Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Pagi itu pengantin perempuan pergi ke salon untuk dirias. - That morning the bride goes to the salon to get her makeup done.

Putting a time expression like pagi itu at the beginning is very normal in Indonesian. It works like setting the scene: “That morning, …”.
So the sentence structure is basically:

Time
- Subject
  - Verb
    - Other information
Pagi itu
- pengantin perempuan
  - pergi
    - ke salon untuk dirias

Could we also say pada pagi itu? Is there a difference from pagi itu?

Yes, you can say pada pagi itu, and it is still correct.

pada pagi itu = on that morning
pagi itu = that morning

pada is a preposition roughly like “on/at”, but in everyday speech it’s often dropped when talking about times.

Pagi itu dia sakit.
Pada pagi itu dia sakit.

Both are fine. Pagi itu (without pada) is slightly more casual and very common in spoken and written Indonesian.

Why is it pengantin perempuan and not perempuan pengantin?

In Indonesian, the typical and natural order for this meaning is pengantin perempuan.

pengantin = “bride/groom” (a person who is getting married; gender-neutral by itself)
perempuan = female / woman

So pengantin perempuan = female bride → simply “the bride”.

Perempuan pengantin is not how people say it; it sounds wrong or at least very odd. Certain words form fixed combinations, and pengantin perempuan is one of them.

Is there any difference between pengantin perempuan and mempelai wanita or istri?

Yes, there are differences in nuance:

pengantin perempuan
- Common, neutral, widely used in everyday language.
- Specifically the bride on the wedding day / around the wedding.
mempelai wanita
- More formal or ceremonial; you might see it in invitations, speeches, or news reports.
- Meaning is the same: the bride.
istri
- Means wife, so it refers to her after the marriage (or in general), not specifically as a bride.

In this sentence, pengantin perempuan is natural and fits a normal narrative description.

Is pergi (“go”) necessary? Could the sentence be just Pagi itu pengantin perempuan ke salon untuk dirias?

Spoken Indonesian sometimes drops pergi in very informal styles, but the more standard and clear form is with pergi.

Pagi itu pengantin perempuan pergi ke salon untuk dirias.
→ Fully standard; no ambiguity.
Pagi itu pengantin perempuan ke salon untuk dirias.
→ Understandable in casual speech, but sounds incomplete in careful writing or formal speech.

For learners, it’s safer to include pergi in this type of sentence.

Why is it ke salon and not di salon?

Because the verb is pergi (“to go”), which describes movement towards a place. For movement, Indonesian uses ke (“to”).

pergi ke salon = go to the salon
di salon = at/in the salon (location, no movement expressed)

Compare:

Dia pergi ke salon. = She went to the salon.
Dia sudah di salon. = She is already at the salon.

Why isn’t there an article like “a” or “the” before salon?

Indonesian does not have articles like a/an or the. The bare noun salon can mean:

a salon (any salon)
the salon (a specific one, understood from context)

Context usually tells you whether it’s “a” or “the” in English.
If you really want to emphasize “a certain salon”, you can say:

ke sebuah salon = to a salon (one salon, unspecified)

But in most cases, ke salon is perfectly enough.

What does untuk do in this sentence? Could we use supaya or agar instead?

Here, untuk introduces the purpose of going to the salon:

untuk dirias = in order to be made up / to get her makeup done

untuk + verb often means “to / in order to” (purpose).

You could use supaya or agar, but the structure changes:

Pagi itu pengantin perempuan pergi ke salon supaya dia bisa dirias.
Pagi itu pengantin perempuan pergi ke salon agar dia bisa dirias.

These mean roughly: That morning the bride went to the salon so that she could be made up.
With untuk dirias, the sentence is more compact and very natural.

What does dirias mean exactly, and how is it formed?

dirias is a passive verb.

Root: rias
- Noun/verb: makeup / to make someone up (do makeup, styling)
Prefix: di- (passive marker)

So:

merias = to do makeup on someone (active)
- Makeup artist merias pengantin perempuan. = The makeup artist makes up the bride.
dirias = to be made up (passive)
- Pengantin perempuan dirias. = The bride is made up / gets her makeup done.

In the sentence, untuk dirias = to be made up / to get her makeup done.

If dirias is passive, who is doing the action? It’s not mentioned.

In Indonesian, passive sentences often omit the agent when it’s obvious or unimportant.

Pengantin perempuan pergi ke salon untuk dirias.

We understand from context that someone at the salon (a makeup artist, hair stylist, etc.) is doing the makeup. You don’t need to say it.

You can mention the agent if you want:

…untuk dirias oleh penata rias.
= to be made up by the makeup artist.

But it’s not necessary, and leaving it out is very natural.

How do we know this sentence is in the past tense if the verb doesn’t change?

Indonesian verbs do not change for tense (no -ed, no conjugation). Time is usually shown by:

Time expressions: kemarin (yesterday), besok (tomorrow), tadi (earlier), sekarang (now), pagi itu (that morning), etc.
Context.

Here, pagi itu (“that morning”) clearly indicates a past moment. So:

Pagi itu pengantin perempuan pergi ke salon untuk dirias.
→ In English, we naturally translate with the past tense:
That morning, the bride went to the salon to be made up.

Are there other natural ways to say this same sentence in Indonesian?

Yes, there are several natural variations with slightly different nuance:

Pagi itu sang pengantin perempuan pergi ke salon untuk dirias.
- sang adds a slightly more literary / respectful tone.
Pagi itu pengantin perempuan pergi ke salon untuk didandani.
- didandani (from dandan, to dress up / make up) is a bit more casual and can mean doing makeup and dressing her nicely.
Pagi itu pengantin perempuan pergi ke salon untuk merias diri.
- Literally “to make herself up”; focuses more on her own action, less on someone else doing it.

All of these are grammatical; the original sentence is neutral, clear, and common.