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Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Sesi tanya jawab berlangsung singkat. - The Q&A session is brief.

Hardcore Indonesian
/Lesson 54
/Sesi tanya jawab berlangsung singkat.

Sesi tanya jawab berlangsung singkat.

Sesi tanya jawab berlangsung singkat.

The Q&A session is brief.

Breakdown of Sesi tanya jawab berlangsung singkat.

sesi tanya jawab

the Q&A session

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Questions & Answers about Sesi tanya jawab berlangsung singkat.

What does sesi mean, and is it just a loanword from English?

Sesi means session, as in a segment of an event, a meeting, or a class (e.g. a Q&A session, a training session).

It is a loanword from English session, adapted to Indonesian spelling and pronunciation:

Pronounced roughly seh-see.
Common in modern, especially formal or semi-formal contexts (seminars, workshops, conferences, classes).

You’ll often see it in phrases like:

sesi pagi – morning session
sesi diskusi – discussion session
sesi tanya jawab – Q&A session

So Sesi tanya jawab literally = Q&A session.

What exactly does tanya jawab mean? Literally it looks like “ask answer.”

Literally, yes:

tanya = ask / question
jawab = answer / to answer

Together, tanya jawab is a fixed expression meaning:

questions and answers, or
Q&A as a type of interactive activity.

So sesi tanya jawab = question-and-answer session / Q&A session.

Notes:

You don’t need dan (and):
- ❌ sesi tanya dan jawab (grammatically possible but not natural in this meaning)
- ✅ sesi tanya jawab (idiomatic)

It’s treated as a compound noun, functioning as a single unit.

Is tanya jawab considered one word or two? Can it be written with a hyphen?

In practice you will see:

tanya jawab (most common in everyday writing)
tanya-jawab (also accepted; the hyphen emphasizes that it’s a compound)

Both mean the same thing.

As a learner, it’s safe to write tanya jawab without a hyphen. Indonesians will understand both forms.

In sesi tanya jawab, which word is the “main noun”? How does the noun phrase structure work?

The main noun (the head) is sesi.

Structure:

sesi (head noun: session)
tanya jawab (modifier: describing what kind of session)

Indonesian noun phrases usually follow:

Head + modifier(s)

So:

sesi tanya jawab = session [of] Q&A
Natural English order: Q&A session (English reverses the order compared to Indonesian)

Other examples:

rumah sakit – hospital (literally: house sick)
mobil listrik – electric car (literally: car electric)

Same pattern: head first, modifier after.

What does berlangsung mean here, and how is it usually used?

Berlangsung means something like:

to take place, to go on, or to last (for a certain duration)

In this sentence:

Sesi tanya jawab berlangsung singkat.
≈ The Q&A session lasted a short time / was brief.

Key points:

Intransitive: it doesn’t take a direct object.
- ✅ Acara berlangsung dengan lancar. – The event went smoothly.
- ❌ Acara berlangsung acara besar.
Often used with:
- time words: berlangsung lama, berlangsung tiga jam, berlangsung semalam
- manner words: berlangsung lancar, berlangsung tertib, berlangsung damai

Here, berlangsung connects sesi tanya jawab (subject) and singkat (how it went / how long it lasted).

Does berlangsung mean past tense here? How do we know it’s “was short” and not “is short” or “will be short”?

Indonesian verbs, including berlangsung, do not change form for tense (past, present, future). The form berlangsung is the same in all times.

Tense is understood from context or added time words:

tadi (earlier), kemarin (yesterday) → past
sekarang (now) → present
nanti (later), besok (tomorrow) → future

Examples:

Sesi tanya jawab tadi berlangsung singkat. – The Q&A session earlier was brief.
Sesi tanya jawab sekarang berlangsung singkat. – The Q&A session now is brief.
Sepertinya sesi tanya jawab nanti akan berlangsung singkat. – The Q&A session later will probably be brief.

