’t the sentence specify a tense like “was held” or “will be held”? How do I know the time?

Indonesian verbs usually do not change form for tense (past, present, future). diadakan itself is tense-neutral:

Upacara wisuda diadakan di auditorium kampus yang besar.
Could mean:
- The graduation ceremony is held… (habitually / generally)
- The graduation ceremony was held… (past, if context is past)
- The graduation ceremony will be held… (future, if context is future or with time words)

To make the time clear, you add time expressions:

Kemarin upacara wisuda diadakan… = Yesterday the ceremony was held…
Besok upacara wisuda akan diadakan… = Tomorrow the ceremony will be held…
Setiap tahun upacara wisuda diadakan… = Every year the ceremony is held…

So tense is determined by context and time words, not by changing the verb form.