Headphone itu menutup telinga dengan baik sehingga gangguan suara berkurang.

Those headphones cover the ears well so that noise disturbances decrease.

Breakdown of Headphone itu menutup telinga dengan baik sehingga gangguan suara berkurang.

• itu: that
• dengan: with
• baik: good
• sehingga: so that
• berkurang: to decrease
• headphone: the headphone
• menutup: to cover
• telinga: the ear
• gangguan suara: the noise disturbance

Questions & Answers about Headphone itu menutup telinga dengan baik sehingga gangguan suara berkurang.

What does itu mean in Headphone itu? Is it “that headphone” or “the headphone”? Could I leave it out?

Itu is a demonstrative, usually translated as that, but in many contexts it works a bit like the in English.

• Headphone itu
  = that headphone / the headphone (the one already known in the context)

By using itu, the speaker implies:

• we both know which headphone is being talked about (e.g. the one we’re looking at, or the one already mentioned).

You can leave it out if you’re talking about headphones in general:

• Headphone menutup telinga dengan baik sehingga gangguan suara berkurang.
  = Headphones (in general) cover the ears well, so noise disturbance is reduced.

So:

• Talking about a specific, known item → Headphone itu …
• Talking about the product type in general → Headphone …

Why is it headphone and not headphones? How do plurals work here?

Indonesian nouns almost never change form for singular vs plural.

• headphone can mean:
  • a headphone / one headphone
  • headphones (a pair)
  • headphones (in general)

Number is usually understood from context, or made explicit with extra words:

• satu headphone = one headphone
• sepasang headphone = a pair of headphones
• banyak headphone = many headphones

So Headphone itu is naturally understood as that pair of headphones in this context, even though the word itself doesn’t change.

Why is it telinga and not telinganya or telinga saya?

Telinga means ear (or ears, depending on context).

• telinga = ear(s), no possessive
• telinganya = his/her/its ear(s) or the ear(s) (specific)
• telinga saya = my ear(s)
• telinga kamu = your ear(s)

In this sentence:

• menutup telinga = cover(s) the ears

It’s a general statement about how the headphone fits on a person’s ears. In Indonesian, it’s very common to leave out the possessive when it’s obvious whose body part we mean.

If you want to be explicit, you could say:

• Headphone itu menutup telinga saya dengan baik…
  = That headphone covers my ears well…

But it’s not necessary; telinga alone sounds natural here.

What’s the exact function of dengan baik? Why not just menutup telinga baik?

Baik is an adjective meaning good.
Dengan baik is an adverbial phrase meaning well or in a good way.

Indonesian often turns adjectives into adverbs by adding dengan:

• pelan → dengan pelan = slowly
• cepat → dengan cepat = quickly
• baik → dengan baik = well

So:

• menutup telinga dengan baik
  = covers the ears well / covers the ears properly

You generally don’t say menutup telinga baik. That sounds ungrammatical or at least very odd. You need dengan to make baik modify the verb (how it closes), not the noun.

Could I move dengan baik? For example: Headphone itu menutup dengan baik telinga…?

In natural Indonesian, the typical patterns are:

• [Verb] [Object] [Adverb]
  → menutup telinga dengan baik

or

• [Adverb] [Verb] [Object]
  → Dengan baik, headphone itu menutup telinga (formal/emphatic)

But placing dengan baik in the middle like English is not natural:

• ❌ Headphone itu menutup dengan baik telinga… (sounds wrong)

So keep:

• Headphone itu menutup telinga dengan baik…

What exactly does sehingga do here? How is it different from jadi or karena itu?

Sehingga introduces a result clause, like so that / as a result that, and usually links one sentence/clause as the cause to another as the result.

In this sentence:

• Headphone itu menutup telinga dengan baik
  → cause
• sehingga gangguan suara berkurang.
  → result (so the noise disturbance is reduced)

Comparisons:

• sehingga = so that / with the result that
  
  • more neutral, often used in written or semi-formal Indonesian.
• jadi = so / so then
  
  • more conversational; often starts a new sentence:
    Headphone itu menutup telinga dengan baik, jadi gangguan suara berkurang.
• karena itu = because of that / therefore
  
  • emphasizes logical consequence, often at the start of the second clause:
    Headphone itu menutup telinga dengan baik, karena itu gangguan suara berkurang.

All are possible, but sehingga fits very well for describing a physical cause-effect relationship in a neutral style.

What does gangguan suara literally mean? Why not just say suara or kebisingan?

Breakdown:

• gangguan = disturbance, interference, disruption
• suara = sound, voice

Together, gangguan suara is a noun + noun compound:

• gangguan (head) + suara (modifier)
  → disturbance of sound / sound disturbance / noise interference

It emphasizes unwanted sound that interferes with what you want to hear.

Alternatives:

• kebisingan = noise (especially loud, noisy environment)
  → kebisingan berkurang = the noise is reduced
• suara berkurang = the sound is reduced (more neutral, not necessarily “disturbing”)

So:

• gangguan suara berkurang
  = the noise disturbance / sound interference is reduced

This is very natural when talking about noise isolation or noise reduction.

How should I understand berkurang? Is it like “is reduced” or “reduces”?

Berkurang is an intransitive verb meaning to decrease / to be reduced / to lessen.

• kurang = less / lacking
• berkurang = to become less / to go down

In gangguan suara berkurang:

• gangguan suara = subject
• berkurang = verb
  → the noise disturbance decreases / the noise disturbance is reduced.

If you want to say the headphones reduce the noise, you usually make gangguan suara the object, and the headphone the subject:

• Headphone itu mengurangi gangguan suara.
  = The headphone reduces noise disturbance.

Compare:

• gangguan suara berkurang = the noise decreases (no explicit agent)
• headphone itu mengurangi gangguan suara = the headphone reduces the noise (headphone is agent)

Why is it gangguan suara berkurang and not berkurang gangguan suara?

Indonesian basic word order is S - V - (O):

• gangguan suara (subject)
• berkurang (verb)

So:

• ✅ Gangguan suara berkurang.
  = The noise disturbance decreases.

Putting the verb first:

• ❌ Berkurang gangguan suara.

is not standard Indonesian. You might see verb-first order in poetry, song lyrics, slogans, or very stylized writing, but not in normal sentences.

So in normal speech and writing, keep gangguan suara before berkurang.

What’s the difference between menutup and menutupi? Could I say Headphone itu menutupi telinga instead?

Both verbs come from tutup (to close / cover):

• menutup = to close / to shut / to cover (more general)
• menutupi = to cover (often implying cover completely, “to put something on top of / over”)

In many everyday contexts they overlap:

• menutup pintu / menutupi pintu
• menutup luka / menutupi luka

For ears/headphones:

• Headphone itu menutup telinga dengan baik…
• Headphone itu menutupi telinga dengan baik…

Both are understandable, and menutupi telinga might slightly emphasize covering more than closing.

However, menutup telinga is very common and idiomatic in this “headphone on ears” context, so the original sentence is perfectly natural.

Is this sentence formal or informal? How might someone say the same thing more casually?

The original sentence is neutral and suitable for:

• product descriptions
• reviews
• everyday explanations
• both spoken and written language

A more casual, spoken-style version might be:

• Headphone itu nutup telinga dengan cukup rapat, jadi suara dari luar berkurang.
  
  • nutup = colloquial for menutup
  • cukup rapat = quite tight/snug
  • suara dari luar = sound from outside

But the original:

• Headphone itu menutup telinga dengan baik sehingga gangguan suara berkurang.

is already natural and not overly formal.