Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Sebagian petani di desa juga menjadi nelayan pada pagi hari dan kembali ke sawah menjelang siang. - Some farmers in the village also become fishermen in the morning and return to the rice fields before noon.

Sebagian petani di desa = Some of the farmers in the village (a portion of all the farmers there).
It implies there is a larger, defined group (all the farmers in the village), and we are talking about a subset of that group.

Beberapa means “several / some (not very many)”, and it focuses more on number rather than “a part of a known whole.”

Beberapa petani di desa = Several farmers in the village (a small number, but not necessarily emphasizing “part of the whole group”).

In this sentence, sebagian is more natural because we are talking about a certain portion of all the farmers changing roles during part of the day.

Why is “petani” (farmer) not made plural? How do we know it means “farmers”?

Indonesian usually doesn’t mark plural with an -s like English. The word petani can mean:

a farmer
the farmer
farmers (in general)

You know it’s plural here from context:

Sebagian petani di desa = Some (of the) farmers in the village
- Sebagian already implies a group, so petani here must be plural.

If you really want to make it explicitly plural, you can say:

para petani (a formal/plural collective, “the farmers”)
para petani di desa itu (the farmers in that village)

But very often, just petani is enough, and plural is understood from the surrounding words.

Does “di desa” describe the farmers or the fishermen? Is it “farmers in the village” or “fishermen in the village”?

Grammatically, di desa most naturally attaches to petani:

Sebagian petani di desa = Some of the farmers in the village

So the basic structure is:

Sebagian petani di desa (subject)
juga menjadi nelayan (verb phrase: also become/work as fishermen)
pada pagi hari (time)
dan kembali ke sawah menjelang siang (and return to the fields toward midday)

In normal reading, “in the village” is understood to modify petani (farmers). The sentence is not primarily saying where they fish; it is describing which farmers.

What does “juga” do in this sentence, and where can it be placed?

Juga means “also / too”.

In this sentence:

Sebagian petani di desa juga menjadi nelayan
→ Some of the farmers in the village *also become / work as fishermen*

It implies they are farmers, and in addition to that main role, they also work as fishermen (part-time, in the morning).

Usual placement:

It normally comes before the verb or phrase it modifies:
- Dia juga bekerja di kantor. = He also works in an office.
- Sebagian petani di desa juga menjadi nelayan.

If you move juga around too much, it can sound unnatural or ambiguous. The position in the sentence as given is very natural.

Why do we use “menjadi nelayan” and not “adalah nelayan” or “sebagai nelayan”?

All three (menjadi, adalah, sebagai) relate to “being” something, but they’re used differently.

menjadi + noun
- Literally “to become”, but often used like “work as / serve as” in context of roles or jobs, especially when there is change or temporary role.
- Sebagian petani … menjadi nelayan pada pagi hari
  → They become / act as / work as fishermen in the morning (they are originally farmers).
adalah + noun
- Used for definitions or permanent identities:
- Dia adalah nelayan. = He is a fisherman (that’s his main identity).
- It wouldn’t fit well in the middle of this clause describing a part-time role in a part of the day.
sebagai + noun
- Means “as (in the role of)”:
- Sebagian petani di desa bekerja sebagai nelayan pada pagi hari.
  → Some of the farmers in the village work as fishermen in the morning.
- This is also correct, but the original chooses menjadi to emphasize the shift/role change: farmers who temporarily “become” fishermen.

Indonesian doesn’t show tense like English. How do we know this is talking about a regular habit and not the future or past?

Indonesian verbs don’t change form for past / present / future. We understand the time from:

Context and world knowledge:
- Farmers and fishermen usually have repeated daily routines, so it’s read as a habit.
Time expressions:
- pada pagi hari = in the morning
- menjelang siang = toward midday
  These fit naturally with a routine description.

If you want to mark time more explicitly, you can add adverbs:

biasanya (usually):
Sebagian petani di desa biasanya menjadi nelayan pada pagi hari…
setiap hari (every day):
Sebagian petani di desa setiap hari menjadi nelayan pada pagi hari…

For past or completed action, you might use:

kemarin (yesterday), tadi pagi (this morning),
or aspect markers like sudah (already), pernah (ever).

But in this sentence as is, it’s understood as a general, habitual present.

