Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Balita biasanya belajar berjalan dan berbicara sambil meniru orang dewasa di sekitarnya. - Toddlers usually learn to walk and talk by imitating the adults around them.

So balita literally comes from bawah lima tahun (“under five years old”).
It’s a very common, everyday word in Indonesian, used in both spoken and written language.

Is balita singular or plural here?

Indonesian usually does not mark singular vs. plural on the noun itself, and context does the work.

balita can mean “a toddler” or “toddlers” depending on context.
In this sentence, because we’re talking about a general truth (“Toddlers usually learn to walk and talk…”), balita is best understood as “toddlers” in general.

If you needed to be explicit:

seorang balita = a toddler (one)
para balita / balita-batita (less common) = toddlers (plural, more explicit)

What is the function of biasanya in this sentence, and where can it go?

Biasanya means “usually”. It describes how often or how typically something happens.

In this sentence:

Balita biasanya belajar… = “Toddlers usually learn…”

Position:

The most common position is after the subject:
- Balita biasanya belajar…
It can also appear at the beginning, for emphasis:
- Biasanya, balita belajar berjalan…

It would sound odd to put biasanya at the very end of the sentence here. The neutral, natural place is where it is: after balita.

Why do we say belajar berjalan, and not just berjalan or belajar untuk berjalan?

belajar berjalan = “learn to walk” (literally “learn walking”)
berjalan alone just means “to walk”, not “to learn to walk.”
Indonesian often uses belajar + verb to mean “learn to [do something]”.

You could also say:

belajar untuk berjalan = “learn to walk”

This is grammatically correct, but:

In everyday Indonesian, people more often drop untuk in this pattern.
belajar berjalan sounds more natural and concise than belajar untuk berjalan here.

Why is it belajar berjalan dan berbicara, not belajar berjalan dan belajar berbicara?

In Indonesian, when the same verb applies to multiple following verbs, you normally only say it once:

belajar berjalan dan berbicara
= “learn to walk and (learn to) talk”

Saying belajar berjalan dan belajar berbicara is not wrong, but:

It sounds a bit heavier / repetitive.
The original is more natural and fluent in everyday language.

What does sambil mean, and how is it different from sementara or ketika?

sambil roughly means “while (at the same time, doing something else)”, with a focus on two actions happening simultaneously, often done by the same subject.

In the sentence:

…belajar berjalan dan berbicara sambil meniru orang dewasa…
= “...learn to walk and talk while imitating adults…”

Comparisons:

sambil: while doing another action (same subject, often continuous)
- Dia makan sambil menonton TV. = He eats while watching TV.
sementara: “while/whereas/for the time that…”, can contrast subjects or states
- Saya bekerja sementara dia tidur. = I work while he sleeps.
ketika: “when”, more point-in-time or neutral time marker
- Ketika saya kecil, saya tinggal di Bali. = When I was young, I lived in Bali.

Here, sambil is perfect because:

The toddler is learning to walk and talk and at the same time is imitating adults.

Why is meniru used here, and how is it formed?

Meniru means “to imitate / to copy (someone’s behavior, speech, etc.)”.

Formation:

Base word: tiru = imitate
Prefix: meN- (a common verb-forming prefix)
meN- + tiru → meniru

The meN- prefix makes it an active verb:

tiru (root form, dictionary form)
meniru = “to imitate / is imitating”

You might also see:

mencontoh (from contoh = example) = to imitate / follow as an example But meniru is very natural and common in this context of children copying adults.

What does orang dewasa literally mean, and is it singular or plural?

Literally:

orang = person
dewasa = adult / mature

So orang dewasa = “adult person”, usually translated simply as “adult.”

As with balita, singular vs. plural depends on context:

orang dewasa can mean “an adult” or “adults.”
In this sentence, it clearly means “adults” (in general: adults around them).

If you want to make it clearly plural:

orang-orang dewasa = adults
para orang dewasa = adults (more formal / grouped)

How should I understand di sekitarnya? What does -nya refer to?

Breakdown:

di = at / in / on
sekitar = around / surrounding area
-nya = “his/her/its/their” (3rd person possessive) or sometimes just a softener

So di sekitarnya most naturally means:

“around him/her/them” or “in their surroundings.”

In this sentence:

orang dewasa di sekitarnya
= “the adults around them (the toddlers).”

The -nya here most likely refers back to balita (the toddlers), not the adults themselves.

Why is the adjective dewasa placed after orang, not before it like in English?

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

Pattern:

noun + adjective

Examples:

orang dewasa = adult person
rumah besar = big house
buku baru = new book

So:

orang dewasa (person adult) corresponds to “adult person” / “adult” in English.

How does Indonesian express tense in this sentence? There’s no past/present marker.

Indonesian generally does not mark tense (past, present, future) on the verb itself. The time is understood from context or from time words like kemarin (yesterday), besok (tomorrow), sekarang (now), etc.

In this sentence:

belajar, berjalan, berbicara, meniru are all in their basic form, with no tense marking.
The sentence expresses a general truth / habit (something that is generally true about toddlers).

If you wanted to make the time explicit, you’d add adverbs:

Dulu balita biasanya… = In the past, toddlers usually…
Sekarang balita biasanya… = Nowadays, toddlers usually…

Could we replace sambil with dengan here, and what would change?

You could say:

Balita biasanya belajar berjalan dan berbicara dengan meniru orang dewasa di sekitarnya.

This is grammatically correct and understandable:

dengan = with / by / using

Subtle differences:

sambil meniru emphasizes simultaneous actions: they learn while imitating.
dengan meniru emphasizes method: they learn by imitating (imitation as the means).

Both are fine, but:

The original sambil meniru focuses a bit more on toddlers doing those things at the same time.

What is the overall register or style of this sentence? Is it formal or informal?

The sentence is in a neutral, standard Indonesian that is:

perfectly fine in written contexts (articles, textbooks, essays)
also natural in spoken language, especially in more careful or educated speech

None of the words are slang.
You could use this sentence in:

school materials
parenting books
everyday educated conversation

So it’s not slangy, but also not stiffly formal—just standard, neutral Indonesian.