Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Sebelum menulis skripsi, kami harus mengirim proposal singkat kepada pembimbing. - Before writing the thesis, we must send a short proposal to the advisor.

In Indonesian, if the subject (kami) of the sebelum clause is the same as the subject of the main clause, it is very common (and natural) to omit it:

Literally: Sebelum [kami] menulis skripsi, kami harus ...
The kami in the first clause is just understood from context.

Adding kami makes the subject explicit; leaving it out sounds slightly smoother and more natural in everyday usage, especially in writing.

What exactly does skripsi mean? Is it just “thesis”?

Skripsi is an Indonesian academic term, not a direct 1‑to‑1 English equivalent.

Skripsi = a final academic paper / thesis at the undergraduate level (usually required to get a bachelor’s degree).
Tesis = thesis at the master’s level.
Disertasi = dissertation at the doctoral/PhD level.

In English, skripsi is usually translated as thesis, undergraduate thesis, or final paper, depending on context. In Indonesian university context, though, skripsi is very specific to the bachelor’s program.

Why is kami used here instead of kita?

Indonesian distinguishes two forms of we:

kami = we (excluding the listener)
kita = we (including the listener)

In this sentence:

Sebelum menulis skripsi, kami harus mengirim proposal singkat kepada pembimbing.

The speaker is talking about their group, not including the person they’re speaking to. For example, students talking to a lecturer:

The students say: kami harus mengirim ... because they don’t include the lecturer in “we”.

If the listener were part of the same group that has to send the proposal, kita would be used instead:

Sebelum menulis skripsi, kita harus mengirim proposal singkat kepada pembimbing.
= Before writing our theses, we (you and I / we all) have to send a short proposal to the supervisor.

What’s the nuance of harus here? Is it like “must” or “have to”?

Harus expresses obligation / necessity, very similar to must or have to:

kami harus mengirim = we must send / we have to send

Some related words:

perlu = need (more about necessity, less strong obligation)
- Kami perlu mengirim proposal = We need to send a proposal.
mesti = must / have to (often more informal in some regions; can be similar to harus)
wajib = obligatory, mandatory (often stronger, more formal/legal or religious feel)

In this context, harus is neutral and common: this is simply a requirement in the academic process.

Why is it mengirim and not just kirim? What’s the difference?

Base verb: kirim (to send)
Me- form: mengirim

In standard Indonesian sentences, the me- form is normally used for active verbs with an explicit subject:

Kami mengirim proposal. = We send / are sending a proposal.

Using just kirim can happen:

In imperatives (commands):
- Kirim email ke saya. = Send me an email.
In very informal speech (dropping the me- prefix):
- Saya mau kirim proposal. (colloquial)

So here, mengirim is used because this is a normal declarative sentence in neutral/formal style:

kami harus mengirim proposal ... (preferred in writing and formal speech)

You may also see mengirimkan in similar contexts; see next question.

What’s the difference between mengirim and mengirimkan?

Both are commonly used and often interchangeable in practice:

mengirim proposal
mengirimkan proposal

General tendencies (not strict rules):

mengirim focuses slightly more on the action of sending.
mengirimkan can emphasize sending something to someone (benefactive nuance), and is often felt as a bit more formal or elaborate.

In your sentence:

kami harus mengirim proposal singkat kepada pembimbing

You could say:

kami harus mengirimkan proposal singkat kepada pembimbing

Both sound natural. Many speakers wouldn’t feel any real difference here.

Why is it proposal singkat, not singkat proposal?

In Indonesian, the typical order is:

NOUN + ADJECTIVE

So:

proposal (noun) + singkat (adjective)
= proposal singkat (a short proposal)

Other examples:

rumah besar = big house
buku baru = new book
rapat penting = important meeting

Putting the adjective before the noun (singkat proposal) is ungrammatical in standard Indonesian.

What does pembimbing mean exactly? Is it “teacher” or “supervisor”?

The root is bimbing (to guide), and:

pembimbing = the person who guides → mentor / supervisor / advisor

In academic context:

pembimbing usually means thesis supervisor.
Often expanded as dosen pembimbing = supervising lecturer.

So in your sentence:

proposal singkat kepada pembimbing

means the proposal is sent to the thesis supervisor / academic advisor, not just any teacher.

Why use kepada pembimbing instead of untuk pembimbing or ke pembimbing?

All three exist, but they’re used a bit differently.

kepada = to (a person, as a recipient)
- mengirim proposal kepada pembimbing = send a proposal to the supervisor
  This is the most standard/formal for indicating the recipient of something.
ke = to/towards (more general, can be place or person; very common in speech)
- mengirim proposal ke pembimbing
  This is also widely used and accepted, especially in spoken or less formal Indonesian.
untuk = for (indicating purpose or beneficiary)
- mengirim proposal untuk pembimbing
  This could suggest “a proposal for the supervisor” (in the sense of intended for them), but for the direct recipient, kepada or ke are more natural.

In a formal written sentence like this, kepada is a very natural choice.

Is the comma after skripsi necessary? Can I put the clauses in the opposite order?

Yes, you can reorder the clauses:

Sebelum menulis skripsi, kami harus mengirim proposal singkat kepada pembimbing.
Kami harus mengirim proposal singkat kepada pembimbing sebelum menulis skripsi.

Both are correct and natural.

About the comma:

When the sebelum clause comes first (as an introductory clause), a comma is normally used in writing.
When it comes after the main clause, a comma is usually not used.

So:

With sebelum in front → use comma.
With sebelum later → usually no comma.

How is tense expressed here? Does this mean “had to” or “have to” or “will have to”?

Indonesian verbs don’t change form for tense. Harus mengirim is tenseless by itself. The time reference comes from context or extra words.

So:

kami harus mengirim proposal could be:
- we have to send a proposal (now / generally / in the near future)
- we had to send a proposal (if the context is clearly past)
- we will have to send a proposal (if the context is future)

To make time clearer, speakers can add time words:

kemarin kami harus mengirim proposal = yesterday we had to send a proposal
besok kami harus mengirim proposal = tomorrow we have to send a proposal

What level of formality is this sentence? How would it change in more casual speech?

The original sentence is in neutral to slightly formal academic Indonesian:

Sebelum menulis skripsi, kami harus mengirim proposal singkat kepada pembimbing.

In more casual spoken Indonesian among students, you might hear:

Sebelum nulis skripsi, kita harus kirim proposal singkat ke dosen pembimbing.
- menulis → nulis (colloquial reduction)
- kami → kita (if including the listener)
- mengirim → kirim (dropping me- in speech)
- kepada → ke (more informal)
- often adding dosen to be clearer: dosen pembimbing

In very formal written language (e.g., an academic guidebook), it might be slightly expanded:

Sebelum menyusun skripsi, mahasiswa wajib mengirimkan proposal singkat kepada dosen pembimbing.
- menyusun skripsi = compose/write a thesis
- mahasiswa = students (instead of kami)
- wajib = is required to / must (strong, formal)
- mengirimkan = more formal-sounding variant of mengirim
- dosen pembimbing = supervising lecturer