Sebelum ujian, saya melakukan latihan pernapasan singkat di kamar.

Before the exam, I do a short breathing exercise in the room.

Breakdown of Sebelum ujian, saya melakukan latihan pernapasan singkat di kamar.

• saya: I
• di: in
• kamar: the room
• sebelum: before
• singkat: short
• ujian: the exam
• melakukan: to do
• latihan pernapasan: the breathing exercise

Questions & Answers about Sebelum ujian, saya melakukan latihan pernapasan singkat di kamar.

Why does the sentence start with Sebelum ujian? Could it also be in the middle or at the end?

Starting with Sebelum ujian puts emphasis on the time setting: before the exam. This is very natural in Indonesian.

You can change the word order without changing the basic meaning:

• Sebelum ujian, saya melakukan latihan pernapasan singkat di kamar.
  = Before the exam, I did a short breathing exercise in the room. (time first, then action)

• Saya melakukan latihan pernapasan singkat di kamar sebelum ujian.
  = I did a short breathing exercise in the room before the exam. (subject–verb first)

Both are correct. Putting Sebelum ujian at the beginning is slightly more formal and is common in written or careful speech.

What is the difference between saya and aku? Could I say Aku melakukan... here?

Both saya and aku mean I / me, but they differ in formality and context:

• saya: neutral–polite, used in most situations, especially with people you don’t know well, in writing, in formal or semi-formal conversations.
• aku: informal, used with close friends, family, or in casual contexts.

So yes, you can say:

• Sebelum ujian, aku melakukan latihan pernapasan singkat di kamar.

That sounds more casual, like talking to a friend. In a written example or in an exam setting, saya is the safer, more neutral choice.

Why is melakukan used here? Could I just say latihan pernapasan singkat without melakukan?

melakukan means to do / to perform (an action).
In this sentence:

• melakukan latihan pernapasan singkat = to do a short breathing exercise.

This construction is very common:

• melakukan latihan = do/perform practice
• melakukan penelitian = do research
• melakukan perjalanan = make a trip

You can drop melakukan and say:

• Sebelum ujian, saya latihan pernapasan singkat di kamar.

This is also correct and actually sounds more natural in everyday speech. The meaning is almost the same; melakukan makes it sound a bit more formal or “complete,” like “perform a breathing exercise” instead of just “do breathing practice.”

Is there a difference between latihan and berlatih in this context?

Yes, there is a small difference:

• latihan (noun) = practice / exercise

  • latihan pernapasan = breathing exercise(s)

• berlatih (verb) = to practice

  • berlatih pernapasan = to practice breathing

So you could say:

• Saya melakukan latihan pernapasan singkat.
  = I do a short breathing exercise.

or

• Saya berlatih pernapasan sebentar.
  = I practice breathing for a moment.

Both are acceptable; the original uses the noun latihan plus the verb melakukan.

What does pernapasan literally come from? Is it related to napas?

Yes. pernapasan is derived from napas (breath).

Rough breakdown:

• napas = breath
• bernapas = to breathe
• pernapasan = breathing / respiration

So:

• latihan pernapasan literally = breathing exercise(s)

You may also see the older spelling pernafasan in some texts, but pernapasan is the correct modern standard.

Why is singkat after latihan pernapasan? Could it go before?

In Indonesian, descriptive words (adjectives) usually come after the noun:

• latihan singkat = short exercise
• ujian penting = important exam
• kamar besar = big room

So latihan pernapasan singkat is:

• latihan (exercise)
• pernapasan (breathing, describing what kind of exercise)
• singkat (short, describing the exercise)

You normally would not say singkat latihan pernapasan. Putting singkat before the noun sounds ungrammatical in standard Indonesian.

What exactly does singkat mean here? How is it different from sebentar?

Both relate to a short duration, but they’re used a bit differently:

• singkat = short, brief (more descriptive, a bit more formal)

  • waktu singkat = a short time
  • pidato singkat = a brief speech
  • latihan pernapasan singkat = a short breathing exercise

• sebentar = for a short while / a moment (adverb of time)

  • saya belajar sebentar = I study for a short while
  • tunggu sebentar = wait a moment

You could say:

• Saya latihan pernapasan sebentar.
  (I practice breathing for a short while.)

The original latihan pernapasan singkat sounds a bit more like a labeled/defined “short exercise,” which fits well with things like relaxation techniques.

Does di kamar specifically mean “in the bedroom,” or just “in a room”?

kamar by itself is a bit general and often means (a) room, but in many everyday contexts it’s understood as bedroom, especially if you’re at home.

Typical meanings:

• kamar tidur = bedroom (explicit)
• kamar mandi = bathroom
• kamar (at home) = often interpreted as your bedroom, unless specified otherwise

So di kamar can mean:

• in (my/your) room
• in the bedroom

The exact nuance depends on context. If you want to be unambiguous, you can say di kamar tidur for “in the bedroom.”

What is the difference between di kamar and di dalam kamar?

Both are correct and often interchangeable:

• di kamar = in the room
• di dalam kamar = inside the room

di dalam is a bit more explicit about being inside something, but in many everyday contexts, di kamar is enough and is more common.

In this sentence:

• ... di kamar.
• ... di dalam kamar.

both sound natural. The second one can feel slightly more descriptive or emphatic (“inside the room”), but the meaning for learners is practically the same.

There is no tense marker in saya melakukan latihan.... How do we know if it’s past, present, or future?

Indonesian doesn’t mark tense with verb changes like English does. Instead, context words tell you the time.

Here, Sebelum ujian (Before the exam) provides the time reference. That phrase suggests a past action in most real-life situations (you’re now talking about something you did before an exam).

If you need to be very explicit, you can add time adverbs:

• past: tadi, kemarin, dulu
  
  • Sebelum ujian tadi, saya melakukan… (Before the exam earlier, I did…)
• future: nanti, besok, akan
  
  • Sebelum ujian besok, saya akan melakukan… (Before tomorrow’s exam, I will do…)

But normally, Sebelum ujian plus context is enough.

Can I omit saya and just say Sebelum ujian, melakukan latihan pernapasan singkat di kamar?

Indonesian can drop subjects in casual speech when they’re very clear from context, but in a neutral or textbook sentence like this, dropping saya sounds incomplete or too telegraphic.

Better options:

• Sebelum ujian, saya melakukan latihan pernapasan singkat di kamar. (standard)
• Sebelum ujian, aku latihan pernapasan singkat di kamar. (informal)

You might hear people say things like Sebelum ujian, latihan pernapasan singkat dulu di kamar, but that has a more informal, instruction-like feel (“Before the exam, (you/I) do a quick breathing exercise in the room first”). For a clear, stand-alone sentence about yourself, keep saya.

Is ujian the same as tes or test? When should I use ujian?

ujian and tes overlap but aren’t always identical:

• ujian

  • usually more formal/official
  • often refers to exams in school, university, or certifications
  • ujian akhir, ujian nasional, ujian masuk

• tes

  • often shorter, more general “test”
  • can be informal or formal
  • tes psikologi, tes darah, tes TOEFL

In Sebelum ujian, it sounds like a formal or important exam (school test, university exam, etc.). You could say Sebelum tes in some contexts, but ujian is very natural for “exam.”

How would this sentence look in a more casual, spoken style?

A natural casual version might be:

• Sebelum ujian, aku latihan pernapasan sebentar di kamar.

Changes:

• saya → aku (more informal)
• melakukan latihan → just latihan (dropping melakukan is common in speech)
• singkat → sebentar (sounds a bit more everyday)

All of these keep the same basic meaning but feel more like something you’d say to a friend.