Breakdown of Pelayan perempuan itu belajar bahasa Jepang, jadi dia bisa menjelaskan menu dengan lancar.
Questions & Answers about Pelayan perempuan itu belajar bahasa Jepang, jadi dia bisa menjelaskan menu dengan lancar.
Pelayan means waiter / server (literally: someone who serves).
Perempuan means woman / female.
So pelayan perempuan literally means female server → in natural English: waitress.
You can say just pelayan if gender is not important or not known. Adding perempuan specifies that the server is a woman.
Other options you might see:
- pelayan wanita – also “female server”, a bit more old‑fashioned
- pramusaji – more formal/neutral, also means “waiter/waitress”
Itu literally means that, but it’s also used to show that the noun is specific/known, similar to the in English.
- pelayan perempuan = a female server / waitress (not specific)
- pelayan perempuan itu = that (or the) female server / that waitress (the one we both know or can see)
In Indonesian, itu usually comes after the noun phrase:
- rumah itu = that house / the house
- anak laki-laki itu = that boy / the boy
- pelayan perempuan itu = that female server / the waitress
Belajar means to study / to learn.
When you say what is being learned, you put it directly after belajar, with no extra preposition:
- belajar bahasa Jepang = to study Japanese (language)
- belajar bahasa Indonesia = to study Indonesian
- belajar Matematika = to study Math
So belajar untuk bahasa Jepang would sound unnatural. In most cases, belajar + [subject] is the correct pattern.
You may also see:
- belajar bahasa Jepang dengan giat = study Japanese diligently
Both have the idea of studying/learning, but they’re used a bit differently:
- belajar = to learn / to study (general, very common, intransitive)
- Saya belajar bahasa Jepang. = I study Japanese.
- mempelajari = to study something in depth (more formal, transitive, often in writing)
- Saya mempelajari bahasa Jepang. = I study Japanese (often suggests more serious or systematic study).
In daily conversation, belajar bahasa Jepang is more common and natural than mempelajari bahasa Jepang.
In this sentence, jadi means so / therefore and connects cause and result:
- Pelayan perempuan itu belajar bahasa Jepang, jadi dia bisa menjelaskan menu dengan lancar.
= That waitress studies Japanese, so she can explain the menu fluently.
Common similar connectors:
- jadi = so / therefore (very common in speech and writing)
- sehingga = so that / with the result that (slightly more formal)
- oleh karena itu / karena itu = therefore (more formal, written style)
The comma before jadi is normal in Indonesian when connecting two full clauses.
In Indonesian capitalization rules:
- Names of languages: the word bahasa is lowercase, the nationality is capitalized.
- bahasa Jepang = Japanese (language)
- bahasa Indonesia = Indonesian
- bahasa Inggris = English
So only Jepang / Indonesia / Inggris is capitalized, not bahasa.
If you see Bahasa Indonesia with a capital B, that’s common in informal usage, but according to standard rules it’s bahasa Indonesia.
Dia is gender‑neutral. It can mean he or she, depending on context.
In this sentence, because we just mentioned pelayan perempuan itu (that female server), we understand that dia refers to a woman, so we translate it as she.
Other related pronouns:
- dia – he/she (neutral, common)
- ia – he/she (more formal, often used in writing)
- beliau – he/she (respectful, for someone you respect, e.g. elders, teachers, officials)
Indonesian usually does not mark gender in pronouns; context tells you which one it is.
Yes, that’s possible and still grammatical:
- Pelayan perempuan itu belajar bahasa Jepang, jadi bisa menjelaskan menu dengan lancar.
This would still be understood as “so (she) can explain the menu fluently”, because the subject is clear from the first clause.
However, including dia is very natural and clear, especially in writing. Indonesian often drops pronouns when the subject is obvious, but keeping them is also fine.
All three can translate to can, but they’re used differently:
- bisa = can / be able to (ability, possibility)
- dia bisa menjelaskan menu = she can explain the menu (she is able)
- dapat = can / may / to get (slightly more formal for “can”)
- dia dapat menjelaskan menu = she can explain the menu (similar to bisa, more formal)
- boleh = may / allowed to (permission)
- Dia boleh menjelaskan menu. = She is allowed to explain the menu.
In this sentence we’re talking about ability (she is able to explain), so bisa is the most natural choice.
Menjelaskan means to explain.
It comes from the root jelas (clear) plus the prefix meN‑ and suffix ‑kan:
- jelas = clear
- menjelaskan = to make something clear → to explain something
Pattern:
meN- + [adjective] + -kan → verb “to make X”
Other examples:
- panjang (long) → memanjangkan (to lengthen)
- bersih (clean) → membersihkan (to clean / to make clean)
In this sentence, menjelaskan takes an object:
- menjelaskan menu = explain the menu
Both can appear in Indonesian, but they’re a bit different:
- menjelaskan menu
= explain the menu (focus on the menu itself, its items, contents, etc.) - menjelaskan tentang menu
= explain about the menu (more like discussing the topic of the menu)
In practice, menjelaskan menu is shorter and more natural here.
Menjelaskan + [direct object] is the standard pattern:
- menjelaskan aturan = explain the rules
- menjelaskan rencana = explain the plan
Dengan lancar literally means with smoothness, and is used like fluently / smoothly.
- dengan = with
- lancar = smooth, fluent
Common collocations:
- berbicara bahasa Jepang dengan lancar = speak Japanese fluently
- membaca dengan lancar = read fluently
- presentasi dengan lancar = (do a) presentation smoothly
In this sentence:
- menjelaskan menu dengan lancar = explain the menu fluently / smoothly.
It functions like an adverb describing how she explains the menu.
Some parts are fixed, others are flexible:
Placement of itu
It generally comes after the noun phrase:- ✅ pelayan perempuan itu
- ❌ itu pelayan perempuan (this is possible in other structures, but not as the normal “that waitress” noun phrase here).
Placement of dengan lancar
Adverbial phrases like dengan lancar are more flexible:- dia bisa menjelaskan menu dengan lancar (most natural)
- dia bisa dengan lancar menjelaskan menu (possible, but less common)
- dengan lancar dia bisa menjelaskan menu (emphasis on “fluently”; okay in some contexts, more stylistic)
The original order is the most typical and natural everyday style:
Pelayan perempuan itu / belajar bahasa Jepang, / jadi dia bisa / menjelaskan menu / dengan lancar.