Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Setelah itu, dokter mengecek tekanan darah saya dengan alat di lengan. - After that, the doctor checks my blood pressure with a device on my arm.

Setelah itu, dokter mengecek tekanan darah saya dengan alat di lengan.

After that, the doctor checks my blood pressure with a device on my arm.

Breakdown of Setelah itu, dokter mengecek tekanan darah saya dengan alat di lengan.

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Questions & Answers about Setelah itu, dokter mengecek tekanan darah saya dengan alat di lengan.

What does Setelah itu literally mean, and how is it different from lalu or kemudian?

Setelah itu literally means after that.

All three can often be translated as then/after that, but there are slight nuances:

Setelah itu – more explicit about time sequence: after that (event). Slightly more formal or neutral.
Lalu – very common in spoken language, like then in a story. Feels a bit more casual.
Kemudian – a bit more formal, often used in writing or more careful speech; also means then / afterwards / later.

In this sentence, you could also say:

Lalu dokter mengecek tekanan darah saya…
Kemudian dokter mengecek tekanan darah saya…

All are acceptable; Setelah itu just emphasizes that this action is after a previously mentioned one.

Why is there a comma after Setelah itu?

The comma marks a pause after an introductory time phrase.

Indonesian often uses a comma when a sentence begins with an adverbial phrase (time, place, reason, etc.):

Kemarin, saya pergi ke dokter. – Yesterday, I went to the doctor.
Di rumah sakit, saya menunggu satu jam. – At the hospital, I waited for an hour.

Similarly:

Setelah itu, dokter mengecek tekanan darah saya…

In more casual writing, some people might omit the comma, but it is considered correct and clear to include it.

Why is it just dokter and not something like the doctor or a doctor? How do you say the doctor, a doctor, or my doctor in Indonesian?

Indonesian usually does not use words for a or the the way English does. The bare noun dokter can mean:

the doctor (a specific doctor already known in context), or
a doctor (some doctor, not specified yet),

depending on context.

To be more specific, you can add other words:

dokter itu – that doctor / the doctor (already known, specific)
dokternya – the doctor (very specific, usually the one relevant to the situation, can also imply his/her/my depending on context)
dokter saya – my doctor
seorang dokter – a doctor (focusing on one doctor, indefinite)

In this context, dokter is naturally understood as the doctor who is treating you, without needing the.

What is the difference between mengecek and memeriksa? Are both correct here?

Both can work here, but they differ slightly:

mengecek
- From cek (check).
- Means to check, to verify, to test.
- Often feels a bit informal and is common in everyday speech.
memeriksa
- From periksa (examination/check).
- Means to examine, to check, often used in medical, official, or more formal contexts.

In this sentence:

dokter mengecek tekanan darah saya – perfectly natural in conversational Indonesian.
dokter memeriksa tekanan darah saya – sounds a bit more formal/standard, very natural in written or polite speech.

So yes, both are correct. Memeriksa is slightly more formal; mengecek sounds more casual/modern.

Why is it mengecek and not something like mengcek? How is this verb formed?

Mengecek is formed from the root cek by adding the prefix meN- (often written me- with an assimilation rule):

Root: cek
Prefix: meN-
Because cek starts with c, the nasal N becomes ng and an extra e is inserted to make pronunciation smoother.
Result: mengecek (not mengcek).

This follows a common pattern:

meN-
- cek → mengecek
meN-
- catat → mencatat
meN-
- pakai → memakai

So mengecek is the standard correct spelling.

How does possession work in tekanan darah saya? Why is saya at the end instead of before, like in my blood pressure?

In Indonesian, possessive pronouns (my, your, his, etc.) usually come after the noun they modify:

buku saya – my book
rumah mereka – their house
teman kamu – your friend

So:

tekanan darah saya = my blood pressure
Literally: blood pressure my.

You generally do not say saya tekanan darah for my blood pressure. The normal pattern is:

[noun] + [possessor]

There is also a suffix form:

tekanan darahku – my blood pressure (more informal/intimate; -ku = my)
tekanan darahmu – your blood pressure (informal; -mu = your)

In a neutral/polite context, tekanan darah saya is the safest choice.

Why is it tekanan darah and not darah tekanan? How is the word order decided?

Indonesian noun phrases usually go from general → specific / describing element.

Here:

tekanan = pressure
darah = blood

So tekanan darah literally is pressure (of) blood → blood pressure.

Other examples:

teh manis – sweet tea (tea that is sweet)
rumah sakit – hospital (sick house)
kartu kredit – credit card (card of credit)

If you said darah tekanan, it would sound wrong/unnatural; it does not follow the usual pattern and is not used.

Why is there no my before arm in di lengan? How would you say on my arm?

Indonesian often omits possessive pronouns for body parts when the owner is obvious from context.

Since we already have tekanan darah saya (my blood pressure), it is naturally understood that the arm is your arm, so di lengan is enough.

If you want to make it explicit:

di lengan saya – on my arm
di lengan kanan saya – on my right arm

So the sentence could also be:

Setelah itu, dokter mengecek tekanan darah saya dengan alat di lengan saya.

Both versions are acceptable; adding saya just makes it more explicit.

What is the function of dengan in dengan alat di lengan? Could we use something like pakai instead?

Dengan means with / using here, introducing the instrument used to do the action:

dokter mengecek … dengan alat – the doctor checked … with a device.

Alternatives:

dokter mengecek tekanan darah saya pakai alat di lengan – more informal; pakai = using.
dokter mengecek tekanan darah saya menggunakan alat di lengan – more formal; menggunakan = to use.

So:

dengan – neutral, common, works in speech and writing.
pakai – more colloquial.
menggunakan – more formal/polished.

All are grammatically correct; the choice affects style/register.

What exactly does alat mean here? Is there a more specific word for the blood pressure device?

Alat is a general word meaning tool / device / instrument.

In this context, alat di lengan is understood as that device on the arm (the blood pressure cuff + monitor), but the word itself is very general.

More specific options:

tensimeter (often written tensi meter, also sphygmomanometer in medical English)
alat tensi – literally blood-pressure device (informal but very common)

So you could say:

dokter mengecek tekanan darah saya dengan tensimeter di lengan.
dokter mengecek tekanan darah saya dengan alat tensi di lengan saya.

Alat alone is fine if context makes it clear, but tensimeter or alat tensi are more specific.

Can we change the order of dengan alat di lengan and di lengan? For example, is dokter mengecek tekanan darah saya di lengan dengan alat okay?

You can move these prepositional phrases, but you need to be careful about clarity.

dokter mengecek tekanan darah saya dengan alat di lengan.
Natural and clear: doctor checked my blood pressure with the device that is on (my) arm.
dokter mengecek tekanan darah saya di lengan dengan alat.
Grammatically possible, but can sound a bit odd. It might be read as:
- doctor checked my blood pressure on the arm with a device
  (focus seems to be where on the body, not where the device is).
dokter mengecek tekanan darah saya dengan alat di lengan saya.
Very clear and natural: the device is on my arm.

In practice, the original order (dengan alat di lengan) is the most idiomatic way to express that the device is on your arm, not that the arm is where the pressure is being checked.