Saya punya janji temu dengan dokter pukul sembilan pagi.

I have an appointment with the doctor at nine in the morning.

Breakdown of Saya punya janji temu dengan dokter pukul sembilan pagi.

• saya: I
• pagi: the morning
• punya: to have
• dengan: with
• dokter: the doctor
• pukul: at
• sembilan: nine
• janji temu: the appointment

Questions & Answers about Saya punya janji temu dengan dokter pukul sembilan pagi.

What does janji temu literally mean, and how is it different from just janji?

Janji by itself means promise or appointment, depending on context.

Janji temu is more specific: literally a promise to meet → an appointment / a meeting that has been scheduled.

Usage:

• Saya punya janji dengan dia. = I have a promise with him/her. (Could be promise or appointment; ambiguous.)
• Saya punya janji temu dengan dokter. = I have an appointment with the doctor. (Clearly an appointment.)

In everyday speech, people often just say:

• Saya ada janji dengan dokter. or
• Saya ada janji dokter. (very informal)

But janji temu is clear and sounds a bit more standard/formal, especially in writing or when talking about doctors, salons, offices, etc.

Why is it Saya punya janji temu and not Saya ada janji temu? Are punya and ada both correct?

Both are possible, but they have slightly different flavors.

• punya = literally to have / to own
  
  • Saya punya janji temu… = I have an appointment…
• ada = literally there is / there are, but often used like to have in colloquial speech
  
  • Saya ada janji temu… = I have an appointment…

Differences:

• punya feels a bit more like ownership; here, I “possess” an appointment.
• ada is very common in speech and can sound a bit more casual.

All of these are acceptable:

• Saya punya janji temu dengan dokter.
• Saya ada janji temu dengan dokter.
• Saya ada janji dengan dokter. (common, a bit shorter)

Can I drop saya and just say Punya janji temu dengan dokter pukul sembilan pagi?

Yes, in natural spoken Indonesian, the subject pronoun (saya, aku, kamu, etc.) is often dropped when it’s clear from context.

So you might hear:

• Saya punya janji temu dengan dokter pukul sembilan pagi. (full, clear)
• Punya janji temu dengan dokter pukul sembilan pagi. (more casual, context-dependent)

In writing or in formal situations, keeping saya is safer and clearer. In casual conversation, dropping it is very normal if everyone already knows you’re talking about yourself.

Why is dengan dokter used? Could I say ke dokter instead?

Dengan dokter and ke dokter mean different things:

• dengan dokter = with the doctor

  • Focus: Who the appointment is with (the other person involved).
  • Saya punya janji temu dengan dokter.
    = I have an appointment with the doctor.

• ke dokter = to the doctor / to the doctor’s place/clinic

  • Focus: The destination you’re going to.
  • Saya akan pergi ke dokter.
    = I will go to the doctor.

You can combine the ideas:

• Saya punya janji temu dengan dokter, jadi saya harus pergi ke dokter besok pagi.
  I have an appointment with the doctor, so I need to go to the doctor tomorrow morning.

What’s the difference between dokter and doktor?

They look similar but are different words:

• dokter = medical doctor / physician / dentist

  • dokter gigi = dentist
  • dokter anak = pediatrician

• doktor = PhD holder / person with a doctorate degree (not necessarily medical)

  • doktor filsafat = doctor of philosophy (PhD in philosophy)

In this sentence, dokter is correct because it’s about a medical appointment.

Why is it pukul sembilan pagi? What does pukul mean here?

Pukul literally means to hit, but in time expressions it means o’clock / at (a specific clock time).

• pukul sembilan pagi = 9 o’clock in the morning / 9 a.m.

Usage:

• pukul is used for exact clock times:
  • pukul tiga = 3:00
  • pukul setengah lima = 4:30 (literally “half to five”)
• You wouldn’t use pukul for durations:
  • Say tiga jam (three hours), not pukul tiga jam.

What’s the difference between pukul and jam when talking about time?

Both relate to time, but they’re used differently.

1. jam = hour, o’clock, or clock (general word)

   • To tell the time: Jam berapa sekarang? = What time is it now?
   • Duration: tiga jam = three hours.

2. pukul = used in more fixed, scheduled, or formal clock times, especially for events/appointments.

   • Rapat mulai pukul dua. = The meeting starts at two o’clock.
   • Janji temu pukul sembilan pagi.

In everyday speech, many people also say:

• jam sembilan pagi instead of pukul sembilan pagi.

So for this sentence, you could also say:

• Saya punya janji temu dengan dokter jam sembilan pagi. (very common in speech)

Is pagi necessary? Doesn’t sembilan already mean 9 a.m.?

Sembilan by itself just means nine; it does not tell you if it’s a.m. or p.m.

Adding pagi makes it clear:

• pukul sembilan pagi = 9 a.m.
• pukul sembilan malam = 9 p.m.

In casual contexts, if everyone already knows it’s in the morning, people might shorten:

• Janji temu dengan dokter jam sembilan.
  Context would then tell you whether that’s a.m. or p.m.

Is the word order fixed? Can I move pukul sembilan pagi to the front of the sentence?

You can move the time expression; Indonesian is flexible with time phrases.

All of these are grammatical:

• Saya punya janji temu dengan dokter pukul sembilan pagi.
• Pukul sembilan pagi saya punya janji temu dengan dokter.
• Besok pukul sembilan pagi saya punya janji temu dengan dokter.

Putting the time at the beginning often emphasizes the time:

• Pukul sembilan pagi, saya punya janji temu dengan dokter.
  → Emphasis: at 9 a.m. (that’s the important part).

How do I show that the appointment is in the future or was in the past? There’s no tense marker.

Indonesian doesn’t change verb forms for past/present/future like English. Instead, it uses time words.

Future:

• Saya punya janji temu dengan dokter besok pukul sembilan pagi.
  I have an appointment with the doctor tomorrow at 9 a.m.
• Nanti pukul sembilan pagi saya punya janji temu dengan dokter.
  Later at 9 a.m. I have an appointment with the doctor.

Past:

• Tadi pagi saya punya janji temu dengan dokter pukul sembilan.
  This morning I had an appointment with the doctor at nine.
• Kemarin saya punya janji temu dengan dokter pukul sembilan pagi.
  Yesterday I had an appointment with the doctor at 9 a.m.

The verb punya itself stays the same; the time adverb carries the tense information.

Is janji temu countable? How do I say two appointments?

Yes, janji temu is countable.

Examples:

• satu janji temu = one appointment
• dua janji temu = two appointments
• Saya punya dua janji temu dengan dokter hari ini.
  I have two appointments with the doctor today.

You don’t need an extra classifier word (like buah) here, though you might see it occasionally:

• satu buah janji temu (possible, but usually unnecessary and less common in this phrase).

Is this sentence formal, informal, or neutral? Would I say it in a clinic?

Saya punya janji temu dengan dokter pukul sembilan pagi. is neutral and perfectly fine in a clinic or hospital.

At the reception, you might say:

• Saya punya janji temu dengan dokter pukul sembilan pagi.
  (polite, clear)
• Saya ada janji dengan dokter pukul sembilan pagi.
  (very common and natural)

More formal alternatives:

• Saya memiliki janji temu dengan dokter pada pukul sembilan pagi.
  (more formal because of memiliki and pada, often in writing)

More casual speech with friends:

• Aku ada janji dokter jam sembilan pagi.
  (using aku and shorter phrasing)