Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Besok pagi kami mengikuti simulasi pemilu di kelas debat. - Tomorrow morning we will take part in an election simulation in the debate class.

Besok kami mengikuti simulasi pemilu di kelas debat.
= Tomorrow we will take part in the election simulation in debate class (time unspecified).
Besok pagi kami mengikuti simulasi pemilu di kelas debat.
= Tomorrow morning we will take part in the election simulation in debate class (specifically in the morning).

Both are correct; the original sentence just gives more detail about the time.

Can I move “besok pagi” to another position in the sentence?

Yes. Indonesian word order is flexible with time expressions. All of these are natural:

Besok pagi kami mengikuti simulasi pemilu di kelas debat.
Kami besok pagi mengikuti simulasi pemilu di kelas debat.
Kami mengikuti simulasi pemilu besok pagi di kelas debat.

Putting “besok pagi” at the beginning (as in the original) sounds very natural and slightly emphasizes the time.
Putting it after kami or near the verb is also common in speech.

What you usually don’t do is break up the time expression:

❌ Besok kami pagi mengikuti… (unnatural)
Keep “besok pagi” together as one phrase.

What is the difference between “kami” and “kita”, and why is “kami” used here?

Both kami and kita mean we / us, but:

kami = we (not including the person you’re talking to) → exclusive “we”
kita = we (including the person you’re talking to) → inclusive “we”

The sentence uses kami because it implies a group that does not include the listener. For example, students talking to their teacher:

Besok pagi kami mengikuti simulasi pemilu di kelas debat.
“Tomorrow morning we (not including you) will take part in an election simulation in debate class.”

If you want to include the listener (maybe all of you are in the same class), you would say:

Besok pagi kita mengikuti simulasi pemilu di kelas debat.
“Tomorrow morning we (you and I, all of us) will take part in an election simulation in debate class.”

What does “mengikuti” literally mean, and why not just say “ikut”?

The base verb is ikut, which literally means:

to follow
to join
to take part / participate

Mengikuti is the me- form of ikut, and it often sounds a bit:

more formal, or
more complete/active as an action

In this sentence:

mengikuti simulasi pemilu ≈ to take part in the election simulation

You can say:

Besok pagi kami ikut simulasi pemilu di kelas debat.

That’s also correct and natural, especially in informal speech.
Nuance:

ikut = slightly more casual, often spoken
mengikuti = a bit more formal/neutral, good for both spoken and written Indonesian

They mean the same thing here.

Is “mengikuti simulasi pemilu” the same as saying “to attend” the simulation?

Context decides the best English translation.
Literally, mengikuti is “to follow / to take part in.” In this context, natural English options are:

to take part in the election simulation
to participate in the election simulation
sometimes, to attend the election simulation (if focus is simply being present)

If the activity is more interactive (e.g., acting as voters, candidates, etc.), “participate in / take part in” is closer.
If it’s more like a session they just have to attend, “attend” can be acceptable, but it’s a bit weaker than the Indonesian nuance.

What exactly is “pemilu”? Is it an abbreviation?

Yes. Pemilu is short for pemilihan umum, which literally means:

pemilihan = election, the act of choosing
umum = general / public

So pemilu = general election (e.g., for president, parliament, etc.).

In the phrase “simulasi pemilu”:

simulasi = simulation
pemilu = general election

Together: “simulasi pemilu” = an election simulation / a mock election.

How is the noun phrase “simulasi pemilu” structured? Why no word like “of”?

Indonesian usually puts the main noun first, then the describing noun after it. There is no extra word like “of” in between.

simulasi (main noun) = simulation
pemilu (modifier noun) = election

So “simulasi pemilu” literally = “simulation [of] election”, i.e. election simulation.

This is a common pattern:

buku sejarah = history book (book of history)
kelas debat = debate class (class for debate)
ujian masuk = entrance exam (exam for entering)

No word like “of” is needed; the relationship is understood by the order.

Why is the preposition “di” used in “di kelas debat”, and could we use “pada” instead?

Di is the standard preposition for location: in / at / on.

di kelas debat ≈ in debate class / in the debate class

You could say “pada kelas debat”, but for physical locations or regular school classes, di is far more natural in everyday Indonesian.

Pada is more often used for:

abstract things (e.g., pada kesempatan ini = on this occasion)
more formal style
certain fixed expressions

So here, “di kelas debat” is the natural choice.

Does “di kelas debat” mean “in debate class” or “in the debate classroom”?

It can mean either, depending on context. Indonesian often doesn’t distinguish sharply between:

the activity/class itself, and
the room where it happens.

So di kelas debat can be understood as:

in debate class (as a scheduled class session / lesson), or
in the debate classroom (physically located there)

Usually, context or additional detail will clarify if needed:

di kelas debat pagi ini = in the (morning) debate class session
di ruang kelas debat = in the debate classroom (more clearly about the room)

What exactly does “kelas debat” mean? Is it like a subject or a club?

Kelas debat literally means debate class. It could refer to:

a formal school subject focused on debating, or
a particular class session where you practice debating, or
sometimes an organized debate training class (like a course)

The sentence itself doesn’t say whether it’s a regular subject, an extracurricular club, or a special session. You’d need more context to know which one.

Is there any tense marker like “will” in this sentence, or does “besok pagi” alone show the future?

Indonesian usually doesn’t change the verb for tense. Instead, it uses time expressions like:

kemarin = yesterday
sekarang = now
nanti / besok = later / tomorrow

In this sentence, “besok pagi” (“tomorrow morning”) already shows that the action is in the future, so you don’t need a word like akan (“will”).

You could add akan for extra clarity or emphasis:

Besok pagi kami akan mengikuti simulasi pemilu di kelas debat.

This is still correct and maybe slightly more formal. But without akan, it’s already clearly future because of besok pagi.

How formal or informal is this sentence? Could I use it when speaking to a teacher?

The sentence is neutral and polite. You can safely use it in:

everyday conversation with classmates
talking to a teacher
semi-formal written contexts (e.g., a school notice, WhatsApp group info)

It doesn’t use slang and it doesn’t sound stiff. For slightly more formal writing, someone might add akan:

Besok pagi kami akan mengikuti simulasi pemilu di kelas debat.

But the original version is already appropriate for most situations.