Materi itu bisa diakses lewat aplikasi belajar.

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Questions & Answers about Materi itu bisa diakses lewat aplikasi belajar.

In this sentence, what exactly does materi mean? Does it refer to one “material” or many?

Materi here means learning material / learning content (e.g., lessons, exercises, videos, texts).

Indonesian usually does not mark singular vs plural on the noun itself, so materi can mean:

  • “the material” (uncountable, as in “course material”)
  • “the materials” (all the stuff you use to study)

If you really want to show plural clearly, you can say berbagai materi (various materials) or materi-materi (materials), but most of the time materi alone is enough and natural.


What is the function of itu in materi itu? Is it “that” or “the”?

Itu is a demonstrative that can mean “that” or work like “the”, depending on context.

  • Materi itu can mean “that material” (referring to material already mentioned or pointed at).
  • In many contexts, it’s also very close to “the material”, i.e. a specific material both speaker and listener know about.

In Indonesian, the demonstrative (itu “that”, ini “this”) usually comes after the noun:

  • materi itu = that/the material
  • materi ini = this material

Why is bisa used here? What’s the difference between bisa, dapat, and boleh?

In this sentence, bisa means “can / is able to” (possibility or capability):

  • Materi itu bisa diakses… = That material can be accessed…

Common modals:

  • bisa – can, be able to (very common, neutral)
  • dapat – can, may, is able to (a bit more formal / written, but often interchangeable with bisa)
  • boleh – may, is allowed to (permission, not ability)

So:

  • Materi itu bisa diakses… = it’s possible / technically accessible
  • Materi itu dapat diakses… = same meaning, a bit more formal
  • Materi itu boleh diakses… = it is allowed to be accessed (focus on permission)

What is happening grammatically in diakses? Why the prefix di-?

Diakses is the passive form of the verb mengakses (to access).

  • Root: akses (access)
  • Active: mengakses = to access (someone accesses something)
  • Passive: diakses = to be accessed (something is accessed by someone)

In Materi itu bisa diakses…, the material is the thing being accessed, so the passive form is natural and more natural than something like Orang bisa mengakses materi itu… (“People can access that material…”).

Indonesian uses the di- passive a lot, especially in neutral or formal written language, and especially when the agent (“by whom?”) isn’t important.


Could I say Materi itu bisa mengakses lewat aplikasi belajar instead of bisa diakses?

No.

Mengakses is an active verb: it needs a subject that does the accessing.

  • Siswa bisa mengakses materi itu lewat aplikasi belajar.
    = The students can access that material via a learning app.

In your sentence, materi itu is not doing any action; it is the thing being accessed. So it must be passive:

  • Materi itu bisa diakses… = That material can be accessed…

If you switch diakses to mengakses, you change the meaning and make the sentence ungrammatical.


What does lewat mean here? Can I replace it with melalui, dari, or dengan?

Lewat here means “through / via / by (means of)”:

  • bisa diakses lewat aplikasi belajar = can be accessed through / via a learning app.

You can often replace it with melalui:

  • bisa diakses melalui aplikasi belajar – same meaning, but melalui sounds a bit more formal or “written”.

Other prepositions:

  • dari = from (source), not really right here.
  • dengan = with (using), which would sound like you use the app as a tool:
    • bisa diakses dengan aplikasi belajar – understandable, but lewat/melalui is more natural for “via an app/site”.

What exactly does aplikasi belajar mean? Is belajar being used as a verb or as something else?

Aplikasi belajar literally is “learning app” or “study app”.

  • aplikasi = application / app
  • belajar = to study / to learn

Here, belajar is a verb used as a modifier, like “learning” in English “learning app”. Indonesian often puts a verb after a noun to show the function or purpose:

  • alat tulis = writing tool (stationery)
  • mesin cuci = washing machine

More formal alternatives:

  • aplikasi pembelajaran (very common in education contexts)
  • aplikasi untuk belajar (app for learning)

Is this sentence formal, informal, or neutral? Would it be okay in a school or work context?

The sentence is neutral and perfectly fine in school, university, and work contexts.

  • Materi itu bisa diakses lewat aplikasi belajar. – neutral, clear, natural.

If you wanted a slightly more formal feel (for a brochure, official notice, etc.), you might write:

  • Materi tersebut dapat diakses melalui aplikasi pembelajaran.

But your original sentence is already acceptable in most contexts, including semi-formal ones like emails, class instructions, and website text.


How would I say “those materials” instead of just “that material”?

You can make the plurality more explicit in a few ways:

  • Materi-materi itu bisa diakses lewat aplikasi belajar.
    – Repetition (materi-materi) marks plural (“materials”).

  • Semua materi itu bisa diakses…
    semua = all; very natural: “All those materials can be accessed…”

  • Berbagai materi itu bisa diakses…
    – various materials.

In everyday use, many speakers would still just say Materi itu… and let context show whether it’s one or many.


Can I just say Materi itu diakses lewat aplikasi belajar without bisa? What changes?

You can say that, but the nuance changes:

  • Materi itu bisa diakses… – focuses on possibility / availability (“can be accessed”).
  • Materi itu diakses lewat aplikasi belajar. – more like a statement of how it is accessed (“is accessed / is being accessed via a learning app”), not highlighting possibility.

With bisa, you’re telling the listener it is accessible (you are able to access it).
Without bisa, you’re describing the typical method people use to access it.


Is there any tense in this sentence? How would I say “could be accessed” in the past?

Indonesian verbs don’t change form for tense. Bisa diakses can mean:

  • can be accessed (now)
  • can be accessed (in general)
  • could be accessed (from context, including past)

To make past time clearer, you add time words:

  • Dulu, materi itu bisa diakses lewat aplikasi belajar.
    – Before / In the past, that material could be accessed via a learning app.

  • Kemarin materi itu masih bisa diakses…
    – Yesterday the material could still be accessed…

So tense is conveyed by time expressions, not by changing bisa or diakses.


Is there a more “textbook / very formal” version of this sentence?

A more formal, “official-sounding” version would be something like:

  • Materi tersebut dapat diakses melalui aplikasi pembelajaran.

Changes:

  • itutersebut (more formal “that/aforementioned”)
  • bisadapat (more formal modal)
  • lewatmelalui (more formal preposition)
  • aplikasi belajaraplikasi pembelajaran (more formal noun form)

Your original sentence is good, natural Indonesian; this version just raises the formality/register.