Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Menjahit pelan-pelan dengan jarum kecil membuat saya harus sangat teliti. - Sewing slowly with a small needle makes me have to be very careful.

Indonesian can easily turn a verb with meN- into a gerund-like subject, similar to English using -ing (sewing, reading, driving) as a noun.

Does menjahit mean “to sew” or “sewing”? Why is the prefix meN- used?

Menjahit is the active verb form of the root jahit (sew).

Root: jahit = sew (base form, dictionary entry)
With prefix meN-: menjahit = to sew / sewing (as an action)

In Indonesian:

Saya menjahit baju. = I sew a shirt / I am sewing a shirt.
Menjahit pelan-pelan… = Sewing slowly…

When it appears at the start of the sentence without a subject and is followed by another verb (membuat), it takes on a gerund-like meaning (sewing) and acts as a subject.

What does pelan-pelan mean exactly, and why is it repeated? Is it different from just pelan?

Pelan-pelan means slowly or carefully (in terms of speed).

pelan alone = slow (adjective/adverb)
- Mobil itu sangat pelan. = That car is very slow.
pelan-pelan (reduplicated) = slowly / gently, often with a nuance of take your time, be gentle
- Jalan pelan-pelan. = Walk slowly (take it easy).

Repetition (reduplication) often:

turns an adjective into a more adverb-like expression, or
adds a nuance of gradualness, gentleness, or emphasis.

Similar patterns:

pelan-pelan ≈ perlahan-lahan = slowly
baik-baik = properly / carefully (broad sense, not about speed)

Here pelan-pelan modifies menjahit, telling us how the sewing is done.

Could I move pelan-pelan to another position, like after saya or at the end?

You can move it a bit, but some positions sound more natural than others.

Natural options:

Menjahit pelan-pelan dengan jarum kecil membuat saya harus sangat teliti.
Menjahit dengan jarum kecil pelan-pelan membuat saya harus sangat teliti. (still okay, but a bit less smooth)

Less natural or awkward:

Menjahit dengan jarum kecil membuat saya pelan-pelan harus sangat teliti. (odd word order)
Menjahit dengan jarum kecil membuat saya harus sangat teliti pelan-pelan. (sounds like my carefulness is “slow,” which is strange)

The most idiomatic is to keep pelan-pelan close to the verb it describes, right after menjahit, as in the original sentence.

What is the function of dengan in dengan jarum kecil? Could I just say menjahit jarum kecil?

Dengan means with or using here.

menjahit dengan jarum kecil = sewing with a small needle / using a small needle

You cannot drop dengan in this case:

menjahit jarum kecil sounds like sewing the small needle (the needle is the object being sewn), which is wrong.

Other ways to express the same idea:

menjahit menggunakan jarum kecil = sewing using a small needle
menjahit pakai jarum kecil (more informal) = sewing with a small needle

So dengan marks the instrument used to do the action.

Why is it jarum kecil and not kecil jarum? Where do adjectives go in Indonesian?

In Indonesian, adjectives usually come after the noun.

jarum kecil = small needle
rumah besar = big house
baju baru = new clothes

Putting the adjective before the noun (like kecil jarum) is not normal Indonesian word order and would be incorrect here.

You can say jarum yang kecil, but that adds a slight nuance of the needle that is small, often used in contrast or for clarification:

Pakai jarum yang kecil, jangan yang besar. = Use the one that is small, not the big one.

How does membuat saya harus sangat teliti work? Why is there both membuat and harus?

The structure is:

membuat = makes / causes
saya = me / I
harus = must / have to
sangat teliti = very meticulous / very careful

So literally:

…makes me have to be very meticulous.

Why both membuat and harus?

membuat saya sangat teliti = makes me very meticulous (a direct result)
membuat saya harus sangat teliti = makes it necessary for me to be very meticulous (emphasizes obligation/necessity)

With harus, the sentence stresses that the situation forces/obliges the speaker to be meticulous, not just that they end up meticulous.

What is the nuance of harus here? Could I use perlu or mesti instead?

Harus is a strong word of obligation or necessity, like must or have to.

Saya harus sangat teliti. = I must / I have to be very meticulous.

Alternatives:

perlu = need (more neutral, less forceful)
- Saya perlu sangat teliti. = I need to be very meticulous. (sounds a bit less like a strict requirement)
mesti = must / have to (often more colloquial, region-dependent)
- Saya mesti sangat teliti. (commonly used in speech in some regions)

In this sentence, harus fits well because it emphasizes that sewing in that way demands a high level of meticulousness.

What exactly does teliti mean? Is it the same as hati-hati or cermat?

Teliti means meticulous, thorough, careful in checking details.

Dia sangat teliti dalam pekerjaannya. = He/She is very meticulous in his/her work.

Related words:

hati-hati = careful in the sense of cautious, avoiding danger or mistakes
- Jalan hati-hati ya. = Walk carefully, okay.
cermat = precise, accurate, careful (similar to teliti, but often used for analysis, calculation, planning)
rapi = neat, tidy (about organization/appearance, not about checking details)

In this sentence, teliti is ideal because sewing with a small needle slowly requires attention to detail, not just general caution.

Can any words in this sentence be omitted without making it ungrammatical? How would that change the nuance?

Several elements can be dropped or replaced:

Drop pelan-pelan:
- Menjahit dengan jarum kecil membuat saya harus sangat teliti.
  Still grammatical. It now focuses more on the small needle as the reason for being meticulous, not on the slowness.
Drop sangat:
- …membuat saya harus teliti.
  Still fine. This weakens the intensity: teliti (careful) instead of sangat teliti (very careful).
Replace membuat saya harus sangat teliti with a simpler clause:
- …membuat saya sangat teliti.
  Now it sounds more like a description of the result (it makes me very meticulous) rather than an obligation (it makes me have to be meticulous).
Change dengan jarum kecil to dengan jarum yang kecil for contrast:
- Slight nuance of specifying that particular small needle, but still grammatical.

The original sentence is fairly compact and natural; changes mostly affect emphasis and nuance, not basic grammar.

Is the overall register of this sentence formal, informal, or neutral? Could I change saya to aku?

The sentence is in neutral–standard Indonesian:

It uses saya, which is neutral and widely appropriate (polite, but not stiff).
The vocabulary (menjahit, pelan-pelan, dengan, membuat, harus, sangat, teliti) is standard.

You can change saya to aku:

Menjahit pelan-pelan dengan jarum kecil membuat aku harus sangat teliti.

This sounds more informal/intimate, used with friends, family, or people close in age/status. Grammatically it is still correct; the change is only in politeness level and closeness.