Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Hari ini dokter berkata suhu tubuh saya normal. - Today the doctor said my body temperature is normal.

noun + adjective → “my body temperature is normal”
suhu tubuh saya normal → literally “body temperature my normal”, but it means “my body temperature is normal”.

You only need adalah in more formal or written contexts, usually before a noun phrase, not an adjective:

Dia adalah dokter. = “He/She is a doctor.”
Suhu tubuh saya normal. (no adalah)

Why is it hari ini and not sekarang if we say “today”?

Both exist, but they are different:

hari ini = “today” (the whole day as a time period)
sekarang = “now”, “right now / at the moment”

In this sentence, Hari ini dokter berkata... means:

“Today, the doctor said...” (sometime earlier today)

If you said Sekarang dokter berkata suhu tubuh saya normal, it would sound like:

“Right now the doctor is saying my body temperature is normal” (as in, at this very moment).

So hari ini is correct because you’re referring to the day when the doctor made that statement.

Why is dokter used without a or the, like “a doctor” or “the doctor”?

Indonesian does not use articles like a/an or the.

dokter can mean “a doctor” or “the doctor”, depending on context.

In Hari ini dokter berkata..., it usually means “the doctor” you are referring to in the situation (for example, your doctor, the doctor you visited). Context clarifies which English article to choose.

Could I say Dokter itu berkata... instead of dokter berkata? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can say:

Hari ini dokter itu berkata suhu tubuh saya normal.

dokter itu literally means “that doctor” and is often used like “the doctor” in a specific sense:

dokter = doctor (general, or clear from context)
dokter itu = that particular doctor / the doctor (that we both know about)

Both are grammatically correct; dokter itu just makes the reference more specific or emphatic.

What is the difference between berkata, mengatakan, and bilang?

All three relate to “say”, but with different usage and formality:

berkata = “to say / to speak”
- More neutral or slightly formal.
- Common in writing and polite speech.
- In this sentence: dokter berkata suhu tubuh saya normal is natural.
mengatakan (bahwa...) = “to state / to say (that...)”
- More formal or careful.
- Often used with bahwa (“that”):
  - Dokter mengatakan (bahwa) suhu tubuh saya normal.
bilang = “to say / to tell” (informal)
- Common in casual spoken Indonesian.
- Dokter bilang suhu tubuh saya normal. sounds more relaxed / everyday.

All are understandable, but they differ in formality and typical context.

Why isn’t there a bahwa (“that”) before suhu tubuh saya normal?

Indonesian often omits bahwa when introducing reported speech, especially in everyday language.

So these are all correct, with slightly different formality:

Dokter berkata suhu tubuh saya normal.
Dokter berkata bahwa suhu tubuh saya normal.

bahwa is closer to English “that” in reported speech, and it makes the sentence more formal or explicit, but it is not required in normal conversation.

Why is it suhu tubuh saya normal, with normal at the end?

In Indonesian, adjectives usually come after the noun.

Pattern:

noun + adjective

Examples:

rumah besar = big house
kucing lucu = cute cat
suhu tubuh saya normal = my body temperature is normal

So normal naturally goes at the end. Putting it earlier (normal suhu tubuh saya) would sound wrong.

What is the difference between tubuh and badan for “body”?

Both mean “body”, but they differ slightly in tone and usage:

tubuh
- Slightly more formal or neutral.
- Often used in medical or written contexts.
- suhu tubuh sounds quite natural in a medical setting.
badan
- Very common in everyday speech.
- Also used in health contexts: suhu badan, sakit badan.

You could say:

Dokter berkata suhu tubuh saya normal.
Dokter berkata suhu badan saya normal.

Both are acceptable. Many people casually say suhu badan, but suhu tubuh is also standard.

Can I drop saya and just say suhu tubuh normal?

Grammatically, suhu tubuh normal is OK and means “the body temperature is normal”, but it becomes less specific: whose body temperature?

suhu tubuh saya normal = my body temperature is normal
suhu tubuh normal = the (or a) body temperature is normal (general)

In a real doctor–patient conversation, context might make it obvious that it’s your temperature, so sometimes speakers do drop saya, but keeping saya is clearer, especially for learners.

Why is the word order suhu tubuh saya, not saya suhu tubuh?

Possession in Indonesian usually follows this pattern:

possessed thing + possessor

So you say:

rumah saya = my house
nama saya = my name
suhu tubuh saya = my body temperature

Putting saya before the noun (like English “my temperature”) would be wrong:

✗ saya suhu tubuh (incorrect)
✓ suhu tubuh saya (correct)

Does Hari ini dokter berkata... mean the same as “Today the doctor said...” (past) even without a past tense marker?

Yes. Indonesian does not change verb forms for tense (past / present / future). Time is usually shown by time words like:

hari ini = today
tadi = earlier (today)
kemarin = yesterday

So:

Hari ini dokter berkata suhu tubuh saya normal.
→ In context, this is understood as “Today the doctor said my body temperature was normal.”

You don’t need to change berkata for past tense; the time expression hari ini does the job. If you want to be very clear about the past, you can add tadi:

Tadi siang dokter berkata suhu tubuh saya normal.
= Earlier this afternoon, the doctor said my body temperature was normal.

Is normal just the English word “normal” used in Indonesian? Is it common?

Yes, normal is a loanword from English (via Dutch), and it is fully accepted and very common in Indonesian.

In medical or everyday contexts, people regularly say:

Suhu tubuh Anda normal. = Your body temperature is normal.
Tekanan darahnya normal. = Her/His blood pressure is normal.

So normal in this sentence is completely natural Indonesian.