Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Orang tua saya menandatangani rapor saya dan menulis catatan bahwa saya perlu lebih banyak perhatian pada pelajaran fisika. - My parents sign my report card and write a note that I need to pay more attention to physics lessons.

Orang tua saya menandatangani rapor saya dan menulis catatan bahwa saya perlu lebih banyak perhatian pada pelajaran fisika.

My parents sign my report card and write a note that I need to pay more attention to physics lessons.

Breakdown of Orang tua saya menandatangani rapor saya dan menulis catatan bahwa saya perlu lebih banyak perhatian pada pelajaran fisika.

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Questions & Answers about Orang tua saya menandatangani rapor saya dan menulis catatan bahwa saya perlu lebih banyak perhatian pada pelajaran fisika.

What does orang tua mean literally, and why does it mean parents here rather than old people?

Literally, orang tua means old person (orang = person, tua = old).

However, in Indonesian it also has a fixed idiomatic meaning: parents.
Context decides which meaning is intended.

In this sentence, orang tua saya clearly means my parents, because:
- it is followed by actions typically done by parents (menandatangani rapor saya, menulis catatan)
- there is saya (my) after it, which strongly suggests my parents, not just my old people

You will also often see it written as orangtua in everyday writing; both spellings are widely understood, but dictionaries usually list orang tua (two words).

Can orang tua refer to just one parent, or does it always mean both?

In standard Indonesian, orang tua normally means both parents as a unit.

orang tua saya ≈ my parents
If you want to be explicit:
- ayah saya = my father
- ibu saya = my mother

In casual speech, some people might use orang tua loosely when they mean one parent (for example, orang tua gue marah could mean my mom is mad or my dad is mad), but grammatically and in careful writing it refers to parents in general.

Why is saya placed after the noun in orang tua saya and rapor saya, instead of before it like in English my parents, my report card?

Indonesian typically puts the possessor after the noun it owns.

Pattern:

Noun + possessor
- orang tua saya = my parents
- rapor saya = my report card
- rumah kami = our house
- buku mereka = their book

So instead of saying my parents (my + noun), Indonesian says parents my (orang tua saya).

You can also use clitic forms attached to the noun:

raporku = my report card (rapor
- -ku)
rapormu = your report card (rapor
- -mu)
rapornya = his/her/their report card (rapor
- -nya)

But the basic word order principle is: NOUN + possessor.

Could we drop the second saya and say Orang tua saya menandatangani rapor dan menulis catatan ...?

Yes, that is grammatically possible and would still be understood.

Orang tua saya menandatangani rapor saya ... (original)
- Emphasizes that the rapor belongs to me.
Orang tua saya menandatangani rapor dan menulis catatan ... (shortened)
- Still clearly suggests it is my report card, because the parents are acting in relation to me.

However, including rapor saya is:

slightly clearer (especially out of context)
a bit more natural in a written, careful sentence

Dropping possessive pronouns is relatively common in Indonesian when the ownership is obvious from context, but textbooks often keep them to make things explicit for learners.

What exactly is rapor? How is it different from laporan or nilai, and is rapor the usual word for a school report card?

rapor specifically refers to a school report card: the document given by the school listing a student’s grades and teacher’s comments.

rapor = report card (educational context, fixed meaning)
laporan = a report in general (police report, project report, news report, etc.)
nilai = grades / marks (the scores themselves, not the document)

So:

rapor saya = my report card (the booklet or sheet)
nilai saya = my grades
laporan saya = my report (on some topic, not a report card)

In schools, rapor is the normal and correct word for report card.

How is the verb menandatangani formed, and could we use tanda tangan as a verb instead?

menandatangani is a verb meaning to sign (a document).

Formation:

base noun: tanda tangan = signature
verb: menandatangani = to sign (something), literally to give a signature to
- meN- : verbal prefix
- -i : suffix indicating the object/location of the action

So menandatangani rapor saya = to sign my report card.

In informal speech, people also use tanda tangan as a verb:

Bisa tanda tangan di sini? = Can you sign here?

That is widely used and understood, but:

menandatangani sounds more formal/standard, fits well in written language and narration.
tanda tangan as a verb is more colloquial.

In this sentence, menandatangani is a good choice because the style is neutral-formal.

Why are there no explicit past-tense markers in menandatangani and menulis? How do we know this happened in the past?

Indonesian verbs generally do not change form for tense.

menulis can mean write, is writing, wrote, will write depending on context.
menandatangani is the same: no tense change in the verb itself.

Time is usually indicated by:

adverbs: kemarin (yesterday), tadi (earlier), besok (tomorrow)
context: narration about something that has already happened

In this sentence, in isolation, it could technically be past or present, but in realistic use it is interpreted as past because:

signing a report card and writing a note is a completed action.
this kind of sentence usually appears in a narrative about something that already occurred.

If you wanted to be explicit, you could add a time expression:

Kemarin, orang tua saya menandatangani rapor saya ...
Yesterday, my parents signed my report card …

What does catatan mean here, and how is it different from nota, komentar, or pesan?

catatan comes from the verb mencatat = to take note, to record.
As a noun, catatan typically means:

note, written remark, annotation, record

In this sentence, menulis catatan is like writing a note / writing a comment.

