Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Ketika ada gangguan dari tetangga yang berisik, saya tetap bisa fokus belajar. - When there is disturbance from noisy neighbors, I can still focus on studying.

ketika – neutral “when (at the time that…)”. Common in writing and formal/neutral speech.
saat – very close to ketika, often interchangeable. Slightly more formal/“literary” in some contexts.
- Saat ada gangguan... is also correct.
kalau – literally “if”, but in everyday speech often used as “when” for repeated or typical situations.
- Kalau ada gangguan... = “If/When there’s a disturbance... (whenever that happens)”. More informal.

So here ketika simply marks the time; saat would be fine stylistically, kalau would sound a bit more casual and a bit more “if/whenever”.

Why do we use ada in ketika ada gangguan? Can we just say ketika gangguan dari tetangga...?

Ada literally means “there is / there are”.

Ketika ada gangguan... = When there is a disturbance...

If you say just ketika gangguan dari tetangga..., it sounds incomplete or unnatural, like “when the disturbance from the neighbors…” without a verb. Indonesian usually needs ada here to show existence/occurrence of something.

You can drop ada in some fixed phrases (e.g. kalau masalah, bilang saya), but in this sentence:

ketika ada gangguan is the natural form.
ketika gangguan by itself feels like a noun phrase left hanging, not a full clause.

What is gangguan exactly? Is it singular or plural? And how is it related to mengganggu?

Mengganggu = to disturb, to bother (verb).
Gangguan = disturbance, interference, disruption (noun), formed from the root ganggu
- suffix -an.

About singular/plural:

Indonesian normally does not mark singular vs. plural on nouns.
gangguan can be translated as “a disturbance”, “disturbances”, or “noise/problems”, depending on context.

So:

ada gangguan dari tetangga can be:
- there is a disturbance from the neighbors
- or there are disturbances from the neighbors
  English adds number; Indonesian does not.

Why is it gangguan dari tetangga and not gangguan tetangga? What’s the difference?

Both exist, but they feel slightly different.

gangguan dari tetangga
Literally: disturbance from (the) neighbors
Emphasizes source/origin: the disturbance comes from them.
gangguan tetangga
Literally: neighbors’ disturbance / the disturbance of the neighbors
Feels more like a noun phrase with tetangga as a descriptor/possessor.

In everyday speech:

gangguan dari tetangga is very natural for “disturbance coming from the neighbors (as a source)”.
gangguan tetangga is also understandable and used, but sometimes sounds a bit more compact/label-like.

In this sentence, dari nicely highlights the idea “the noise comes from the neighbors”.

What is the function of yang in tetangga yang berisik?

Yang introduces a relative clause or descriptive clause, similar to “that/who/which” in English.

tetangga = neighbors
yang berisik = that are noisy
tetangga yang berisik = neighbors who are noisy / the noisy neighbors

So yang here:

links the noun tetangga to the description berisik,
specifies which neighbors you mean (the noisy ones).

Without yang, you can sometimes say tetangga berisik in casual speech, but:

tetangga yang berisik is clearer and more standard when you’re using an adjective phrase as a relative clause.

Can I just say tetangga berisik instead of tetangga yang berisik?

In casual conversation, yes, Indonesians do say tetangga berisik and it will be understood as “noisy neighbors”.

However, nuances:

tetangga yang berisik
- grammatically clear: tetangga (neighbors) + yang berisik (who are noisy)
- works well in both spoken and written Indonesian, including more formal/neutral contexts.
tetangga berisik
- feels more colloquial and compact, almost like a fixed noun–adjective pair.
- fine in speech, text messages, informal writing.

In a textbook-style example sentence like this, tetangga yang berisik is the more standard form.

What exactly does berisik mean? Is it only about sound, or can it mean “annoying” in general?

Berisik primarily means “noisy, loud (in a disturbing way)” and refers to sound.

