Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Sebelum tes, dia mengukur suhu tubuh saya dengan termometer kecil. - Before the test, she measures my body temperature with a small thermometer.

Placing "Sebelum tes" at the beginning makes the time frame more prominent. Putting it at the end sounds a bit more neutral. Grammatically, both positions are fine.

Why is there no word like "a" or "the" before "tes" and "termometer kecil"?

Indonesian doesn’t use articles like "a/an" or "the" the way English does.

tes can mean a test / the test depending on context.
termometer kecil can mean a small thermometer / the small thermometer.

If you really want to emphasize “one,” you can use "satu" or "sebuah", but it’s usually not needed here:

Dia mengukur suhu tubuh saya dengan sebuah termometer kecil.

This is grammatically correct but slightly more explicit than most native speakers would need in everyday speech.

What is the difference between "tes" and "ujian"?

Both can translate as “test” or “exam”, but their usage is a bit different:

tes
- Very general.
- Common in medical and technical contexts: tes darah (blood test), tes COVID, tes kehamilan (pregnancy test).
- Also used in education: tes matematika.
ujian
- Often feels more formal or academic, like examination.
- Common with school or official exams: ujian nasional, ujian akhir, ujian masuk (entrance exam).

In your sentence, "Sebelum tes" sounds like a medical or some kind of procedure/test. If it were about a school exam, you might also hear:

Sebelum ujian, dia mengukur suhu tubuh saya…
(Before the exam, he/she measured my body temperature…)

Why is the verb "mengukur" used here instead of something like "memeriksa"?

mengukur = to measure (you get a number/value)
- mengukur suhu = measure the temperature
- mengukur panjang meja = measure the table’s length
memeriksa = to examine / to check (more general)
- memeriksa pasien = examine a patient
- memeriksa mata = check/examine the eyes

In this sentence, we’re specifically talking about getting a temperature value, so "mengukur suhu tubuh saya" (measure my body temperature) is very precise. You could say:

Sebelum tes, dia memeriksa suhu tubuh saya.

This means “check/examine my body temperature”, which is also acceptable, but slightly less specific than mengukur.

What exactly does "suhu tubuh" mean, and can I say something else like "suhu badan" or "temperatur"?

suhu = temperature
tubuh = body

So "suhu tubuh" = body temperature.

Other very common variants:

suhu badan
- badan also means body, often a bit more casual than tubuh.
- Many people would naturally say:
  Dia mengukur suhu badan saya.
temperatur tubuh / temperatur badan
- Uses the loanword temperatur (from “temperature”).
- Sounds slightly more technical or formal, often seen in writing.

All of these are understandable. In everyday spoken Indonesian, "suhu badan" is extremely common.

Why is it "suhu tubuh saya" and not "suhu saya tubuh"? Where does "saya" go in a phrase like this?

In Indonesian, possessive pronouns (my, your, his, etc.) generally come after the noun phrase they possess:

tubuh saya = my body
rumah saya = my house
suhu tubuh saya = the body temperature of mine → my body temperature

You cannot say "suhu saya tubuh"; that’s ungrammatical.

Alternative but less common structure:

suhu tubuhku (informal, using -ku suffix for “my”)
- Dia mengukur suhu tubuhku.

But with "saya", it has to be "suhu tubuh saya".

Does "dia" mean he or she? How do I say specifically he or she?

"dia" is gender‑neutral. It can mean he or she depending on context.

Indonesian usually doesn’t mark gender in pronouns, so you rely on context. If you really need to specify:

laki-laki itu = that man
perempuan itu = that woman
dokter itu = that doctor
suster itu = that (female) nurse

Example:

Sebelum tes, dokter itu mengukur suhu tubuh saya…
→ Before the test, the doctor measured my body temperature…

There is no separate basic pronoun that means only he or only she.

Can the subject "dia" be omitted in this sentence, like in some other languages?

Yes, Indonesian often drops pronouns when the subject is clear from context, especially in conversation.

So, grammatically you could say:

Sebelum tes, mengukur suhu tubuh saya dengan termometer kecil.

However:

In written or more formal Indonesian, it’s more natural to include "dia".
If there’s any risk of confusion about who did the action, keep "dia".

So the original sentence with "dia" is the clearest and most natural in many contexts.

What does "dengan" do in "dengan termometer kecil"? Is it the same as “using”?

Yes. Here "dengan" functions like “with / using” to show the instrument used to do the action:

mengukur suhu tubuh saya dengan termometer kecil
= measure my body temperature with / using a small thermometer.

Other common options:

pakai termometer kecil (more informal)
Sebelum tes, dia mengukur suhu tubuh saya pakai termometer kecil.
menggunakan termometer kecil (more formal/standard)
Sebelum tes, dia mengukur suhu tubuh saya menggunakan termometer kecil.

All three are correct; "dengan" is neutral and very common.

Why is it "termometer kecil" and not "kecil termometer"? What is the basic rule for adjective order?

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

termometer kecil = small thermometer
rumah besar = big house
baju merah = red shirt

So:

termometer kecil ✅
kecil termometer ❌ (ungrammatical in standard Indonesian)

If there are two adjectives, they still follow the noun and usually keep a logical order, for example:

termometer digital kecil = small digital thermometer
(noun termometer, adjectives digital, kecil)

Is this sentence formal, informal, or neutral? Would a doctor actually say it this way?

The sentence is neutral and fits well in a doctor/patient context, especially as a narration or report.

A doctor talking directly to you might say something shorter and more conversational, for example:

Sebelum tes, saya ukur dulu suhu badan ya.
(Before the test, I’ll measure your body temperature first, okay.)

Note a few differences:

saya ukur instead of dia mengukur (first person, “I measure”).
suhu badan instead of suhu tubuh (slightly more colloquial).
ya at the end to sound friendly/soft.

But as a general descriptive sentence,
"Sebelum tes, dia mengukur suhu tubuh saya dengan termometer kecil."
is natural, clear, and correct.