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Peraturan tentang penggunaan telepon di perpustakaan jelas.

Peraturan tentang penggunaan telepon di perpustakaan jelas.
The rules about phone usage in the library are clear.
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Questions & Answers about Peraturan tentang penggunaan telepon di perpustakaan jelas.

What is the basic structure of this sentence? Which part is the subject and which part is the predicate?

The basic structure is:

  • Subject: Peraturan tentang penggunaan telepon di perpustakaan
  • Predicate (adjective): jelas

So literally: The rules about the use of telephones in the library clear.

In Indonesian, you often have Noun + Adjective without any linking verb like to be. The adjective jelas itself functions as the predicate.

Why is there no equivalent of is/are in this sentence? Why not Peraturan ... adalah jelas?

In Indonesian, you normally do not use a linking verb (like is/are) before an adjective. The adjective alone works as the predicate:

  • Peraturan ... jelas. = The rules are clear.

The word adalah is usually used before a noun phrase, not an adjective:

  • Peraturan itu adalah pedoman. = Those rules are guidelines.

Using adalah before an adjective (adalah jelas) sounds unnatural in everyday Indonesian. So Peraturan ... jelas is the normal and correct pattern.

What exactly does peraturan mean, and how is it different from aturan?

Both peraturan and aturan come from the root atur (to arrange, to regulate).

  • aturan

    • General word for rules or a rule.
    • Common in both spoken and written Indonesian.
    • Can sound slightly more casual than peraturan.

  • peraturan

    • Often sounds more formal, official, or legal.
    • Common in contexts like schools, offices, government, libraries.

In this sentence, peraturan fits well because library rules are usually seen as official regulations. You could say:

  • Aturan penggunaan telepon di perpustakaan jelas.

This is also correct, just a bit more casual or neutral.

What does tentang mean here, and can I replace it with mengenai?

tentang means about / regarding / concerning:

  • Peraturan tentang penggunaan telepon
    = Rules about the use of telephones

You can usually replace tentang with mengenai without changing the meaning much:

  • Peraturan mengenai penggunaan telepon di perpustakaan jelas.

mengenai is often slightly more formal or bookish, but both are very common, and in this sentence tentang and mengenai are both acceptable.

How is penggunaan formed, and what is the difference between penggunaan, menggunakan, and memakai?

penggunaan is built from the root guna (use) with the circumfix peN- ... -an:

  • guna = use
  • menggunakan = to use (verb)
  • penggunaan = use / usage (noun)

Compare:

  • menggunakan telepon = to use the phone
  • penggunaan telepon = the use / usage of the phone

memakai also means to use / to wear, and its noun form is pemakaian:

  • memakai telepon = to use the phone
  • pemakaian telepon = (the) use of the phone

In this sentence, penggunaan telepon is a noun phrase (usage of telephones), which is why penggunaan (noun) is used, not menggunakan (verb).

Does di perpustakaan describe the rules, or the phone usage? Is it ambiguous?

Grammatically, di perpustakaan can modify either:

  1. penggunaan telepon

    • penggunaan telepon di perpustakaan
    • use of phones in the library

  2. peraturan

    • Peraturan ... di perpustakaan
    • the library’s rules / rules in the library

In practice, these meanings overlap here, and most readers will understand:

  • Library rules about using phones in the library are clear.

Context usually makes it clear that both the rules and the phone usage are connected to the library. If you want to make it very explicit that the phone usage is in the library, you could say:

  • Peraturan tentang penggunaan telepon di dalam perpustakaan jelas.
Why is there no word for the or a (articles) before peraturan, penggunaan, or telepon?

Indonesian does not use articles like a/an/the. Nouns are usually bare, and the definiteness or number is understood from context:

  • peraturan can mean a rule, the rule, or rules
  • telepon can mean a phone, the phone, or phones

In this sentence, natural English would be:

  • The rules about phone use in the library are clear.

But none of the words the / a / some are explicitly present in Indonesian; they are simply implied.

Is peraturan singular or plural here? How do I show plural in Indonesian?

peraturan by itself can be singular or plural depending on context:

  • Peraturan di sini ketat.
    = The rules here are strict.

If you need to emphasize plurality, you can:

  1. Use reduplication (repeating the word):
    • peraturan-peraturan = rules (emphatically plural)
  2. Add a quantifier:
    • banyak peraturan = many rules

But often, you simply say peraturan, and context tells the listener you mean rules (plural), as in this sentence.

Would it be more natural to say HP instead of telepon for phone?

In everyday spoken Indonesian:

  • HP (pronounced: ha-pe) is very common for mobile phone / cell phone.
  • telepon is more general and slightly more formal; it can mean telephone in general (landline or mobile).

In a written rule or notice in a library, you might see any of these:

  • Peraturan tentang penggunaan telepon di perpustakaan jelas.
  • Peraturan tentang penggunaan HP di perpustakaan jelas.
  • Peraturan tentang penggunaan telepon genggam di perpustakaan jelas. (more formal: cell phones)

All are understood, but HP and telepon genggam make it clear you mean mobile phones specifically.

Can I change the word order, like Peraturan di perpustakaan tentang penggunaan telepon jelas?

You can move di perpustakaan, but you must keep the phrase clear:

  • Peraturan tentang penggunaan telepon di perpustakaan jelas.
    (most natural; very clear)

  • Peraturan di perpustakaan tentang penggunaan telepon jelas.
    Grammatically possible, but sounds a bit heavier and less natural.

The usual pattern is:

  1. Noun (peraturan)
  2. About-phrase (tentang penggunaan telepon)
  3. Location (di perpustakaan)
  4. Adjective predicate (jelas)

So the original word order is the most natural and smooth.

Where can I put sangat (very) if I want to say The rules are very clear?

You normally put sangat before the adjective:

  • Peraturan tentang penggunaan telepon di perpustakaan sangat jelas.
    = The rules about phone use in the library are very clear.

You could also use jelas sekali (literally: clear once = very clear):

  • Peraturan tentang penggunaan telepon di perpustakaan jelas sekali.

Both sangat jelas and jelas sekali are natural.

Is jelas always clear, or can it also mean obvious?

jelas can mean:

  • clear (easy to understand, well-formulated)
  • obvious, evident (not doubtful)

In this sentence, it mainly means:

  • The rules are clear / easy to understand / well-stated.

In other contexts:

  • Itu jelas.
    = That is clear / obvious.

Tone and context decide whether it feels more like clear or obvious in English.

Is this sentence formal, informal, or neutral? Would it sound okay on a sign in a library?

The sentence is neutral to formal, and it would be perfectly natural:

  • In written rules
  • On a notice or in a handbook
  • In formal speech

For a sign, you might also see a slightly different style, for example:

  • Peraturan penggunaan telepon di perpustakaan:
    followed by a list of rules.

But as a full sentence in a document or explanation,
Peraturan tentang penggunaan telepon di perpustakaan jelas.
sounds correct and appropriately formal.