Adik laki-laki saya takut pada ular panjang, padahal ular itu sudah jinak.

My younger brother is afraid of the long snake, even though that snake is already tame.

Breakdown of Adik laki-laki saya takut pada ular panjang, padahal ular itu sudah jinak.

• adalah: to be
• itu: that
• sudah: already
• saya: my
• pada: of
• adik laki-laki: the younger brother
• takut: afraid
• panjang: long
• ular: the snake
• padahal: even though
• jinak: tame

Questions & Answers about Adik laki-laki saya takut pada ular panjang, padahal ular itu sudah jinak.

What does adik laki-laki saya literally mean, and why is saya at the end instead of before it?

Adik laki-laki saya literally means younger sibling male my, i.e. my younger brother.

In Indonesian, possessive pronouns like saya (my) usually come after the noun phrase they possess:

• buku saya = my book
• rumah baru saya = my new house
• adik laki-laki saya = my younger brother

So the pattern is: [noun + description(s) + possessor], not my younger brother like in English. Saying saya adik laki-laki is ungrammatical or would be interpreted differently (like starting a new clause: I, (the) younger brother …).

What is the difference between adik and adik laki-laki?

Adik by itself means younger sibling and does not specify gender. It could be a younger brother or a younger sister.

To specify gender:

• adik laki-laki = younger brother
• adik perempuan = younger sister

So in this sentence, adik laki-laki saya clearly means my younger brother, not just my younger sibling.

Why is it takut pada and not just takut or something like takut akan / takut sama?

Takut means to be afraid, and when you say what someone is afraid of, you usually add a preposition.

Common patterns:

• takut pada
  • noun = afraid of (neutral/standard)
    • takut pada ular = afraid of snakes
• takut sama
  • noun = afraid of (very common in speech, more informal)
    • takut sama anjing = scared of dogs
• takut akan
  • abstract noun or formal context
    • takut akan kematian = afraid of death

In this sentence, takut pada ular panjang is a natural, standard way to say is afraid of the long snake. In casual conversation, many people would say takut sama ular panjang instead.

Why is it ular panjang and not panjang ular or ular yang panjang?

In Indonesian, adjectives usually come after the noun:

• ular panjang = long snake
• rumah besar = big house
• mobil baru = new car

So ular panjang is the normal way to say long snake.

You can also say ular yang panjang, but that slightly changes the nuance:

• ular panjang = a long snake (just describing its type/quality)
• ular yang panjang = the snake that is long (more like identifying which snake, or contrasting it with one that is short)

In most simple descriptions, like in this sentence, ular panjang is correct and natural.

What does padahal mean, and how is it different from tapi or tetapi?

Padahal is a conjunction that introduces a contrast with a sense of “it shouldn’t be like that” or “even though”.

Rough equivalents:

• padahal ≈ even though / whereas / but actually / when in fact

In the sentence:

• Adik laki-laki saya takut pada ular panjang, padahal ular itu sudah jinak.
  = My younger brother is afraid of the long snake, even though that snake is already tame.

Tapi / tetapi just mean but / however, without that specific “contradiction with expectation” nuance:

• Adik laki-laki saya takut pada ular panjang, tetapi ular itu sudah jinak.
  sounds more neutral: … but that snake is tame.

Padahal highlights that it’s a bit ironic or unexpected that he is still afraid.

What is the function of itu in ular itu? Is it “that snake” or “the snake”?

Itu is a demonstrative meaning that, but in Indonesian it often works like the when you are referring to a specific, known thing.

So ular itu can be understood as:

• that snake (if there are multiple snakes and you’re pointing out one)
• the snake (the one already known in the context)

In this sentence, ular itu refers to a particular snake (the one the brother is afraid of), so translating it as that snake or the snake both work depending on the English style you prefer.

Why is sudah used with jinak? Does sudah jinak literally mean “already tame”?

Yes, sudah literally means already, and jinak means tame, so sudah jinak = already tame.

However, sudah often implies a completed change of state: something has become tame (as opposed to before, when it was not). In natural English, you might render this as:

• that snake is already tame now
• that snake has become tame
• often simply: that snake is tame (and let the context handle the “already”)

The use of sudah also supports the contrast with padahal:
He’s still afraid, even though by now the snake has already become tame.

Can the sentence be reordered like English, for example putting saya first: Saya adik laki-laki takut pada ular panjang?

No, that reordering is not correct.

In this sentence, the subject is the noun phrase Adik laki-laki saya (my younger brother). Indonesian basic word order is Subject – Predicate (similar to English), but the possessive still comes after the noun it modifies.

Correct structure:

• Adik laki-laki saya (subject)
• takut pada ular panjang (predicate: is afraid of a long snake)

You cannot just move saya to the front like in English. Saya adik laki-laki would sound like a fragment meaning I (am the) younger brother, not my younger brother.

Could I drop saya and just say Adik laki-laki takut pada ular panjang, padahal ular itu sudah jinak?

Grammatically, you can omit saya, but the meaning becomes less clear.

• Adik laki-laki saya = my younger brother (clearly indicates possession)
• Adik laki-laki alone just means (a/the) younger brother; whose brother is not stated.

In real conversations, context might make it obvious that you are talking about your own younger brother, so people sometimes drop saya. But if you want to be clear and complete, especially in writing or exercises, keep saya: Adik laki-laki saya.

Is there anything special about laki-laki being written with a hyphen?

Yes. Laki-laki is a reduplicated form (from laki) that functions as a single word meaning male/man. Standard spelling uses the hyphen:

• laki-laki = male (as in adik laki-laki = younger brother)

Without the hyphen (laki laki), it would be considered a spelling mistake in standard Indonesian. You may also see lelaki in some contexts, but in this phrase, adik laki-laki is the most common and natural form.