Adik laki-laki saya gemetar sebentar ketika melihat paus raksasa di layar besar.

My younger brother shivers for a moment when he sees the giant whale on the big screen.

Breakdown of Adik laki-laki saya gemetar sebentar ketika melihat paus raksasa di layar besar.

• ketika: when
• di: on
• sebentar: for a moment
• besar: big
• saya: my
• layar: the screen
• melihat: to see
• adik laki-laki: the younger brother
• paus: the whale
• gemetar: to shiver
• raksasa: giant

Questions & Answers about Adik laki-laki saya gemetar sebentar ketika melihat paus raksasa di layar besar.

Why is it adik laki-laki saya and not saya adik laki-laki, like in English my younger brother?

Indonesian puts possessors after the noun they own, not before it like English.

• Adik laki-laki saya
  
  • adik = younger sibling
  • laki-laki = male
  • saya = I / me (here: my)
    → literally: younger sibling male my

So:

• adik laki-laki saya = my younger brother
• rumah saya = my house (literally: house my)
• teman saya = my friend

Putting saya before the noun (saya adik laki-laki) is ungrammatical for this meaning.

Can adik laki-laki be shortened? Can I just say adik?

Yes, and it depends on context:

• adik laki-laki saya = my younger brother (explicitly male)
• adik perempuan saya = my younger sister (explicitly female)
• adik saya = my younger sibling (gender not specified)

In conversation, if it’s already clear you’re talking about a boy, Indonesians often just say:

• Adik saya gemetar sebentar…

That would usually be understood as my younger brother in the right context.
But if you need to be clear about gender (e.g., in writing or formal context), adik laki-laki (younger brother) is safer.

What does gemetar mean exactly? Is it like to shake, to shiver, or to tremble?

Gemetar covers all of these ideas; it means the body is shaking or trembling, usually because of:

• fear
• cold
• nervousness
• shock

So depending on context, you might translate it as:

• He trembled briefly…
• He shivered a little…
• He shook for a moment…

The sentence doesn’t specify why he’s gemetar; that comes from context (here, presumably awe, fear, or being overwhelmed by the giant whale).

What is the function of sebentar in gemetar sebentar?

Sebentar means for a short time, briefly, or for a moment.

In gemetar sebentar:

• gemetar = to tremble
• sebentar = briefly / for a short time

So gemetar sebentar = trembled briefly / shook for a moment.

Grammatically, sebentar works like an adverb of time here, modifying gemetar.
Similar words:

• sebentar = a short while
• sejenak = for a moment
• sebentar saja / sebentar kok = just a moment (often reassuring tone)

How do we know this sentence is in the past? There’s no past tense marker on gemetar or melihat.

Indonesian verbs usually do not change form for tense. Instead, tense is inferred from:

• context
• time adverbs (e.g., tadi, kemarin, besok)
• the wider narrative

In isolation, the sentence:

• Adik laki-laki saya gemetar sebentar ketika melihat paus raksasa di layar besar.

could be translated as:

• My younger brother trembled briefly when he saw the giant whale on the big screen. (past)
  or
• My younger brother trembles briefly when he sees the giant whale on the big screen. (present, like a general reaction)

If you want to mark past more explicitly, you can add a time word:

• Tadi adik laki-laki saya gemetar sebentar ketika melihat paus raksasa di layar besar.
  = Earlier, my younger brother trembled briefly when he saw the giant whale on the big screen.

What is the difference between ketika, saat, and waktu? Could I replace ketika here?

All three can mean when (as a conjunction introducing a time clause), but with slightly different flavors:

• ketika
  
  • neutral, common in both spoken and written Indonesian
  • works well in most situations
• saat
  
  • literally moment
  • very common in spoken language and modern writing
  • sometimes feels a bit more colloquial or narrative
• waktu
  
  • literally time
  • also used as when, especially in spoken Indonesian

In your sentence, you can say:

• … gemetar sebentar ketika melihat paus raksasa…
• … gemetar sebentar saat melihat paus raksasa…
• … gemetar sebentar waktu melihat paus raksasa… (more informal / conversational)

All are grammatical and natural, with ketika slightly more neutral/formal than waktu.

Why is it melihat paus raksasa, not melihat raksasa paus?

Indonesian word order for noun phrases is typically:

• Noun + modifier

Here:

• paus = whale
• raksasa = giant (as an adjective), or literal giant (mythical creature)

So:

• paus raksasa = a giant whale (literally: whale giant)

Putting it as raksasa paus would sound wrong or change the meaning; it would suggest something like a giant (creature) [called] whale, which is not normal.

Other examples:

• rumah besar = big house
• anjing hitam = black dog
• kapal kecil = small boat

Always: noun first, describing word after.

Does paus raksasa mean a giant whale or the giant whale? There’s no a / the in Indonesian.

Indonesian doesn’t use articles like a, an, or the.
So paus raksasa can mean:

• a giant whale
• the giant whale
• even giant whales (plural) depending on context.

In your sentence, natural English would probably be:

• …when he saw the giant whale on the big screen.
  (because it sounds like a specific whale, e.g., on a cinema screen or in a documentary)

If you really wanted to emphasize a vs the, you’d use context or add extra words:

• seekor paus raksasa = a giant whale (one animal, counted as an animal)
• paus raksasa itu = that / the giant whale (very specific)

What does di layar besar mean exactly? Is it on, in, or at the big screen?

Indonesian di is a general preposition for location, and can map to different English prepositions:

• di = in / on / at (depending on context)

Here, di layar besar:

• layar = screen
• besar = big
  → literally: at/on big screen

In natural English, you’d choose:

• on the big screen (like in a cinema or large display)

You could also say:

• di layar yang besar (on the big screen – more specific/emphatic)

But di layar besar is already clear and natural.

Why is there no word for he or him in the Indonesian sentence?

Indonesian often omits pronouns when they’re clear from context.

In English we say:

• My younger brother trembled briefly when he saw the giant whale…

In Indonesian:

• Adik laki-laki saya gemetar sebentar ketika melihat paus raksasa…

The subject of melihat is understood to be adik laki-laki saya, so there is no need to repeat dia (he).

If you want to make it explicit, you can say:

• …ketika dia melihat paus raksasa di layar besar.

Both are correct; the version without dia is shorter and very natural.

Could I say adik lelaki saya instead of adik laki-laki saya?

In Indonesian:

• laki-laki (with hyphen) = man / male (standard, very common)
• lelaki = man / male (also correct, more common in writing/literature, or in certain regional styles)

So grammatically:

• adik laki-laki saya – very standard and common
• adik lelaki saya – also correct, just a slight style difference

They mean the same thing: my younger brother.
In everyday speech across Indonesia, laki-laki is more commonly heard.

Can I replace saya with aku here? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can, but the tone changes.

• saya
  
  • neutral, polite, more formal
  • used with strangers, in formal situations, or polite speech
• aku
  
  • informal, more intimate
  • used with friends, family, or people your age in casual settings

So:

• Adik laki-laki saya gemetar sebentar…
  → polite/neutral narration
• Adik laki-laki aku gemetar sebentar…
  → sounds like you’re talking casually to someone close

Both are grammatically correct; choose based on the level of formality and your relationship with the listener.