Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Adik saya belajar membuat origami dari video, lalu menempelkan hasilnya di dinding. - My younger sibling learns to make origami from a video, then sticks the result on the wall.

It can refer to a younger brother or a younger sister.
Context usually tells you whether it’s male or female.
As a way of addressing someone, Adik can also be used like “kid” or “dear” to someone younger.

So adik saya = my younger sibling (could be brother or sister).

Why is it adik saya and not saya adik for “my younger sibling”?

Possession in Indonesian is usually formed by [thing owned] + [owner], so:

adik saya = younger sibling + I → my younger sibling
buku saya = my book
rumah mereka = their house

Saya adik would mean something like “I am a younger sibling”, which is not what we want here. The order matters: put what is owned first, then the owner.

What does belajar membuat literally mean, and why are there two verbs in a row?

Belajar = to study / to learn
Membuat = to make

Putting them together, belajar membuat means “to learn to make”.

In Indonesian it’s normal to have verb + verb like this, where the first verb describes the activity and the second verb is what you’re learning/wanting/starting/etc.:

belajar memasak = learn to cook
ingin pergi = want to go
mulai bekerja = start working

So belajar membuat origami = to learn (how) to make origami.

Could you also say belajar untuk membuat origami? Is that more correct?

Yes, belajar untuk membuat origami is grammatically correct, but:

belajar membuat origami is shorter and more natural in everyday Indonesian.
Adding untuk can sound a bit more formal or bookish, and is not needed here.

So in normal speech and writing, Indonesians strongly prefer belajar membuat origami.

Why is it dari video and not something like dalam video or di video?

Dari usually means from, indicating a source.

In belajar membuat origami dari video, the video is the source of the learning material:

belajar dari buku = learn from a book
belajar dari guru = learn from a teacher
belajar dari video = learn from a video

Dalam video would mean inside the video (physically in it), which doesn’t fit.
Di video would mean “at/on the video” (a location sense), which is also odd here.

So dari video is the natural way to say “from a video / from videos”.

What does lalu mean here, and how is it different from dan, kemudian, or terus?

In this sentence, lalu means “then” (showing the next action in a sequence).

Adik saya belajar membuat origami dari video, lalu menempelkan hasilnya di dinding.
→ My younger sibling learned to make origami from videos, then stuck the results on the wall.

Comparisons:

dan = and (just links things, not necessarily sequential)
lalu = then / afterward, fairly neutral and common in both speech and writing
kemudian = then / afterwards, a bit more formal or “written” sounding
terus = then / and then, more informal, conversational

You could swap lalu with kemudian without changing the meaning much. Using dan would sound less clearly sequential.

What is the difference between menempel and menempelkan? Why is menempelkan used here?

Base word: tempel = stick / attach

menempel = to stick / to be attached (often intransitive)
- Kertas itu menempel di dinding. = The paper is stuck on the wall.
menempelkan = to stick something onto something (transitive, with -kan)
- Dia menempelkan kertas itu di dinding. = He/She sticks the paper on the wall.

The suffix -kan often makes the verb “do X to something/someone” or “cause something to be X”.

In the sentence:

menempelkan hasilnya di dinding = stick the results (origami) onto the wall

We need a verb that takes an object (hasilnya), so menempelkan is the correct, natural choice.

What does hasilnya mean exactly, and what does the -nya do?

Hasil = result / outcome / product
-nya is a very flexible suffix. Here it functions as “the / its / his/her”, pointing back to something already known (the origami).

So hasilnya here means:

the results (of the origami he/she made)
his/her results / his/her creations

Nuances:

It doesn’t force singular or plural: context decides (here: several origami pieces).
It can feel both like “the result” and “the result of it / of them” at the same time.

So menempelkan hasilnya di dinding ≈ stick his/her origami creations on the wall.

Why is it di dinding and not ke dinding?

Indonesian distinguishes between location and direction:

di = at / in / on (static location)
ke = to / towards (movement, direction)

With menempelkan X di dinding, the focus is on where the result ends up (on the wall):

menempelkan kertas di dinding = stick paper on the wall

You can see some verbs using ke when emphasizing movement:

melempar bola ke dinding = throw the ball toward the wall

But with menempelkan, di dinding is the normal and natural pattern.

Can origami be plural here? How do you say “several origami figures”?

In Indonesian, many nouns don’t change form for plural. Origami here can mean:

origami (in general)
one origami piece
several origami pieces

Context tells you it’s probably multiple because of hasilnya (the “results”).

If you want to be explicit:

beberapa origami = several origami (pieces)
banyak origami = many origami (pieces)
beberapa karya origami = several origami works

But in everyday speech, just origami is usually fine, plural or singular.

How do we know whether this sentence is past, present, or future? Indonesian verbs don’t change, right?

Correct: Indonesian verbs do not change form for tense. Belajar, membuat, menempelkan are the same for past, present, and future.

The tense is understood from context or optional time words:

With no time word, it can mean:
- Habitual: My younger sibling learns to make origami from videos, then sticks the results on the wall.
- A past event: My younger sibling learned to make origami from videos, then stuck the results on the wall.

You can add adverbs to be explicit:

Kemarin adik saya belajar... = Yesterday my younger sibling learned...
Besok adik saya akan belajar... = Tomorrow my younger sibling will learn...

Could we drop saya and just say Adik belajar membuat origami...? Would that still mean “my younger sibling”?

You can say Adik belajar membuat origami..., but:

Without saya, adik is not clearly “my younger sibling”.
It could mean:
- some younger sibling (someone’s)
- or be used as a form of address: “You (kid) learn to make origami…”

To clearly say my younger sibling, you normally use:

adik saya (neutral, standard)
adikku (more informal, with -ku = my)

So in your sentence, adik saya is the clear and natural choice.

Could I move things around and say: Adik saya menempelkan hasilnya di dinding setelah belajar membuat origami dari video? Is that still correct?

Yes, that sentence is fully correct and natural.

Original:
- Adik saya belajar membuat origami dari video, lalu menempelkan hasilnya di dinding.
Alternative:
- Adik saya menempelkan hasilnya di dinding setelah belajar membuat origami dari video.

Differences:

Original uses lalu (“then”) and presents actions in two clauses.
Alternative uses setelah (“after”) and puts the second action (stick them) first in the sentence, then explains when (after learning).

Both express the same sequence; it’s just a different way of packaging the information.