Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Klinik itu baru dibuka tahun lalu, tapi sudah cukup terkenal di lingkungan kami. - That clinic was only opened last year, but it is already quite well-known in our neighborhood.

Klinik itu baru dibuka tahun lalu, tapi sudah cukup terkenal di lingkungan kami.

That clinic was only opened last year, but it is already quite well-known in our neighborhood.

Breakdown of Klinik itu baru dibuka tahun lalu, tapi sudah cukup terkenal di lingkungan kami.

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Questions & Answers about Klinik itu baru dibuka tahun lalu, tapi sudah cukup terkenal di lingkungan kami.

Why does itu come after klinik, even though in English we say that clinic with that before the noun?

In Indonesian, demonstratives like ini (this) and itu (that) usually come after the noun:

klinik itu = that clinic
klinik ini = this clinic

So the structure is typically:

[noun] + [ini/itu]

Putting itu after klinik doesn’t change the meaning; it’s just the normal word order in Indonesian.

What exactly does baru mean in baru dibuka? Is it “new” or “just/recently”?

Baru can mean different things depending on position:

Before a noun – usually means new:
- klinik baru = a new clinic
Before a verb – usually means just / only recently / only just:
- baru dibuka = was only just opened / was opened recently

In Klinik itu baru dibuka tahun lalu, baru modifies dibuka (the verb), so the meaning is:

That clinic was only opened last year (i.e. not long ago),
not “that clinic is new opened” or “that new clinic was opened last year”.

Why is dibuka (passive) used instead of an active form like membuka?

Dibuka is the passive form of membuka (to open).
Very literally:

dibuka = is/was opened (by someone)
membuka = to open / opens

In Indonesian, it’s very common to use the passive when:

The doer is not important or not mentioned:
- Klinik itu baru dibuka tahun lalu.
  The clinic was only opened last year.
  (We don’t care who opened it.)
We want to emphasize the object (the clinic), not the subject.

You could make an active sentence, but you’d need a subject:

Mereka baru membuka klinik itu tahun lalu.
They only opened that clinic last year.

Here, mereka (they) becomes the focus, which slightly changes the emphasis.

Does dibuka itself show past tense, or how do we know this is talking about the past?

Dibuka by itself is not marked for tense. Indonesian verbs generally don’t change form for past, present, or future.

We know it’s past from context words:

baru (just / only recently)
tahun lalu (last year)
sudah (already)

Together they clearly place the action in the past:

baru dibuka tahun lalu → was only opened last year

So the tense meaning comes from time expressions (like tahun lalu) and particles (like sudah), not from the verb form.

What is the difference between tapi and tetapi? Could I use tetapi here?

Both tapi and tetapi mean but.

tapi – more informal / everyday speech
tetapi – more formal or neutral, often used in writing or careful speech

You can absolutely say:

Klinik itu baru dibuka tahun lalu, tetapi sudah cukup terkenal di lingkungan kami.

The meaning is the same; using tapi just makes the sentence sound more casual and conversational.

Why do we say sudah cukup terkenal? What does sudah add here?

Sudah means already. In this sentence:

cukup terkenal = quite / fairly well-known
sudah cukup terkenal = (has) already become quite well-known

The sudah emphasizes that a change has happened earlier than expected:

The clinic only opened last year, yet it has already become fairly well-known.

Without sudah, the sentence is more neutral:

… tapi cukup terkenal di lingkungan kami.
… but it’s quite well-known in our neighborhood.

This is still correct, but it doesn’t highlight the speed or surprise that it became well-known so quickly.

What is the nuance of cukup terkenal? Is it “quite famous” or “famous enough”?

Cukup literally means enough / sufficient, but in everyday use before adjectives, it often means quite / fairly / pretty.

cukup terkenal
- often: quite well-known / fairly well-known
- literally: known enough

So:

sudah cukup terkenal = already quite well-known (natural translation)

If you wanted very famous, you’d use:

sangat terkenal, terkenal sekali, or sudah sangat terkenal.

What does lingkungan mean here, and why use di lingkungan kami instead of something like di daerah kami?

Lingkungan can mean:

neighborhood / surrounding area / local community, or
environment (in other contexts)

In di lingkungan kami, it means roughly:

in our neighborhood / in our local area / among the people around us

Nuance:

di lingkungan kami – stresses the social circle / local community
di daerah kami – more like in our area/region (a broader, more geographic feel)

Both can be correct, but lingkungan here nicely captures the idea of the people who live around us / around where we are.

Why is kami used instead of kita in lingkungan kami?

Both kami and kita mean we / us, but:

kami = we (excluding the person you are talking to)
kita = we (including the person you are talking to)

So:

lingkungan kami = our neighborhood (not including the listener)
lingkungan kita = our neighborhood (including the listener as part of that neighborhood)

In real use:

If the speaker and listener live in different places, kami is natural.
If they’re neighbors talking about the same neighborhood, kita would sound more inclusive.

Could the word order be changed to emphasize the contrast, like putting the “already famous” part first?

Yes. Indonesian word order is fairly flexible. For example:

Klinik itu sudah cukup terkenal di lingkungan kami, padahal baru dibuka tahun lalu.

Changes:

sudah cukup terkenal is moved earlier
padahal is used instead of tapi

Nuance:

padahal often adds a sense of “even though / whereas (surprisingly)” and emphasizes the contrast between being new and already famous.

Your original sentence with tapi is perfectly natural; this is just another common way to highlight the surprising contrast.

Can itu be omitted? What’s the difference between Klinik itu baru dibuka… and Klinik baru dibuka…?

You can omit itu, but the nuance changes:

Klinik itu baru dibuka tahun lalu…
- Refers to a specific clinic that both speaker and listener can identify (that clinic).
Klinik baru dibuka tahun lalu…
This is ambiguous:
- It might be understood as A clinic (some clinic) was opened last year.
- Or, depending on context, it might be heard as:
  - Klinik baru = new clinic
  - Klinik baru dibuka… could sound like The new clinic was opened…

So itu helps clearly indicate “that particular clinic” you already know about.