Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Cucu pertama mereka sudah remaja dan suka membantu di sawah. - Their first grandchild is already a teenager and likes to help in the rice field.

It does not show gender by itself.
- cucu laki-laki = grandson
- cucu perempuan = granddaughter
It is number-neutral: it can mean grandchild or grandchildren depending on context.
- cucu pertama mereka here clearly refers to one grandchild because of pertama (first).
- cucu mereka can be “their grandchild” or “their grandchildren”.
To make it clearly plural, you can say:
- cucu-cucu mereka (reduplication)
- para cucu mereka (a more formal “the grandchildren”)

Why is it cucu pertama mereka and not something like mereka cucu pertama? What is the word order for possession?

In Indonesian, the possessed noun usually comes first, and the possessor comes after it:

cucu mereka = their grandchild(ren)
- literally: grandchild they
rumah saya = my house (literally house I)
mobilnya = his/her car

So:

cucu = grandchild
cucu pertama = first grandchild
cucu pertama mereka = their first grandchild

A phrase like mereka cucu pertama is not natural for “their first grandchild”. Mereka in front is usually a subject (“they”), not a possessor.

Does pertama here mean “first” or “oldest”? Could it also mean “eldest grandchild”?

Literally, pertama means first (in order).

In context, cucu pertama mereka is usually understood as:

the first grandchild to be born, which in practice is also the eldest grandchild.

If you specifically want to stress “eldest (by age)”, Indonesians also use words like:

cucu sulung = eldest grandchild (very common)
cucu yang paling tua = the oldest grandchild

But in everyday conversation, cucu pertama mereka is naturally interpreted as “their first/eldest grandchild”.

How does mereka work here? I learned it means “they”, so how can it mean “their”?

Mereka basically means they (third person plural).

Indonesian doesn’t have a separate form for “they” vs “their” like English. Instead, the same pronoun is used, and the position in the sentence shows the function:

Mereka datang. = They came. (subject)
cucu mereka = their grandchild(ren) (possessor after the noun)

So in cucu pertama mereka:

mereka is functioning as a possessive pronoun = their, because it comes after the noun.

What does sudah add in sudah remaja? Could I just say cucu pertama mereka remaja?

Sudah means already and shows a change of state or that something has happened / become true.

remaja = (a) teenager / teenage
sudah remaja = has already become a teenager / is already a teenager

Nuance:

Cucu pertama mereka remaja.
- Grammatically possible, but it sounds a bit incomplete or flat in everyday speech.
Cucu pertama mereka sudah remaja.
- Much more natural: suggests that some time has passed, and now the grandchild is at the teenage stage (maybe earlier they were still a child).

So sudah here emphasizes “now (already)” and often carries an emotional nuance like surprise or a sense of time passing.

Is remaja a noun or an adjective? How do I say “He is a teenager”?

Remaja can function as both:

As a noun (“teenager”):
- Dia remaja. = He/She is a teenager.
- Dia seorang remaja. = He/She is a teenager. (seorang emphasizes “one person”)
As an adjective (“teenage” / “adolescent”):
- anak remaja = teenage child
- masalah remaja = teenage problems / youth issues

In your sentence, sudah remaja is like saying “already a teenager” (noun use, but without a linking verb like “is”).

Why is there no word like “is/are” before remaja? Where is the verb “to be”?

Indonesian usually drops the verb “to be” (is/are/am) when linking a subject with:

an adjective
a noun that describes someone’s role or identity

So:

Dia guru. = He/She is a teacher.
Dia tinggi. = He/She is tall.
Cucu pertama mereka sudah remaja.
= Their first grandchild is already a teenager.

You only normally see adalah (a kind of “is/are”) in more formal contexts, especially before a noun phrase, not an adjective:

Dia adalah seorang guru. (formal)

How does suka work in suka membantu? Is it like “to like”, “to love”, or “to enjoy”?

Suka is a very common verb meaning roughly to like / to be fond of.

Patterns:

suka + noun
- suka kopi = like coffee
suka + verb
- suka membantu = like helping / enjoy helping

In your sentence:

suka membantu di sawah = (he/she) likes to help in the rice fields / enjoys helping in the rice fields.

Related words:

senang = glad / pleased, sometimes overlaps with suka
gemar = fond of, keen on (a bit more formal or stronger than suka)

But suka + verb is the most usual pattern for “likes to do X”.

What is the difference between bantu and membantu? Why does this sentence use membantu?

The base word is bantu = help.
When you add the meN- prefix, you get membantu, the standard active verb form:

bantu (root)
- used in some fixed expressions and in casual speech, often as a “bare” verb:
  - Tolong bantu saya. = Please help me.
membantu (meN- + bantu)
- the normal active verb form:
  - Dia membantu saya. = He/She helps me.

In a neutral sentence like this one, suka membantu di sawah sounds very natural and standard. You could hear suka bantu di sawah in more casual conversation, but membantu is the default form taught to learners.

Can membantu be used without an object like in membantu di sawah? Isn’t “help” supposed to take an object?

Yes, membantu can appear without an explicit object, especially when the context makes it clear what or whom you are helping.

In suka membantu di sawah:

The focus is on the activity of helping in the rice fields.
It implicitly means “helping the grandparents / parents / family with the farm work”, but that part is understood from context, not spelled out.

You could make the object explicit:

suka membantu kakek-neneknya di sawah
= likes helping his/her grandparents in the rice fields.

But it’s not required. Indonesians often leave the object out if it is obvious from the situation.

What does sawah mean exactly? How is it different from other words like ladang or kebun?

Sawah is specifically:

a rice field, usually flooded / irrigated, used for growing rice.

Other related words:

ladang = dry field / dry farmland (not flooded), often for crops like corn, cassava, etc.
kebun = garden / plantation (for plants like vegetables, fruit trees, tea, rubber, etc.)
tanah = land / soil (very general)

So di sawah = in the rice field(s), often describing rural/farming work.

Why is it di sawah and not ke sawah or something else? What does di do here?

Di is a preposition meaning at / in / on (location).

di sawah = in the rice field / at the rice fields

Contrast with ke:

ke = to (movement towards a place)
- pergi ke sawah = go to the rice field(s)
di = at / in (location, no movement implied)
- bekerja di sawah = work in the rice field(s)

So in suka membantu di sawah, the point is where the helping happens (location), not movement to that place.

Does this sentence tell me about past, present, or future? There’s no tense marker except sudah.

Indonesian verbs don’t change form for tense like English verbs do. Time is mostly shown by:

context
time words (kemarin = yesterday, sekarang = now, besok = tomorrow, etc.)
aspect markers like sudah (already), belum (not yet), sedang (currently), etc.

In this sentence:

sudah remaja = has already become / is already a teenager (present state, but with a sense of change from the past)
suka membantu di sawah = (generally) likes helping in the rice fields

The most natural English reading is present:

“Their first grandchild is already a teenager and likes to help in the rice fields.”

But Indonesian itself doesn’t lock you into strict tense the way English does. Context would decide if you needed a past or present translation.