Adik saya suka membaca komik lucu sebelum tidur.

My younger sibling likes to read funny comics before sleeping.

Breakdown of Adik saya suka membaca komik lucu sebelum tidur.

• sebuah: a
• suka: to like
• membaca: to read
• sebelum: before
• tidur: to sleep
• adik: the younger sibling
• saya: my
• lucu: funny
• komik: the comic

Questions & Answers about Adik saya suka membaca komik lucu sebelum tidur.

What does “Adik saya” literally mean, and why is the word order different from English “my younger sibling”?

Literally, “adik saya” is “younger sibling I / my younger sibling”.

In Indonesian, possession is usually expressed as:

• [thing/person owned] + [owner pronoun]

So:

• adik saya = my younger sibling
• rumah saya = my house
• buku saya = my book

English puts the possessive first (my sibling), but Indonesian typically puts it after (sibling my).

Does “adik” mean younger brother, younger sister, or both? How do I specify the gender?

“Adik” by itself means younger sibling, and it is gender‑neutral.

To specify gender, you add a word:

• adik laki-laki = younger brother
• adik perempuan = younger sister

So, for your sentence:

• Adik laki-laki saya suka membaca komik lucu sebelum tidur.
  = My younger brother likes to read funny comics before bed.

• Adik perempuan saya suka membaca komik lucu sebelum tidur.
  = My younger sister likes to read funny comics before bed.

If the gender is obvious from context, Indonesians often just say adik.

Why is it “suka membaca” and not something like “suka untuk membaca” (like “like to read”)?

In Indonesian, “suka” (to like) can be followed directly by a verb in its base or prefixed form:

• suka membaca = like reading / like to read
• suka makan = like eating / like to eat

You do not normally say “suka untuk membaca”.
That sounds unnatural or overly formal in everyday Indonesian.

So:

• Adik saya suka membaca komik lucu
  = My younger sibling likes reading funny comics / likes to read funny comics.

What is the difference between “membaca” and “baca”? Could the sentence be “Adik saya suka baca komik lucu…”?

The root verb is baca = read.

membaca is baca with the prefix meN-, which:

• makes it a standard active verb form
• is more complete / formal in many contexts

In everyday spoken Indonesian, people often drop meN- and just use the root:

• suka membaca komik (more formal/neutral, textbook-style)
• suka baca komik (very common in speech, informal but correct)

So yes, you can say:

• Adik saya suka baca komik lucu sebelum tidur.

It sounds more conversational.

Why is it “komik lucu” and not “lucu komik” like English “funny comics”?

In Indonesian, adjectives usually come after the noun they describe:

• komik lucu = funny comics
• buku tebal = thick book
• film bagus = good movie

So the normal order is:

• [noun] + [adjective]

Saying “lucu komik” is wrong in standard Indonesian; it would sound very strange or ungrammatical.

Does “lucu” mean only “funny”, or can it also mean “cute”?

“Lucu” primarily means funny / amusing, but it is very commonly used as “cute” in everyday speech, especially for:

• babies, children
• animals
• small things that look adorable

So “komik lucu” most naturally means funny comics, but in some contexts it could be understood as comics with cute drawings or cute stories. Usually the exact nuance is clear from the situation.

In “sebelum tidur”, who is doing the sleeping? Why isn’t it “sebelum dia tidur”?

“Sebelum tidur” literally means “before sleeping” / “before (going to) sleep”.

Indonesian often uses a bare verb like tidur (“to sleep”) as if it were a general activity noun, without stating the subject, when the subject is obvious from context.

Here, the context is “Adik saya…”, so listeners automatically understand it as:

• sebelum dia tidur = before he/she sleeps

You can say the longer version:

• Adik saya suka membaca komik lucu sebelum dia tidur.

This is also correct; it just feels a bit more explicit.

How do we know this sentence is about a habit, not something happening right now, since Indonesian doesn’t mark tense?

Indonesian does not change the verb form for tense. Instead, you understand the time from:

• time expressions (kemarin, nanti, sekarang, setiap malam, etc.)
• context words like suka, which often imply habits or preferences

In:

• Adik saya suka membaca komik lucu sebelum tidur.

the word suka (“likes”) naturally suggests a repeated, habitual action.
You could make it even clearer by adding:

• setiap malam = every night
  
  • Adik saya suka membaca komik lucu sebelum tidur setiap malam.

Can I remove “suka” or move it to another position, like “Adik saya membaca komik lucu sebelum tidur suka”?

You cannot freely move “suka” around. The natural orders are:

• Adik saya suka membaca komik lucu sebelum tidur.
  = My younger sibling likes to read funny comics before bed.

If you remove “suka”:

• Adik saya membaca komik lucu sebelum tidur.
  = My younger sibling reads funny comics before bed.
  (This is more like a statement of fact; it doesn’t emphasize liking.)

Putting “suka” at the end:

• ✗ Adik saya membaca komik lucu sebelum tidur suka.

is ungrammatical in standard Indonesian. “Suka” should come before the verb phrase it modifies.

How would I change the sentence to clearly say “My younger sister” or “My younger brother”?

You specify gender by adding laki-laki (male) or perempuan (female) after adik:

• Younger sister

  • Adik perempuan saya suka membaca komik lucu sebelum tidur.
    = My younger sister likes to read funny comics before bed.

• Younger brother

  • Adik laki-laki saya suka membaca komik lucu sebelum tidur.
    = My younger brother likes to read funny comics before bed.

In relaxed speech, Indonesians might also shorten:

• adik cewek saya (colloquial: my younger girl sibling)
• adik cowok saya (colloquial: my younger boy sibling)

but “adik perempuan / laki-laki” is standard and good to learn first.