Comparison:

catatan
- a written note, remark, or record
- can be short or long
- can be personal or formal
nota
- often used for bill, invoice, or an official diplomatic note
- less used for casual school comments
komentar
- comment (often spoken or written), more general
- komentar guru = the teacher’s comment
pesan
- message in general (spoken, written, SMS, online messages)
- meninggalkan pesan = leave a message

So here, menulis catatan nicely matches a teacher or parent writing a short written remark on a report card.

What is the function of bahwa in menulis catatan bahwa saya perlu ...? Can we omit bahwa?

bahwa functions like English that when introducing a reported statement or clause.

Structure:

menulis catatan = write a note
bahwa saya perlu lebih banyak perhatian ... = that I need more attention ...

So bahwa links the noun catatan to the content of that note.

Can it be omitted?

Grammatically, yes, especially in informal spoken Indonesian.
- ... menulis catatan saya perlu lebih banyak perhatian ...
- Many speakers would say this in casual speech.
In formal or careful writing, bahwa is often kept for clarity and neatness.

In writing like a school narrative or textbook example, including bahwa is natural and slightly more formal/clear.

Why is perlu used instead of harus or mesti in saya perlu lebih banyak perhatian? Is there a difference in meaning?

Yes, there is a nuance difference:

perlu = need, is necessary
- suggests a necessity or requirement, but can sound a bit more neutral or descriptive.
harus / mesti = must, have to
- stronger obligation, more like a command or rule.

In saya perlu lebih banyak perhatian pada pelajaran fisika:

perlu presents it as something that is needed for improvement, almost like an observation or recommendation.
If we used harus:
- saya harus lebih banyak perhatian pada pelajaran fisika
- This sounds more like a strict must, a stronger obligation.

For a report-card comment, perlu feels appropriately neutral and descriptive, rather than scolding.

Why lebih banyak perhatian, not lebih perhatian or lebih memperhatikan?

Here is the structure:

perhatian = attention (noun)
lebih banyak = more (literally: more in quantity / more amount of)

So lebih banyak perhatian = more attention (as a noun phrase), which matches natural English: I need more attention on physics lessons.

Alternatives:

lebih perhatian
- perhatian here behaves more like an adjective: more attentive
- Saya harus lebih perhatian pada pelajaran fisika ≈ I must be more attentive in physics class.
- Grammatical, but changes the nuance toward describing your general attitude rather than the amount of attention.
lebih memperhatikan
- memperhatikan = to pay attention to (verb)
- You would need something like:
  - Saya harus lebih memperhatikan pelajaran fisika.
- That means I must pay more attention to physics class.
- Also correct and quite natural, but it uses a verb phrase, not a noun phrase.

Original sentence uses a noun phrase: lebih banyak perhatian, which fits the idea that the note describes a need for more attention (as an abstract thing) rather than commanding a specific action.

Why is the preposition pada used in perhatian pada pelajaran fisika? Could we also say terhadap, dalam, or untuk?

pada is a very common preposition that can be roughly translated as to, on, or toward, depending on context.

With nouns like perhatian (attention), fokus (focus), tekanan (pressure), pada is very natural:

perhatian pada pelajaran fisika = attention on physics lessons
fokus pada tugas ini = focus on this task

Other options:

terhadap
- often used for attitudes/feelings toward something
- perhatian terhadap lingkungan = concern/attention toward the environment
- perhatian terhadap pelajaran fisika is also possible, more formal, slightly more abstract.
dalam
- literally in; with pelajaran fisika, it would emphasize within the context of physics lessons
- perhatian dalam pelajaran fisika is understandable but less idiomatic than pada here.
untuk
- for; sounds like attention intended for something
- perhatian untuk pelajaran fisika is possible but sounds less natural than pada in this specific collocation.

For everyday, natural Indonesian, perhatian pada pelajaran fisika is a very good choice.

Why pelajaran fisika instead of just fisika? What is the difference between pelajaran and mata pelajaran?

fisika = the subject of physics itself (the field of science).
pelajaran fisika = physics lessons / physics class (the lessons you have at school).

So:

pelajaran literally means lesson, teaching, or learning content.
mata pelajaran literally subject of study, commonly used for the official name of a school subject.

Examples:

pelajaran fisika = physics lessons / the act of learning physics
mata pelajaran fisika = the subject listed in the curriculum as Physics
fisika alone is more general and can refer to the discipline itself.

In a school context like a report card, pelajaran fisika sounds natural and specific to your learning/lessons.

Is the sentence overall formal, neutral, or informal? How would it change in a more casual version?

The sentence is neutral to slightly formal, very suitable for:

written narratives
school-related writing
exams, textbooks

Reasons:

use of saya (neutral/formal I / my)
verbs like menandatangani, menulis (standard forms)
use of bahwa, perlu, pelajaran fisika, which all sound neutral-formal

A more casual version might look like:

Ortu gue tanda tangan rapor gue dan nulis catatan kalau gue harus lebih perhatian sama pelajaran fisika.

Changes:

Orang tua saya → ortu gue (very informal)
menandatangani → tanda tangan (colloquial verb form)
rapor saya → rapor gue (slang pronoun)
menulis → nulis (spoken contraction)
bahwa → kalau (often used in speech where bahwa would appear in formal style)
pada → sama (colloquial preposition)

The original, however, is the kind of sentence you would expect in a textbook or a written story, so its style is appropriate.