Why do we say “pada pagi hari” instead of just “pagi”? Is “pada” required?

pagi = morning
pagi hari = literally “morning day” → a slightly fuller, more formal or descriptive way to say “morning.”
In everyday speech, pagi alone is very common.

pada is a preposition roughly like “at / on / in” for time expressions.

pada pagi hari = in the morning (more formal/complete)
You can also say:
- pagi hari (without pada)
- pagi (just “morning”)

All of these can be acceptable depending on style:

Sebagian petani di desa menjadi nelayan pada pagi hari… (more complete / written style)
Sebagian petani di desa menjadi nelayan pagi hari… (still fine)
Sebagian petani di desa menjadi nelayan pagi… (more informal/spoken)

In many everyday sentences, pada is optional before time words like pagi, siang, malam, sore.

What exactly does “menjelang siang” mean? Is it the same as “at noon”?

Menjelang means “approaching / nearing / toward (a time or event)”.

menjelang siang = toward midday / close to noon / late morning

It does not mean exactly “at noon”; it’s more like the period before noon, when noon is approaching.

Other examples:

menjelang malam = toward evening / as night approaches
menjelang sore = toward late afternoon

So in the sentence:

… dan kembali ke sawah menjelang siang.
→ They return to the fields around late morning, before or near noon, not exactly at noon.

What is a “sawah”? Is it just any field?

Sawah is not just any field. It specifically refers to a rice field, usually:

flooded or irrigated,
with water channels and terraces in many regions.

So:

sawah = wet rice paddy / rice field
ladang = dry field, non-irrigated, used for other crops (corn, cassava, etc.)

In this sentence, kembali ke sawah means they go back to their rice fields, where they work as farmers after fishing.

Why do we use “di” in “di desa” but “ke” in “ke sawah”?

di and ke are different prepositions:

di = “in / at / on” (location, where something/someone is)
- di desa = in the village
- It’s describing where the farmers are from / live / work.
ke = “to / toward” (direction, movement to a place)
- ke sawah = to the rice field(s)
- It’s part of the verb phrase kembali ke sawah = “return to the fields.”

So:

Sebagian petani di desa: some farmers located in the village.
kembali ke sawah: they move back to the rice fields.

Why is there no subject repeated before “kembali ke sawah”? Could we say “… dan mereka kembali ke sawah …”?

Indonesian often omits repeated subjects when the subject is clear from context.

Subject in first clause: Sebagian petani di desa
Second clause: (Sebagian petani di desa) kembali ke sawah menjelang siang.

We understand that the same group of farmers is doing both actions:

… menjadi nelayan pada pagi hari
dan (mereka) kembali ke sawah menjelang siang

You can say:

… dan mereka kembali ke sawah menjelang siang.

This is grammatically correct, but in Indonesian it may sound somewhat redundant or less smooth unless you need to emphasize “they” or contrast with another group. The shorter version is more natural and fluent.

Can we change the word order and say “Pada pagi hari, sebagian petani di desa juga menjadi nelayan …”? Does it change the meaning?

Yes, you can change the word order:

Pada pagi hari, sebagian petani di desa juga menjadi nelayan dan kembali ke sawah menjelang siang.

This is still correct and the meaning is essentially the same.

Differences:

Original: Sebagian petani di desa juga menjadi nelayan pada pagi hari…
- Slightly more neutral; starts with who (the farmers), then tells what they do and when.
Moved time phrase: Pada pagi hari, sebagian petani di desa …
- Puts slight emphasis on the time (“In the morning…”) as the setting, then introduces the farmers.

Both orders are common. Indonesian is quite flexible with time expressions like pada pagi hari, menjelang siang, kemarin, besok, etc.

Is there a difference between “kembali ke sawah” and saying “balik ke sawah”?

Both kembali and balik mean “to return / go back”, but:

kembali:
- More neutral, can be formal or standard.
- Fits well in written or narrative Indonesian.
balik:
- More informal / colloquial, often used in spoken Indonesian.
- Example: Aku balik ke rumah. = I’m going back home.

In this sentence, kembali ke sawah:

sounds more neutral and slightly formal, suitable for writing or descriptive text.
Balik ke sawah would sound more conversational.

Could we drop “hari” and say “pada pagi” instead of “pada pagi hari”? Is there a nuance?

Yes, you can say:

pada pagi hari
pada pagi
pagi hari
pagi

All can be understood as “in the morning”.

Nuance:

pagi hari / pada pagi hari
- Slightly more complete / formal-sounding, common in writing or careful speech.
pagi / pada pagi
- More everyday / concise.
- In speech you’ll often just hear pagi:
  - Dia bekerja pagi dan pulang sore.

So dropping “hari” doesn’t change the core meaning; it just shifts style a bit toward more casual.