Tetangga yang berisik = neighbors who make disturbing noise / noisy neighbors.
Jangan berisik! = Don’t be noisy! / Quiet!

It does not normally mean “annoying” in a general, non-sound sense. If you want “annoying” more generally, you’d use words like:

menyebalkan – annoying, irritating
mengganggu – disturbing, bothersome (can be sound, behavior, etc.)

So berisik is specifically about being loud/noisy.

What is the nuance of tetap bisa? How is it different from just bisa or from masih bisa?

bisa = can / be able to
- saya bisa fokus = I can focus.
tetap = still / remain / keep (being/doing something) despite a change or obstacle.
tetap bisa = can still / remain able to (in spite of something)
In this sentence:
- saya tetap bisa fokus belajar = I can still focus on studying (even though there is noise).

Difference from masih bisa:

masih bisa also often translates as “still can”, but:
- masih focuses on continuity over time.
- tetap focuses more on not being affected by a new condition/obstacle.

Here, because the focus is on being able to focus despite the disturbance, tetap bisa is very natural.

Is fokus here a verb or a noun? Why is it fokus belajar and not something like berfokus untuk belajar?

In modern Indonesian, fokus can function as both:

a noun: focus
- kurang fokus = (have) little focus
a verb/adjective-like word: to focus / focused
- saya harus fokus = I must focus / I must be focused.

In saya tetap bisa fokus belajar:

fokus works as a verb-like word, and
belajar is what you’re focusing on.

So fokus belajar ≈ “focus (on) studying”, with the preposition on understood but not explicitly said.

More explicit but less natural here would be:

berfokus untuk belajar
berfokus pada belajar

They are grammatically okay but sound more formal or heavy. In everyday language, fokus belajar is simpler and very common.

Why is it fokus belajar and not belajar fokus? Does word order matter?

Yes, word order changes the meaning:

fokus belajar
- fokus = the main action: to focus
- belajar = what you are focusing on: studying
  → focus on studying
belajar fokus
Literally: “learn to be focused / study (how to) focus”
This would mean the learning is the main activity, and fokus is what you’re learning about.

In the given sentence, the intended meaning is that you continue to focus while studying, so fokus belajar is correct.

Why do we say fokus belajar and not fokus untuk belajar or fokus pada belajar? Are those wrong?

They are not wrong, but they sound more formal or slightly “heavier”:

fokus untuk belajar = focus in order to study
fokus pada belajar = focus on studying

In natural everyday Indonesian, especially in speech, people often drop the preposition when the meaning is obvious and just say:

fokus kerja = focus on work
fokus belajar = focus on studying
fokus latihan = focus on practice

So fokus belajar is preferred here for its simplicity and naturalness.

Is it necessary to say saya here? Could we omit it and just say ... tetap bisa fokus belajar?

Indonesian can drop the subject pronoun when it’s clear from context. So:

Ketika ada gangguan dari tetangga yang berisik, tetap bisa fokus belajar.

is grammatically possible and might appear in very casual conversation or as a caption, slogan, etc.

However:

In a full, clear sentence (especially for learners or in neutral/written style), including saya is better:
- saya tetap bisa fokus belajar clearly says I can still focus on studying.

So it’s not wrong to omit saya, but keeping it makes the sentence clearer and more standard.

There’s no tense marking in Indonesian. How do we know this means “I can still focus” and not “I could still focus” or “I will still be able to focus”?

Indonesian verbs do not change form for tense (past/present/future). The time is understood from:

context,
time words (e.g. tadi, kemarin, besok),
or is left general.

In this sentence:

saya tetap bisa fokus belajar can, in isolation, be translated as:
- I can still focus on studying.
- I could still focus on studying. (past context)
- I will still be able to focus on studying. (future context)

The exact tense would depend on surrounding sentences. For a generic statement (a general ability), English usually uses the present:

When there’s disturbance from noisy neighbors, I can still focus on studying.