Lulusan baru itu mencari pekerjaan di kota.

That new graduate is looking for a job in the city.

Breakdown of Lulusan baru itu mencari pekerjaan di kota.

• itu: that
• di: in
• baru: new
• kota: the city
• mencari: to look for
• pekerjaan: the job
• lulusan: the graduate

Questions & Answers about Lulusan baru itu mencari pekerjaan di kota.

What does “lulusan baru” literally mean, and is this a common phrase?

Literally, lulusan baru is:

• lulus = to pass / to graduate
• -an = nominalizing suffix (turns it into a noun: someone who has graduated)
• baru = new / recent

So lulusan = graduate, and lulusan baru = new graduate or recent graduate.

Yes, it is a very common and natural phrase in Indonesian, especially in contexts like jobs, universities, and CVs. It matches English “fresh graduate” or “recent graduate” in meaning and usage.

What is the function of “itu” in “lulusan baru itu”? Does it mean “that” or “the”?

Itu is a demonstrative that can mean:

• “that” (deictic, pointing)
• or function similarly to “the” (marking something as known/specific)

In lulusan baru itu, it usually means “that new graduate” or “the new graduate (we’ve been talking about)”.

So:

• Lulusan baru itu mencari pekerjaan di kota.
  → That/the new graduate is looking for a job in the city.

Without extra context, it’s often best translated as “the” in smooth English, but it still has a nuance that the speaker has a particular graduate in mind.

Is “lulusan baru itu” singular or can it be plural?

By default, lulusan baru itu is understood as singular: that new graduate / the new graduate.

Indonesian doesn’t mark plural with -s, so number is usually understood from context or by adding words:

• Para lulusan baru itu = those new graduates (clearly plural)
• Lulusan-lulusan baru itu = the new graduates (also clearly plural, with reduplication)

So this sentence as given is most naturally read as talking about one graduate.

Why is there no separate pronoun like “dia” (he/she) in the sentence?

In Indonesian, the noun phrase itself is very often the subject, without needing an extra pronoun.

• Lulusan baru itu mencari pekerjaan di kota.
  Subject = lulusan baru itu

If you added dia (he/she), you’d be changing the structure:

• Dia lulusan baru yang mencari pekerjaan di kota.
  → He/She is a new graduate who is looking for a job in the city.

So the sentence is normal and complete without dia; lulusan baru itu already functions as the subject.

What is the nuance difference between “mencari pekerjaan” and “mencari kerja”?

Both are correct and common, but:

• mencari pekerjaan
  
  • Slightly more formal and neutral
  • Feels a bit more noun-like (“looking for employment / a job”)
• mencari kerja
  
  • More casual / conversational
  • Feels closer to “looking for work”

In this sentence, mencari pekerjaan is a good neutral or slightly formal style, suitable for writing or general speech.
In casual talk, you might also hear:

• Lulusan baru itu lagi cari kerja di kota.
  (lagi = currently / in the process of)

How is “pekerjaan” formed from “kerja”, and what does it mean exactly?

Morphology:

• kerja = to work / work
• pe- … -an = a nominalizing pattern that often forms nouns related to actions or roles

So:

• pe
  • kerja
    • an → pekerjaan
• Basic meaning: work, job, employment, occupation

In this sentence:

• mencari pekerjaan = to look for a job / to look for work

What tense is “mencari”? Does the sentence mean “is looking”, “was looking”, or “will look”?

Indonesian verbs like mencari do not change form for tense. The sentence can mean:

• is looking
• was looking
• will look

The actual time is shown by context or by adding time words:

• Lulusan baru itu sedang mencari pekerjaan di kota.
  → is currently looking
• Kemarin lulusan baru itu mencari pekerjaan di kota.
  → yesterday, the new graduate looked for a job in the city
• Besok lulusan baru itu akan mencari pekerjaan di kota.
  → tomorrow, the new graduate will look for a job in the city

As it stands, present/general time (is looking) is usually the most natural translation.

What does “di kota” mean exactly? Is it “in a city” or “in the city”?

di is a preposition meaning “in / at / on” (location).
kota = city.

Since Indonesian has no articles (a, an, the), di kota by itself could match:

• in the city
• in a city

The exact English article depends on the larger context. If you want to be more specific in Indonesian, you can modify it:

• di kota itu = in that city
• di kota besar = in a big city
• di kota Jakarta = in the city of Jakarta
• di kota-kota besar = in big cities

Can we move “itu” to before “lulusan baru”, like “itu lulusan baru”? Does that mean the same thing?

The position changes the structure and nuance:

1. Lulusan baru itu mencari pekerjaan di kota.

   • itu comes after the noun phrase
   • This is the normal way to say “that/the new graduate” as a noun phrase (subject).

2. Itu lulusan baru.

   • Itu is now at the start and often works like “that is …” or “that …”
   • Example: Pointing at someone:
     
     • Itu lulusan baru. = That (person) is a new graduate.

So for the original sentence, itu must come after lulusan baru to function as “that/the” within the noun phrase.

Could we just say “Lulusan baru mencari pekerjaan di kota” without “itu”? What changes?

Yes, you can say it without itu:

• Lulusan baru mencari pekerjaan di kota.

Difference in nuance:

• With “itu” → You’re talking about a specific new graduate already known in context.
  That/the particular new graduate is looking for a job in the city.

• Without “itu” → It sounds more general, like a statement about new graduates as a group, or “a new graduate” in general.
  A new graduate / New graduates look for jobs in the city.

So itu is useful when you mean a specific person.

If I want to say “The new graduates are looking for jobs in the city”, how should I change the sentence?

To clearly show plural “graduates”, you can say:

• Para lulusan baru itu mencari pekerjaan di kota.
  
  • para = a plural marker for people (roughly “the (group of) …”)
  • Best translation: The new graduates are looking for jobs in the city.

or (also acceptable):

• Lulusan-lulusan baru itu mencari pekerjaan di kota.
  
  • lulusan-lulusan = plural via reduplication

Both sound natural; para lulusan baru itu is a bit more formal/standard.

Is this sentence formal or informal? Would it be okay in everyday conversation?

The sentence:

• Lulusan baru itu mencari pekerjaan di kota.

is in a neutral to slightly formal style. It is perfectly fine in:

• Writing (news, reports, essays)
• Polite or neutral speech

In more relaxed, everyday conversation, people often make it more casual:

• Lulusan baru itu lagi cari kerja di kota.
• Dia, lulusan baru itu, lagi cari kerja di kota.

But your original sentence is absolutely acceptable in normal spoken Indonesian, especially in a neutral or polite context.