Dengan stetoskop itu, dokter bisa mendengar suara napas dan jantung dengan jelas.

With that stethoscope, the doctor can hear the sound of my breathing and heart clearly.

Breakdown of Dengan stetoskop itu, dokter bisa mendengar suara napas dan jantung dengan jelas.

• itu: that
• dan: and
• dengan: with
• mendengar: to hear
• bisa: can
• jelas: clear
• suara: the sound
• dokter: the doctor
• napas: the breath
• jantung: the heart
• stetoskop: the stethoscope

Questions & Answers about Dengan stetoskop itu, dokter bisa mendengar suara napas dan jantung dengan jelas.

Why does the sentence start with Dengan stetoskop itu? Could it also come later in the sentence?

The phrase Dengan stetoskop itu means With that/the stethoscope and is a prepositional phrase showing the instrument used.

Putting it at the beginning (followed by a comma) emphasizes the tool: With that stethoscope, the doctor can hear…
You could also say:

• Dokter bisa mendengar suara napas dan jantung dengan jelas dengan stetoskop itu.

This is grammatically correct but sounds a bit heavier and less natural because dengan-phrases pile up at the end. The original word order (tool first, then main clause, then manner dengan jelas) is more natural and clearer in Indonesian.

What exactly does itu in stetoskop itu mean here? Is it “that stethoscope” or “the stethoscope”?

Itu literally means that, but very often it functions like the English the, referring to something specific that both speaker and listener know.

So stetoskop itu can be understood as:

• that stethoscope (contrasting with other stethoscopes), or
• the stethoscope (the one in this situation or context).

Without itu, stetoskop is more like a stethoscope / stethoscopes in general.
With itu, it becomes specific: the (particular) stethoscope.

Why is there no word for “the” or “a” before dokter?

Indonesian has no separate articles like a/an or the. The bare noun dokter can mean:

• a doctor
• the doctor
• (a) doctor in general

Context tells you which makes sense. Here, it’s naturally understood as the doctor in that situation.

If you want to make it very clearly that specific doctor (already known in the conversation), you might say dokter itu or dokternya, depending on the nuance:

• dokter itu – that/that particular doctor
• dokternya – the doctor (already known/understood in context, often “their doctor / the doctor in question”)

What is the nuance of bisa in dokter bisa mendengar? Could we use dapat or mampu instead?

Bisa is a very common modal verb meaning can / be able to, and is neutral and informal–to–standard.

You could also say:

• dokter dapat mendengar – dapat is a bit more formal but very close in meaning to bisa.
• dokter mampu mendengar – mampu emphasizes capability/ability a bit more, like “is capable of hearing”.

In this sentence, bisa is the most natural everyday choice. Dapat would fit well in more formal writing. Mampu is possible but slightly less common in this exact context.

Why is it mendengar and not mendengarkan? What’s the difference?

Both come from the root dengar (to hear).

• mendengar – to hear (perceive sound), or to listen (in many everyday contexts).
• mendengarkan – to listen to something/someone more actively or attentively.

In practice, Indonesians often use mendengar where English has hear or listen.

In this sentence, dokter bisa mendengar suara napas dan jantung is perfectly natural, because the key point is that the doctor is able to hear the breath and heart sounds.
You could say mendengarkan suara napas dan jantung, but that sounds a bit more like listening carefully to those sounds; it’s not wrong, just a slightly different nuance.

Why is it suara napas dan jantung and not suara napas dan suara jantung?

Suara napas dan jantung literally is the sound of breath and (of the) heart. In Indonesian, when two nouns share the same head word, the head is often mentioned only once and understood for both parts. So:

• suara napas dan jantung ≈ the sounds of the breathing and the heart
• Fully expanded: suara napas dan suara jantung

Both forms are grammatically correct. The shorter one is more natural and less repetitive, especially in speech.

If you want to be more specific, you could also say:

• suara napas dan detak jantung – breath sounds and heartbeat sounds.

What’s the difference between napas and nafas?

They refer to the same thing: breath / breathing.

• napas – the modern standard spelling used in formal Indonesian.
• nafas – an older or more informal spelling; still very common in everyday writing, social media, etc.

In formal writing or exams, you should prefer napas.
In this sentence, suara napas is the standard, correct form.

What is the function of the second dengan in dengan jelas? Is it the same as saying secara jelas?

Yes, dengan jelas means clearly and works like secara jelas.

In Indonesian, you can form adverbial phrases in two common ways:

• dengan + adjective → dengan jelas (with clarity → clearly)
• secara + adjective → secara jelas (in a clear way → clearly)

Both are correct here:

• dokter bisa mendengar … dengan jelas
• dokter bisa mendengar … secara jelas

Dengan jelas is very common and sounds natural. Using jelas alone is also possible in many contexts:

• dokter bisa mendengar … jelas (more colloquial / speech-like).

Can the position of dengan jelas change? For example, could we say Dokter bisa dengan jelas mendengar…?

Yes, you can move dengan jelas, but not all positions sound equally natural.

Most natural:

• Dokter bisa mendengar suara napas dan jantung dengan jelas.
• Dengan stetoskop itu, dokter bisa mendengar suara napas dan jantung dengan jelas.

Possible but less common / a bit heavier:

• Dokter bisa dengan jelas mendengar suara napas dan jantung.

Avoid splitting the verb and its object too unnaturally, for example:

• ✗ Dokter bisa mendengar dengan jelas suara napas dan jantung itu – not wrong, but sounds a bit awkward and heavy.

In everyday Indonesian, putting dengan jelas at the end of the clause (as in the original sentence) is the smoothest choice.

How is tense expressed here? How do we know if it’s “can hear”, “could hear”, or “was able to hear”?

Indonesian verbs generally do not change form for tense. Bisa mendengar on its own is neutral and can be interpreted according to context:

• present: (nowadays) the doctor can hear…
• past: (at that moment) the doctor could hear…
• future: (later) the doctor will be able to hear… if the time reference is clear.

If you want to be explicit, you add time words:

• tadi dokter bisa mendengar… – earlier the doctor could hear…
• sekarang dokter bisa mendengar… – now the doctor can hear…
• besok dokter bisa mendengar… – tomorrow the doctor can hear / will be able to hear…

In isolation, your sentence is most naturally read as a general or present-time statement: (With that stethoscope,) the doctor can hear the breath and heart sounds clearly.