Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Ilmuwan itu mencampur dua cairan dan menjelaskan reaksi kimia yang terjadi. - The scientist mixes two liquids and explains the chemical reaction that occurs.

Ilmuwan itu mencampur dua cairan dan menjelaskan reaksi kimia yang terjadi.

The scientist mixes two liquids and explains the chemical reaction that occurs.

Breakdown of Ilmuwan itu mencampur dua cairan dan menjelaskan reaksi kimia yang terjadi.

the chemical reaction

terjadi

to occur

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Questions & Answers about Ilmuwan itu mencampur dua cairan dan menjelaskan reaksi kimia yang terjadi.

What does itu in ilmuwan itu mean? Is it the scientist or that scientist?

Itu is a demonstrative that can mean that or can work like the in English.

ilmuwan itu can be:
- that scientist (if you are pointing or contrasting)
- the scientist (the one already known in the context or story)

Indonesian does not have a separate article like the, so itu is very often used after a noun to indicate a specific, known thing or person.

So ilmuwan itu is best translated as the scientist, but in some contexts it could also be understood as that scientist.

Why is it mencampur and not just campur? What does the me- prefix do?

The base word is campur (mix). The prefix me- turns it into an active verb:

campur = mix (basic root, often used in fixed phrases or as a command: Campur semua bahan! – Mix all the ingredients!)
mencampur = to mix (as a normal active verb: Ia mencampur gula dengan air. – He/She mixes sugar with water.)

In this sentence:

ilmuwan itu (the scientist) = subject (doer)
mencampur (mixes) = active verb
dua cairan (two liquids) = object (thing being mixed)

So mencampur is the correct active form: the scientist mixes …
If you say just campur dua cairan, it sounds more like a command: Mix two liquids.

Why is it mencampur and not mengcampur? How is the spelling decided?

The prefix is meN-, and its exact shape changes depending on the first letter of the root:

Before c, meN- becomes men-.
Root: campur
meN- + campur → mencampur (the N is realized as n before c)

Some common patterns:

meN- + p → mem
- (p often drops): pukul → memukul
meN- + t → men
- (t often drops): tulis → menulis
meN- + k → meng
- (k often drops): kirim → mengirim
meN- + s → meny
- (s often drops): sapu → menyapu

So mengcampur is not correct; the proper form is mencampur.

How do I know this sentence is in the past? There’s no past tense marker.

Indonesian verbs usually do not change form for tense. Mencampur by itself could mean:

mixed (past)
is mixing (present)
mixes (present habitual)
will mix (future, in some contexts)

The tense is understood from context or from extra words if needed:

Past: ilmuwan itu sudah mencampur dua cairan. – The scientist already mixed two liquids.
Progressive: ilmuwan itu sedang mencampur dua cairan. – The scientist is mixing two liquids.
Future: ilmuwan itu akan mencampur dua cairan. – The scientist will mix two liquids.

In isolation, Ilmuwan itu mencampur dua cairan dan menjelaskan… is commonly translated as past in English (mixed and explained), but grammatically it’s neutral in Indonesian and can be adjusted by context.

Why is it dua cairan and not cairan dua? What is the usual word order?

The normal word order for numbers and nouns in Indonesian is:

[number] + [noun]

So:

dua cairan = two liquids
tiga orang = three people
lima buku = five books

cairan dua is not normal for counting. You might see something like cairan dua jenis (two kinds of liquid), but simple counting almost always puts the number before the noun.

So dua cairan is the natural, correct order.

What exactly does cairan mean? How is it different from air or larutan?

cairan = a liquid (any substance in liquid state)
- e.g., cairan kimia, cairan tubuh (bodily fluids)
air = water
- It can also refer to “liquid” in very casual speech, but strictly it is water.
larutan = a solution (a liquid where something has been dissolved)
- e.g., larutan garam (salt solution), larutan gula (sugar solution)

In a chemistry context:

dua cairan = two liquids (they might be anything)
dua larutan = two solutions (specifically solutions)

In the given sentence, dua cairan is a natural, general way to say two liquids without specifying that they are solutions.

What does menjelaskan mean, and how is it formed?

Menjelaskan means to explain.

It comes from:

adjective jelas = clear
prefix + suffix me- … -kan → menjelaskan = to make something clear, to explain

Patterns:

jelas (clear) → menjelaskan (to explain, to clarify)
bersih (clean) → membersihkan (to clean something)
panjang (long) → memanjangkan (to lengthen, to make longer)

In the sentence, ilmuwan itu … menjelaskan reaksi kimia = the scientist explained the chemical reaction (made the reaction clear to someone).

What does the phrase reaksi kimia yang terjadi literally mean?

Breakdown:

reaksi = reaction
kimia = chemical
reaksi kimia = chemical reaction
yang = a word used to introduce a clause that describes a noun (like that / which / who in English)
terjadi = to happen, to occur

So reaksi kimia yang terjadi literally is:

the chemical reaction that happened / that occurred

Here, yang terjadi is a relative clause describing reaksi kimia.
Natural English translations:

the chemical reaction that occurred
the chemical reaction that took place

What exactly does yang do in reaksi kimia yang terjadi?

