Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Suara hujan deras terdengar dari ruang tamu. - The sound of heavy rain can be heard from the living room.

suara = sound / noise / voice
hujan = rain
deras = heavy, pouring (for rain), fast/strong (for water flow)
ter-dengar = be heard / be audible
- dengar = to hear
- ter- = a prefix; here it makes a kind of “stative passive”: “is heard / can be heard / is audible”
dari = from
ruang tamu = living room (literally: guest room)
- ruang = room / space
- tamu = guest

So the structure is:

[suara] [hujan deras] [terdengar] [dari] [ruang tamu]
→ The sound of heavy rain was heard from the living room.

In suara hujan deras, what modifies what? Is it “heavy sound of rain” or “sound of heavy rain”?

The structure is:

suara = sound
hujan deras = heavy rain

So suara hujan deras = the sound of heavy rain.

In other words:

hujan is “rain”
deras is an adjective describing hujan (rain), not suara (sound).

You can think of it as:

suara (hujan deras)
the sound of (heavy rain)

Why is it hujan deras and not deras hujan?

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

hujan deras = heavy rain
(hujan = rain, deras = heavy)
rumah besar = big house
baju merah = red shirt

Putting the adjective before the noun (like deras hujan) is not normal Indonesian word order and would sound wrong or at least very strange in everyday speech.

So:

✅ hujan deras
❌ deras hujan (unnatural in this meaning)

Can I drop suara and just say Hujan deras terdengar dari ruang tamu?

Yes, you can say:

Hujan deras terdengar dari ruang tamu.

This would be understood as something like:

“The heavy rain could be heard from the living room.”

Nuance:

Suara hujan deras terdengar …
Emphasizes the sound itself (the noise of the rain).
Hujan deras terdengar …
Slightly more compact; still clear that it’s the sound you mean, because only the sound can be “heard”.

Both are natural; the version with suara is just a bit more explicit.

What exactly does terdengar mean, and how is it different from mendengar?

mendengar = “to hear” (active, someone is doing the hearing)
- Saya mendengar suara hujan.
  “I hear / heard the sound of rain.”
terdengar = “to be heard, to be audible” (no explicit person hearing it)
- Suara hujan terdengar.
  “The sound of rain is heard / can be heard / is audible.”

So:

mendengar = subject is the listener
terdengar = subject is the sound (or whatever is being heard)

That’s why in your sentence, the subject is suara hujan deras, and the verb is terdengar.

Does ter- in terdengar always mean “can be …” or “is …-able”?

Not always, but in verbs like terdengar, terlihat, terasa, it often has this “stative / simply happens / is in a certain state” meaning:

terdengar = be heard / be audible
terlihat = be seen / be visible
terasa = be felt / be noticeable (to the senses)

In other contexts, ter- can also mean:

the most (superlative): terbaik = best
accidental/involuntary action: terjatuh = fall accidentally

In terdengar, it’s the “stative passive” / “is in a state of being heard” type.

If I want to say “can be heard” or “could be heard”, do I need bisa or dapat, or is terdengar enough?

Terdengar alone already often implies “can be heard / is audible” from context.

However, you can add bisa or dapat for extra clarity or emphasis:

Suara hujan deras terdengar dari ruang tamu.
“The sound of heavy rain could be heard from the living room.”
Suara hujan deras bisa terdengar dari ruang tamu.
Suara hujan deras dapat terdengar dari ruang tamu.

Those last two feel a bit more explicit about possibility (“is able to be heard”), but in many real situations, terdengar by itself is perfectly natural.

Why is it dari ruang tamu (“from the living room”) and not di ruang tamu (“in the living room”)? What’s the difference?

Basic meanings:

dari = from (source/origin)
di = in / at (location where something is)

So:

terdengar dari ruang tamu
Literally: “is heard from the living room”
→ Focus on the sound’s source: it (seems to) come from the living room area.
terdengar di ruang tamu
Literally: “is heard in the living room”
→ Focus on the place where you can hear it: inside the living room people can hear it.

In everyday use, Indonesians may sometimes blur that line a bit, but the basic distinction is:

dari → where the sound comes from
di → where the hearing happens

Where are the words “the” and “a” in this sentence? How does Indonesian handle articles?

Indonesian normally has no articles like a / an / the.

So:

suara can mean a sound or the sound, depending on context.
ruang tamu can mean a living room or the living room.

In translation, you choose a or the based on what sounds natural in English, not because of any special Indonesian word.

If you really want to specify “this/that”, you use demonstratives:

suara hujan deras itu = that sound of heavy rain
ruang tamu ini = this living room

How is tense expressed here? How do I know if it is “was heard”, “is heard”, or “will be heard”?

Indonesian verbs do not change form for tense.

Terdengar can match different tenses; the time reference comes from context or from time words:

Past:
Tadi malam, suara hujan deras terdengar dari ruang tamu.
“Last night, the sound of heavy rain was heard from the living room.”
Present:
Sekarang, suara hujan deras terdengar dari ruang tamu.
“Right now, the sound of heavy rain is heard from the living room.”
Future (less common in this exact form, but possible with context):
Nanti malam, suara hujan deras mungkin terdengar dari ruang tamu.
“Tonight, the sound of heavy rain might be heard from the living room.”

In your standalone sentence, English speakers often choose past (“was heard”) or present (“is heard”) depending on the narrative context.

Is deras used only with rain?

Deras is very commonly used with hujan:

hujan deras = heavy rain, pouring rain

But it’s also used with things that flow or move strongly/fast, especially liquids:

arus deras = rapid current (in a river)
aliran air deras = strong water flow
angin deras (less common than angin kencang, but understandable) = strong wind

So deras has a sense of “strong, fast, forceful flow,” and hujan deras is one especially common collocation.

What exactly does ruang tamu mean? Is it exactly the same as “living room”?

Ruang tamu literally means:

ruang = room / space
tamu = guest

So literally: “guest room”, in the sense of the room where you receive guests.

Functionally, it is usually the front sitting area / reception room of the house. In many homes, that is indeed the living room, so translating it as “living room” is often correct.

Another related term is:

ruang keluarga = family room (more private, where the family relaxes)

In many houses those two spaces might be combined, so ruang tamu is commonly translated simply as living room in English.