Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Nama saya dipanggil setelah saya duduk sekitar dua puluh menit di antrean. - My name is called after I sit for about twenty minutes in the queue.

In real life, what happens in a queue is that the staff calls your name, not you physically. Indonesian often reflects that literally, so “Nama saya dipanggil” is very natural.

You can say “Saya dipanggil setelah saya duduk…”, and people will understand it, but it slightly shifts the focus to “me being called” rather than “my name being called.” Both are grammatically correct; “Nama saya dipanggil” just matches the typical expression more closely in this context.

What is “dipanggil” grammatically, and how is it different from “memanggil”?

Dipanggil is the passive form; memanggil is the active form.

memanggil = to call (someone)
- Perawat memanggil nama saya. = The nurse called my name.
dipanggil = to be called
- Nama saya dipanggil. = My name was called.

Formally, di- + verb is one of the main ways to make the passive in Indonesian:

lihat → dilihat (to see → to be seen)
buat → dibuat (to make → to be made)
panggil → dipanggil (to call → to be called)

So in your sentence, “Nama saya dipanggil…” is a passive clause: the name is being called (by someone implied).

How do we know that “dipanggil” here means past (was called) when there is no past tense marker?

Indonesian verbs generally do not change form for tense (past, present, future). Dipanggil by itself can mean:

is called
was called
will be called (in some contexts)

The exact time is understood from:

Context (you’re telling a story about something that already happened)
Optional time words:
- tadi = earlier
- barusan / baru saja = just now
- kemarin = yesterday
- besok = tomorrow

If you want to make the past sense explicit, you could say:

Nama saya tadi dipanggil setelah saya duduk sekitar dua puluh menit di antrean.
Nama saya sudah dipanggil setelah saya duduk sekitar dua puluh menit di antrean.

In everyday speech, people usually leave these out if the time is obvious from the situation.

What is the role of “setelah” here? Is it the same as “sesudah”?

In the sentence:

setelah saya duduk sekitar dua puluh menit di antrean
= after I sat for about twenty minutes in the queue

Setelah is a conjunction meaning “after”. It can be followed by:

a clause:
- setelah saya makan = after I ate
a noun phrase (esp. in informal speech):
- setelah makan = after eating

Sesudah is basically a synonym:

Nama saya dipanggil sesudah saya duduk sekitar dua puluh menit di antrean.

Differences:

Setelah is slightly more common in everyday speech, but both are correct and interchangeable in most contexts.
In formal writing, setelah tends to appear more often nowadays, but this is a nuance, not a strict rule.

Why does it use “duduk” (to sit) instead of a verb meaning “to wait,” like “menunggu”?

Indonesian often describes what you are physically doing rather than the abstract action:

duduk sekitar dua puluh menit di antrean
= sat for about twenty minutes in the queue

It implies you were sitting there waiting, which is natural in context.

You could also say:

…setelah saya menunggu sekitar dua puluh menit di antrean.
= after I waited about twenty minutes in the queue.

Or combine them:

…setelah saya duduk menunggu sekitar dua puluh menit di antrean.

All are acceptable. The original just chooses to highlight the sitting as the activity while waiting.

What exactly does “sekitar” mean, and why is it placed before “dua puluh menit”?

Sekitar here means “about / approximately” in relation to quantity or duration:

sekitar dua puluh menit = about twenty minutes
sekitar seratus orang = about one hundred people

Its normal position is before the number phrase:

✅ sekitar dua puluh menit
❌ dua puluh menit sekitar (unnatural / incorrect)

You could sometimes move the whole phrase:

Setelah saya duduk di antrean sekitar dua puluh menit…
Setelah saya duduk sekitar dua puluh menit di antrean…

Both are fine; sekitar just has to stay before the number it modifies.

Is “di antrean” the same as “dalam antrean”, and what’s the difference from using the verb “mengantre”?

In your sentence:

di antrean literally = at/in the queue/line

Common options:

di antrean
- Focus on location: in the place that is the queue
- Very common in speech.
dalam antrean
- More literally inside the queue
- Slightly more formal or written style, but also used in speech.
Using the verb mengantre (to queue / to line up):
- Setelah saya mengantre sekitar dua puluh menit, nama saya dipanggil.
- This avoids di antrean completely and can sound a bit more concise or neutral.

All three ways are correct; the choice is mostly about style and which part you want to emphasize (location vs. action of queuing).

I also see “antrian” instead of “antrean.” Which one is correct?

According to the current official Indonesian spelling rules (EYD):

The standard spelling is antrean.

However:

antrian is extremely common in everyday writing and speech (social media, chat, even some signs).
Many native speakers still use antrian by habit.

For learners:

Prefer antrean in formal or careful writing.
Recognize that (antrian) is unstandard but widely used and easily understood.

Why is “saya” repeated (“Nama saya… setelah saya duduk…”)? Can the second “saya” be dropped?

The sentence has:

Nama saya dipanggil setelah saya duduk…

Repetition of saya is:

Clear: there is no doubt who sat and whose name was called.
Natural: Indonesian often repeats pronouns rather than dropping them, especially in full sentences.

You can drop the second saya in casual speech:

Nama saya dipanggil setelah duduk sekitar dua puluh menit di antrean.

This is still understandable and quite natural, especially in conversation. But in slightly more careful or written Indonesian, repeating saya is very normal and can sound a bit clearer and more complete.

Can I change the word order, for example: “Nama saya dipanggil setelah saya duduk di antrean sekitar dua puluh menit”? Is that okay?

Yes, that order is fine and natural:

Nama saya dipanggil setelah saya duduk di antrean sekitar dua puluh menit.

Some possible natural variations:

Nama saya dipanggil setelah saya duduk sekitar dua puluh menit di antrean.
Setelah saya duduk sekitar dua puluh menit di antrean, nama saya dipanggil.
Setelah duduk di antrean sekitar dua puluh menit, nama saya dipanggil.

All convey the same idea. Small changes in word order here mainly affect rhythm and emphasis, not meaning. Indonesian is quite flexible with the position of time and place phrases (like sekitar dua puluh menit, di antrean).

Is this sentence formal, informal, or neutral? How might I say it a bit more formally?

The original sentence is neutral, suitable for everyday spoken Indonesian and for most kinds of writing that are not very formal.

To make it slightly more formal or concise, you might say:

Nama saya dipanggil setelah saya menunggu sekitar dua puluh menit di antrean.
Nama saya dipanggil setelah saya mengantre sekitar dua puluh menit.

Using menunggu or mengantre sounds a bit more neutral/formal than describing the physical action duduk in this context, though duduk is still perfectly acceptable in normal conversation.