In your sentence, without any time word, we usually infer the time from the wider context. As a standalone translation into natural English, “was brief” is a good choice.

How is singkat different from pendek or sebentar?

All can relate to “short,” but they’re used differently:

1. singkat

Means brief / short in duration or length, often a bit more formal.
Common with time, explanations, speeches, texts:
- waktu yang singkat – a short time
- penjelasan singkat – a brief explanation
- rapat berlangsung singkat – the meeting was brief

2. pendek

Means short in length/height, not specifically time:
- rambut pendek – short hair
- orang pendek – a short person
- For time, it can work, but singkat or sebentar are usually more natural.

3. sebentar

Means for a moment / for a short while, used as an adverb:
- Tunggu sebentar. – Wait a moment.
- Dia datang sebentar lalu pergi. – He came briefly, then left.

In berlangsung singkat, singkat describes the duration of the session in a slightly more formal, “report-style” way than sebentar would.

Why can we say berlangsung singkat without dengan? Isn’t it like “went with short(ly)”?

In Indonesian, adjectives often function as adverb-like complements directly after the verb, without dengan.

Patterns like:

berlangsung singkat – lasted briefly
berlangsung lama – lasted a long time
berjalan lancar – went smoothly
berkembang pesat – grew rapidly

You generally don’t say:

❌ berlangsung dengan singkat
✅ berlangsung singkat

Dengan is used more when turning an adjective or noun into a clear adverbial phrase:

Dengan singkat, dia menjelaskan idenya. – Briefly, he explained his idea.
But after berlangsung, dropping dengan is the normal pattern.

Could this sentence also be said as Sesi tanya jawabnya singkat? If yes, what’s the difference?

Yes, you can say both:

Sesi tanya jawab berlangsung singkat.
- Focuses on the process / duration (it lasted briefly).
- Slightly more formal / report-like.
- Common in news, reports, narratives about events.
Sesi tanya jawabnya singkat.
- Literally: The Q&A session was short.
- The -nya makes it definite (“that Q&A session / the Q&A session we’re talking about”).
- Focuses more on the property of the session (it is short), less on the idea of it taking place.

Both are grammatical and close in meaning, but berlangsung singkat is a bit more event-focused and formal in tone.

Is tanya jawab countable? How would I say “several Q&A sessions”?

Yes, sesi tanya jawab is countable via sesi (sessions).

To say “several Q&A sessions”:

beberapa sesi tanya jawab – several Q&A sessions
dua sesi tanya jawab – two Q&A sessions
banyak sesi tanya jawab – many Q&A sessions

If you want to pluralize sesi (though often not necessary):

sesi-sesi tanya jawab – Q&A sessions (emphasizing more than one)

You normally don’t pluralize tanya jawab itself:

❌ tanya jawab-tanya jawab (very odd in this meaning)
✅ beberapa sesi tanya jawab

How would I make it clear that it’s “the” Q&A session, not just any Q&A session?

Indonesian doesn’t have the / a as separate words, so definiteness is shown by:

context, or
adding particles / determiners like itu, ini, or -nya.

You could say:

Sesi tanya jawab itu berlangsung singkat.
– That / the Q&A session was brief.
Sesi tanya jawabnya berlangsung singkat.
– The Q&A session was brief. (refers to a known, specific one)

In many contexts, Sesi tanya jawab berlangsung singkat. by itself will already be understood as “the Q&A session” from context, especially in a report or narrative.

Is the style of Sesi tanya jawab berlangsung singkat formal or informal? Would people use it in speech?

The sentence is neutral to slightly formal.

Very natural in:
- news reports
- meeting minutes
- event summaries
- written descriptions

In everyday casual speech, someone might say instead:

Sesi tanya jawabnya sebentar saja. – The Q&A session was very short.
Sesi tanya jawabnya cepat banget. (colloquial) – The Q&A session was super quick.

But Sesi tanya jawab berlangsung singkat is perfectly understandable in speech; it just sounds a bit more formal / “report-like” than casual.

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