Breakdown of Kami berhati-hati karena beberapa zat kimia bisa menjadi racun bagi tubuh.
Questions & Answers about Kami berhati-hati karena beberapa zat kimia bisa menjadi racun bagi tubuh.
Indonesian has two different words for we:
- kami = we (not including the person spoken to) → exclusive we
- kita = we (including the person spoken to) → inclusive we
In Kami berhati-hati..., the speaker is saying that their group is careful, but the listener is not automatically included in that group.
If the speaker wanted to include the listener in the group that is being careful, they would say:
- Kita harus berhati-hati... – We (you and I) must be careful...
Berhati-hati comes from:
- hati – literally “liver” but figuratively “heart / feelings / inner self”
- ber- – a prefix that often makes an intransitive verb (“to have / to be with / to do”)
- hati-hati – reduplication of hati, which here expresses the idea of carefulness
So:
- berhati-hati literally: to be in a state of hati-hati, to be careful / cautious
- In everyday English: to be careful.
Reduplication (hati-hati) often adds nuance such as repetition, intensity, or a particular quality. In this case, it forms a fixed expression meaning careful.
You will also hear:
- Hati-hati! – Be careful! (imperative)
For standard, correct Indonesian in this meaning, you should say kami berhati-hati.
- berhati-hati is the proper verb: to be careful.
- hati-hati without ber- is normally used as an imperative or warning:
- Hati-hati di jalan! – Be careful on the road!
You might hear kami hati-hati in casual speech, but it sounds informal or ungrammatical to many speakers. Kami berhati-hati is the natural, correct form.
Karena is a conjunction meaning because.
In the sentence:
- Kami berhati-hati karena beberapa zat kimia bisa menjadi racun bagi tubuh.
→ Main clause: Kami berhati-hati (We are careful)
→ Reason clause: karena beberapa zat kimia bisa menjadi racun bagi tubuh (because some chemicals can become poison for the body)
You can also put the karena-clause at the beginning:
- Karena beberapa zat kimia bisa menjadi racun bagi tubuh, kami berhati-hati.
Both word orders are correct. Putting karena at the beginning often gives slightly more emphasis to the reason.
Beberapa means some or several. It usually indicates more than one but not many.
In this context:
- beberapa zat kimia = some chemicals / several chemicals
It’s generally closer to some or several than to many.
It is written as two words: zat kimia.
- zat – substance, material, element (in a physical/chemical sense)
- kimia – chemical / chemistry
So zat kimia literally means chemical substances.
In English, we usually just say chemicals.
Bisa is a modal verb meaning can / be able to / may (possibility).
- beberapa zat kimia bisa menjadi racun
→ some chemicals can become poison
Difference:
- bisa – very common in everyday speech; can mean ability or possibility
- dapat – a bit more formal; often used in writing; tends to focus on possibility or permission
You could say:
- ... beberapa zat kimia dapat menjadi racun bagi tubuh.
This is also correct and sounds slightly more formal. In speech, bisa is more typical.
The phrase bisa menjadi racun literally means can become poison.
- menjadi = to become
- racun = poison
- beracun = poisonous / toxic
Different nuances:
- bisa menjadi racun – can become poison (focus on the change of state)
- bisa beracun – can be poisonous (focus on having a poisonous quality)
- adalah racun – is poison (equating it directly with poison, no change implied)
So:
- beberapa zat kimia bisa menjadi racun bagi tubuh
→ they can turn into poison for the body (e.g., under certain conditions)
If you wanted to emphasize that they are poisonous in themselves, you might say:
- Beberapa zat kimia bisa beracun bagi tubuh. – Some chemicals can be poisonous to the body.
Bagi is a preposition that often corresponds to for, to, or for the sake of.
In racun bagi tubuh:
- bagi tubuh = for the body / to the body
→ here it expresses who/what is affected (the body).
Comparison:
- bagi – often used in a slightly more formal or written style; highlights the affected party or beneficiary.
- untuk – very common; often means for, in order to, intended for.
- pada – often on, in, at, to; can also mark what something is applied to or where something happens.
In this specific sentence, bagi tubuh and untuk tubuh are both possible:
- ... racun bagi tubuh – a bit more formal / neutral
- ... racun untuk tubuh – also understandable and natural
Pada tubuh would sound more like “on/in the body” and has a slightly different nuance.
Both tubuh and badan can mean body, but they differ slightly:
- tubuh – more formal, often used in scientific/medical or written contexts
- badan – more everyday and general
In a sentence about chemicals and poison, tubuh fits well because it sounds more scientific/neutral:
- racun bagi tubuh – poison for the body
In casual conversation, you might hear badan more often:
- Sakit seluruh badan saya. – My whole body hurts.
Indonesian does not use a separate verb like “to be” (am/is/are) in this kind of structure.
- Kami berhati-hati.
→ literally: We careful
→ actual meaning: We are careful.
Tense (past, present, future) is usually indicated by context or by time expressions, not by changing the verb form. For example:
- Kemarin kami berhati-hati. – Yesterday we were careful.
- Sekarang kami berhati-hati. – Now we are careful.
- Besok kami akan berhati-hati. – Tomorrow we will be careful.
Here, berhati-hati stays the same; tense comes from kemarin / sekarang / besok / akan, etc.
Yes, in real conversation people often shorten while keeping the same idea. Some possibilities:
- Kami berhati-hati karena beberapa zat kimia beracun.
→ We are careful because some chemicals are poisonous. - Kami berhati-hati; beberapa zat kimia bisa jadi racun bagi tubuh.
→ We’re careful; some chemicals can become poison for the body.
But the original sentence:
- Kami berhati-hati karena beberapa zat kimia bisa menjadi racun bagi tubuh.
is already quite natural and clear in standard Indonesian.