Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Saya capek setelah lembur malam ini. - I am tired after working overtime tonight.

capek – tired, worn out, everyday spoken Indonesian, slightly informal.
lelah – tired, more neutral/formal, often used in writing, speeches, or polite contexts.

All of these are natural:

Saya capek setelah lembur malam ini.
Saya lelah setelah lembur malam ini.

Both mean essentially the same thing; lelah just sounds a bit more formal or “neater.”

Why is there no past tense marker? How do we know this is not about the future?

Indonesian verbs do not change form for tense. There is no equivalent of English -ed, -ing, will, etc. Time is usually shown by time expressions and context.

In Saya capek setelah lembur malam ini:

malam ini = this evening / tonight
The context and setelah (after) suggest the work is happening tonight, and you are tired after that.

If you really want to stress that the overtime already happened, you could add tadi (earlier today):

Saya capek setelah lembur tadi malam. = I’m tired after working overtime last night.

But the original sentence is already natural and clear in context.

What exactly does lembur mean? Is it a verb or a noun?

Lembur refers to overtime work.

In practice it can function like:

a noun:
- Saya dapat uang lembur. = I get overtime pay.
or a verb-like word in casual speech:
- Saya lembur malam ini. = I’m doing overtime tonight.

In setelah lembur malam ini, lembur is like a noun phrase: (after) overtime (work) tonight.
You could also say setelah kerja lembur malam ini (after working overtime tonight), which is a bit more explicit but not necessary.

Why is it setelah lembur malam ini and not something like setelah malam ini lembur?

Setelah means after, and it is followed by the event or action that comes first in time.

The natural order is:

setelah + [activity] + [time]

So:

setelah lembur malam ini
= after (the) overtime (that happens) tonight

Putting malam ini in the middle (setelah malam ini lembur) sounds unnatural and confusing, because we normally keep the activity together: lembur malam ini is a single phrase: tonight’s overtime / overtime tonight.

What is the difference between malam ini and tadi malam?

Both involve night/evening, but the time reference is different:

malam ini = this evening / tonight (from now until you go to bed; “later tonight” within the same day)
tadi malam = last night (the night that has already passed, earlier than now)

Examples:

At 5 p.m. today:
- Saya akan lembur malam ini. = I will work overtime tonight.
At 9 a.m. today, talking about last night:
- Saya capek setelah lembur tadi malam. = I’m tired after working overtime last night.

In your sentence, malam ini suggests the overtime is tonight, either happening now or very soon.

Can I drop Saya and just say Capek setelah lembur malam ini?

Yes. In everyday Indonesian, speakers often omit saya (or any subject pronoun) when it is clear from context.

Saya capek setelah lembur malam ini.
Capek setelah lembur malam ini.

Both are natural. The second one feels a bit more casual, like saying:
“(I’m) tired after working overtime tonight.”

However, if clarity is important (formal writing, unfamiliar listeners, or longer texts), keeping saya can be better.

Why is saya used instead of aku? What is the difference?

Both saya and aku mean I / me, but they differ in formality and context:

saya
- Neutral–polite
- Safe in almost all situations: work, with strangers, formal speech, etc.
aku
- More intimate/casual
- Used with friends, close family, or in some informal contexts.

Your sentence with aku:

Aku capek setelah lembur malam ini.

This is fine if you’re talking to friends or people of equal status in an informal situation.
In work-related or polite contexts, saya is the safer choice.

Is setelah the same as sesudah? Can I say sesudah lembur malam ini?

Yes, setelah and sesudah both mean after and are usually interchangeable.

Saya capek setelah lembur malam ini.
Saya capek sesudah lembur malam ini.

Both are correct and natural. Some notes:

setelah is slightly more common in casual speech.
sesudah may sound a bit more formal or “bookish” to some people, but it’s still widely used in speech too.

In everyday usage, you can treat them as synonyms.

Could I say Saya lelah setelah lembur malam ini? Does it sound different?

Yes, you can. The sentence is perfectly correct:

Saya lelah setelah lembur malam ini.

Nuance:

capek – casual, everyday, slightly “softer” or more colloquial.
lelah – a bit more formal, can sound slightly more serious or literary.

In spoken conversation at work, capek is more common.
In writing, formal messages, or speeches, lelah might be preferred.

Can I move the time expression? For example: Malam ini saya capek setelah lembur?

Indonesian word order is quite flexible with time expressions. All of these are grammatical, with slightly different emphasis:

Saya capek setelah lembur malam ini.
– Neutral; focuses on being tired after tonight’s overtime.
Malam ini saya capek setelah lembur.
– Emphasizes tonight: Tonight, I’m tired after doing overtime.
Saya capek malam ini setelah lembur.
– Emphasizes being tired tonight, with the reason added after.

All are understandable. The original version is probably the most natural default, but moving malam ini is very common in real speech.

Could I say Saya capek karena lembur malam ini instead? What is the difference from setelah?

Yes, you can say:

Saya capek karena lembur malam ini.

Difference in nuance:

setelah = after → focuses on time/sequence
- I’m tired after working overtime tonight.
karena = because → focuses on cause
- I’m tired because of working overtime tonight.

Both are natural; they just highlight different aspects:

setelah lembur malam ini: when you got tired.
karena lembur malam ini: why you are tired.