Yang is used to link a noun with a description or clause that further explains it. In English, this is often that, which, or who in a relative clause.

Structure here:

reaksi kimia = chemical reaction (the noun)
yang terjadi = that happened (the describing clause)
reaksi kimia yang terjadi = the chemical reaction that happened

So yang works like the bridge:

NOUN + yang + CLAUSE → the NOUN that/who/which + CLAUSE

Examples:

orang yang datang tadi = the person who came earlier
buku yang saya baca = the book that I read
reaksi kimia yang terjadi = the chemical reaction that occurred

What does terjadi mean, and is it different from berlangsung or muncul?

Terjadi means to happen, to occur. It’s very common with:

events: kecelakaan terjadi (an accident happened)
phenomena: gempa terjadi (an earthquake occurred)
situations: perubahan besar terjadi (a big change took place)

Related verbs:

berlangsung = to be in progress, to take place over a period
- Pertandingan sedang berlangsung. – The match is going on.
muncul = to appear, to show up
- Gelembung muncul di permukaan. – Bubbles appeared on the surface.

In reaksi kimia yang terjadi, terjadi focuses on the fact that the reaction happened/occurred, not on its duration (berlangsung) or its first appearance (muncul).

Could I say reaksi kimia itu instead of reaksi kimia yang terjadi? What’s the difference?

You could say reaksi kimia itu, but the nuance changes.

reaksi kimia itu = that/the chemical reaction (already known or mentioned; just pointing to a specific reaction)
reaksi kimia yang terjadi = the chemical reaction that occurred (specifically the one that occurred in this context)

So:

Ilmuwan itu … menjelaskan reaksi kimia itu.
– The scientist explained that chemical reaction. (pointing to a particular one, but you don’t highlight that it “occurred” just now)
Ilmuwan itu … menjelaskan reaksi kimia yang terjadi.
– The scientist explained the chemical reaction that occurred. (emphasizes that this reaction has just taken place as a result of mixing the two liquids)

In this sentence, yang terjadi ties the explanation directly to the reaction produced by mixing the two liquids.

In mencampur dua cairan dan menjelaskan reaksi kimia…, does dan link the verbs? Is the subject repeated?

Yes. Dan is linking two actions with the same subject:

(Ilmuwan itu) mencampur dua cairan
(Ilmuwan itu) menjelaskan reaksi kimia yang terjadi

Indonesian often omits repeating the subject when it’s the same:

Ilmuwan itu mencampur dua cairan dan menjelaskan reaksi kimia…

You could repeat it (less common here, but grammatically fine):

Ilmuwan itu mencampur dua cairan dan ilmuwan itu menjelaskan reaksi kimia…
Or with a pronoun: … dan ia menjelaskan reaksi kimia…

So dan here is joining two verbs/actions that share the subject ilmuwan itu.

What’s the overall level of formality of this sentence? Is it something you’d say in everyday conversation?

The sentence is neutral–formal, suitable for:

textbooks
news reports
explanations in class
written descriptions of experiments

It’s not slangy or very casual, but it’s also not extremely formal. You can say it in conversation, especially in an academic or work context.

In very casual talk, people might shorten or simplify, for example:

Tadi ilmuwannya campur dua cairan, terus dia jelasin reaksinya.

But Ilmuwan itu mencampur dua cairan dan menjelaskan reaksi kimia yang terjadi. is perfectly natural in written and spoken standard Indonesian.

How would I say “The scientists mixed two liquids and explained the chemical reaction that occurred” (plural scientists)?

You can mark the plural in a couple of ways, though Indonesian often leaves plurality to context.

Common options:

Para ilmuwan itu mencampur dua cairan dan menjelaskan reaksi kimia yang terjadi.
- para marks that ilmuwan is plural: the scientists.
Ilmuwan-ilmuwan itu mencampur dua cairan dan menjelaskan reaksi kimia yang terjadi.
- Reduplication ilmuwan-ilmuwan also marks plural; sounds a bit more “textbooky”.
Just context:
- Ilmuwan itu mencampur dua cairan…
  could also mean the scientists, if the context already makes it clear there are several scientists.

The most natural explicit plural here is Para ilmuwan itu….

Is there a passive version of this sentence? How would it look?

Yes. Indonesian often uses the di- prefix for passive voice.

Active (original):

Ilmuwan itu mencampur dua cairan dan menjelaskan reaksi kimia yang terjadi.

Possible passive versions:

Focus on the liquids and reaction (agent optional):
- Dua cairan dicampur dan reaksi kimia yang terjadi dijelaskan (oleh ilmuwan itu).
  – Two liquids were mixed and the chemical reaction that occurred was explained (by the scientist).
Keep the agent explicit:
- Dua cairan itu dicampur dan reaksi kimia yang terjadi dijelaskan oleh ilmuwan itu.

Notes:

dicampur = is/was mixed
dijelaskan = is/was explained
oleh ilmuwan itu = by the scientist (can be dropped if obvious)

The active version sounds more natural unless you intentionally want to emphasize the process/results rather than who did it.