Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Teman saya belajar biola, dan suara biola terdengar lembut di sore hari. - My friend learns the violin, and the sound of the violin is soft in the afternoon.

Teman saya = my friend
- teman = friend
- saya = I / me (formal-neutral)
  → Literally: friend I / my friend
Sahabat saya
- sahabat = close friend, dear friend, best friend
  → More emotional / closer relationship than teman.
Teman aku / temanku
- aku = I / me (informal, casual)
  → Sounds more casual or intimate than teman saya.

So:

teman saya: neutral, polite, suitable for most situations.
teman aku / temanku: casual, with friends, in chats.
sahabat saya / sahabatku: emphasizes a close friendship.

Does belajar biola mean “study about violins” or “learn to play the violin”?

In this context, belajar biola means learn to play the violin, not just studying about violins.

In Indonesian:

belajar
- name of an instrument usually means learning to play that instrument.
  - belajar gitar = learn (to play) guitar
  - belajar piano = learn (to play) piano

If you want to emphasize “learning to play”, you can also say:

belajar bermain biola = learn to play the violin

But belajar biola alone is natural and commonly used.

How is tense expressed in teman saya belajar biola? How do I know if it’s past, present, or future?

Indonesian doesn’t mark tense with verb changes like English. The sentence teman saya belajar biola is tense-neutral. The time is understood from context.

It could mean:

My friend is learning the violin. (now)
My friend learns the violin. (general/habit)
My friend was learning the violin. (past – if the context is in the past)

To be clearer, Indonesians often add time words:

kemarin teman saya belajar biola = my friend learned the violin yesterday
sekarang teman saya belajar biola = my friend is learning the violin now
besok teman saya akan belajar biola = my friend will learn the violin tomorrow

But belajar itself doesn’t change form.

Could I say sedang belajar biola here? What is the difference between belajar and sedang belajar?

Yes, you can say:

Teman saya sedang belajar biola…

sedang marks an action that is ongoing, similar to the English “-ing” form.

Difference:

Teman saya belajar biola.
→ Neutral: “My friend learns/is learning the violin” (depends on context).
Teman saya sedang belajar biola.
→ Emphasizes “My friend is currently learning the violin (right now / these days).”

So sedang adds a clearer “in progress” feeling, but it’s optional.

Why is biola repeated? Can I avoid saying it twice?

The original sentence:

Teman saya belajar biola, dan suara biola terdengar lembut di sore hari.

Here biola is said twice:

belajar biola (learn violin)
suara biola (the sound of the violin)

You can avoid repeating it in some ways, but natural style in Indonesian often repeats the noun, especially in writing, to keep it clear.

Possible variations:

Teman saya belajar biola, dan suaranya terdengar lembut di sore hari.
→ “My friend is learning the violin, and its sound sounds soft in the afternoon.”
(suaranya = its sound / the sound)

Both versions are correct. Repeating biola is not wrong or awkward in Indonesian.

What is the difference between suara and bunyi? Could I say bunyi biola instead of suara biola?

Both suara and bunyi relate to “sound,” but there are nuances:

suara
- often used for voices and pleasant/meaningful sounds
- suara orang = a person’s voice
- suara burung = birds’ sounds/singing
- suara musik = music sound
bunyi
- more general “noise/sound,” including non-musical, mechanical, or abrupt sounds
- bunyi klakson = honk sound
- bunyi tembakan = gunshot sound
- bunyi bel = bell sound

You can say bunyi biola, but suara biola sounds more natural and elegant, especially with terdengar lembut (“sounds gentle/soft”). It fits the “musical” and pleasant tone of the sentence.

What does terdengar mean exactly, and how is it different from just using dengar?

dengar (base verb): to hear
- Saya dengar suara biola. = I hear the sound of the violin.
terdengar: literally “be heard / sound (like)”
- Suara biola terdengar lembut.
  → “The sound of the violin is heard as soft / sounds soft.”

So:

Use dengar when talking about someone actively hearing something.
Use terdengar when describing how something sounds.

Other examples:

Musiknya terdengar keras. = The music sounds loud.
Dari sini saya bisa dengar musiknya. = From here I can hear the music.

What nuance does lembut have here? Is it just “soft,” or does it mean “quiet”?

Lembut can mean:

soft, gentle, smooth, mild

In this sentence:

suara biola terdengar lembut
→ The violin sound is gentle/soft, maybe smooth, not harsh.

It does not primarily mean “quiet” (which is more pelan or pelan-pelan):

suara biola terdengar pelan = the violin sounds quiet/low in volume
suara biola terdengar lembut = the violin sounds gentle/soft in quality (even if not very quiet)

So lembut is more about the character of the sound, not just the volume.

What does di sore hari mean, and is it different from just sore hari or sore?

sore = late afternoon / early evening (roughly 3 pm – sunset)
hari = day

sore hari literally = “afternoon day,” but functions as “in the afternoon” (as a time phrase).

di sore hari = “in the afternoon”
- di is a preposition often used before time and place.

Variants:

sore hari – Can directly function as a time expression:
- Suara biola terdengar lembut sore hari. (more literary/written)
pada sore hari – also correct; pada is another preposition for time.

In everyday speech:

di sore hari and sore hari are both understood as “in the afternoon.”
di sore hari sounds a bit more explicit and formal; sore alone is also common:
- …terdengar lembut sore-sore. (very casual)

Why is there a comma before dan? Is that standard in Indonesian?

In the sentence:

Teman saya belajar biola, dan suara biola terdengar lembut di sore hari.

The comma before dan separates two independent clauses:

Teman saya belajar biola
suara biola terdengar lembut di sore hari

In Indonesian, using a comma before dan in this case is acceptable and quite common, especially in more careful writing, to show the pause and separation.

However, you will also often see the same sentence written without a comma:

Teman saya belajar biola dan suara biola terdengar lembut di sore hari.

Both are acceptable in everyday writing. The comma is a style choice, not a strict rule.

Is teman saya singular or plural? Could it mean “my friends”?

Teman saya by itself is number-neutral; it can be singular or plural, depending on context.

Possible meanings:

my friend
my friends

If you want to be clearly plural, you can say:

teman-teman saya = my friends (definitely plural)
para teman saya (more formal) = my friends

If you want to be clearly singular, you can say:

seorang teman saya belajar biola = one (a) friend of mine is learning the violin.

In everyday use, teman saya often means one friend unless context shows it’s plural.

Can I switch the word order and say saya teman belajar biola?

No, saya teman belajar biola is not correct for this meaning.

Correct structures:

Teman saya belajar biola. = My friend learns/is learning the violin.

If you want “I learn the violin,” say:

Saya belajar biola.

Word order:

[Noun] + saya = my [noun]
- teman saya = my friend
saya teman… is not how you say “my friend”; it would sound like “I (am) a friend …” if completed:
- Saya teman dia. = I am his/her friend.

So keep teman saya together for “my friend.”

Could I say Kawan saya belajar biola instead of Teman saya belajar biola? Is there any difference?

Yes, you can say:

Kawan saya belajar biola…

kawan and teman both mean “friend,” but:

teman is more common in modern everyday Indonesian.
kawan can sound a bit:
- regional (more common in some areas),
- old-fashioned/formal in some contexts, or
- “comrade-like” in certain styles (e.g., political, organizational).

For neutral, modern usage, teman is the safest and most common choice.