Saya suka lirik yang vokalis tulis tentang perjuangan lulusan baru mencari kerja.

I like the lyrics that the vocalist wrote about new graduates struggling to find work.

Breakdown of Saya suka lirik yang vokalis tulis tentang perjuangan lulusan baru mencari kerja.

• saya: I
• suka: to like
• baru: new
• tentang: about
• yang: that
• mencari: to look for
• tulis: to write
• kerja: the work
• lulusan: the graduate
• perjuangan: the struggle
• lirik: the lyric
• vokalis: the vocalist

Questions & Answers about Saya suka lirik yang vokalis tulis tentang perjuangan lulusan baru mencari kerja.

What is the function of yang in this sentence?

Yang introduces a relative clause, similar to “that / which / who” in English.

• lirik yang vokalis tulis
  → the lyrics *that the vocalist wrote*

So the structure is:

• lirik = lyrics
• yang vokalis tulis = that the vocalist wrote

Together, yang links lirik to the description vokalis tulis.

Why is it “yang vokalis tulis” and not “yang ditulis vokalis” or “yang ditulis oleh vokalis”?

All of these are grammatically correct, but the voice is different:

1. yang vokalis tulis

   • Active voice: “that the vocalist writes/wrote”
   • Pattern: Subject + Verb → vokalis tulis
   • Feels a bit more spoken / natural in many contexts.

2. yang ditulis vokalis

   • Passive voice: “that is written by the vocalist”
   • Pattern: di- + Verb + (Agent) → ditulis vokalis
   • Neutral, common in both spoken and written language.

3. yang ditulis oleh vokalis

   • Also passive, more explicit because of oleh = by.
   • Often sounds a bit more formal / written, or used when you really want to emphasize the doer.

Meaning-wise, they’re basically the same. The original yang vokalis tulis is just the active, slightly more casual-sounding choice.

Where is the object of tulis in “yang vokalis tulis”? It looks like something is missing.

The object is understood to be lirik, even though it’s not repeated.

• Full idea: lirik yang vokalis tulis (lirik)
  → “lyrics that the vocalist writes (lyrics)”

In Indonesian, when you have a relative clause like this, it’s very common to omit the repeated noun:

• buku yang saya baca
  Literally: “book that I read (it)”
  → “the book that I read”

Likewise:

• lirik yang vokalis tulis
  = “the lyrics that the vocalist writes/wrote”

Is yang here the same as bahwa (“that”)?

No. Yang and bahwa are different:

• yang

  • Introduces relative clauses (describing a noun).
  • Example: lirik yang vokalis tulis
    → “the lyrics that the vocalist wrote”

• bahwa

  • Introduces content clauses (reported thoughts/statements).
  • Example: Saya tahu bahwa dia lulus.
    → “I know that he/she graduated.”

You cannot replace yang with bahwa here.
✗ lirik bahwa vokalis tulis is ungrammatical.

Is lirik singular or plural here? How do you say “a lyric” vs “the lyrics”?

Indonesian usually does not mark singular vs plural on the noun itself.
So lirik can mean:

• “lyric”
• “lyrics”

The exact meaning comes from context or extra words:

• lirik itu = that lyric / those lyrics
• lirik-lirik = lyrics (emphasizing plurality)
• beberapa lirik = several lyrics
• satu lirik = one lyric (less common; people more often say satu bagian lirik / “one part of the lyrics”)

In everyday use, saying just lirik for “the lyrics” is completely natural.

What is the nuance difference between “mencari kerja” and “mencari pekerjaan”?

Both are correct and very common:

• mencari kerja

  • Literally: “to look for work/a job”
  • Slightly more informal / everyday sounding.

• mencari pekerjaan

  • Literally: “to look for a job”
  • Slightly more formal or “complete” because pekerjaan is a full noun.

In most contexts (especially speech), mencari kerja is very natural and widely used.
You could swap mencari kerja for mencari pekerjaan in your sentence without changing the meaning much.

Why is it “lulusan baru” and not “baru lulusan” or “baru lulus”?

These expressions aren’t all the same:

1. lulusan baru

   • Noun + adjective order (normal in Indonesian).
   • lulusan = graduate
   • baru = new / recent
     → “recent graduates” / “new grads”
     This is the most natural way to say “new graduates” as a noun phrase.

2. baru lulusan

   • Sounds odd or incomplete by itself; not a common phrase.
     You might hear dia baru lulusan SMA → “he/she just graduated from high school,” but here baru is linked to the verb idea “just (now) graduated,” not describing lulusan as an adjective.

3. baru lulus

   • Verb phrase: baru (just) + lulus (to pass/graduate).
   • Dia baru lulus kuliah. → “He/She just graduated from college.”

So in your sentence, referring to a group of people (“new graduates”), lulusan baru is the natural choice.

Why isn’t there “para” before “lulusan baru” to show it’s plural?

Para is an optional plural marker used mainly for people, often in a more formal or respectful context:

• para lulusan = the graduates (formal)
• para siswa = the students

In everyday language, people often omit para and rely on context:

• lulusan baru can already mean “new graduates (plural)”.

You can say:

• tentang perjuangan para lulusan baru mencari kerja

This is also correct and sounds a bit more formal or speech-like (e.g., in a graduation speech). The original version without para is more neutral and casual.

How do we know the tense of tulis here? Is it “writes”, “wrote”, or “has written”?

Indonesian verbs usually don’t change form for tense.
tulis / menulis can mean:

• write / writes
• wrote
• has written
• is writing

The exact English equivalent depends on context and possibly added time words:

• kemarin vokalis menulis lirik = the vocalist wrote lyrics yesterday
• setiap hari vokalis menulis lirik = the vocalist writes lyrics every day

In your sentence, without extra time markers, tulis is time-neutral. In English you’d choose based on the broader context, e.g.:

• “lyrics that the vocalist writes”
• “lyrics that the vocalist wrote”
• “lyrics that the vocalist has written”

Is this sentence formal, casual, or somewhere in between?

It’s neutral–casual:

• Saya is neutral and polite (not slangy like gue / aku, not super formal either).
• Vocabulary is standard, no slang.

You could say this:

• in conversation with friends,
• in a classroom,
• in a casual written context (chat, social media, etc.).

For more formal writing, you might tweak it slightly (e.g., lirik-lirik or perjuangan para lulusan baru dalam mencari pekerjaan), but even as-is it’s acceptable in many semi-formal contexts.

Can we change the word order, like “Saya suka lirik tentang perjuangan lulusan baru mencari kerja yang vokalis tulis.”?

Yes, that version is grammatically correct:

• lirik tentang perjuangan lulusan baru mencari kerja yang vokalis tulis

Here, yang vokalis tulis is clearly attached to lirik.

However, the original:

• lirik yang vokalis tulis tentang perjuangan lulusan baru mencari kerja

puts yang vokalis tulis closer to lirik, so the relative clause and its head noun are tightly grouped. Many speakers find this order slightly cleaner / more natural in speech.

Both are understandable; it’s mostly a matter of style and emphasis.

What is the difference between “vokalis” and “penyanyi”?

Both refer to people who sing, but usage differs:

• vokalis

  • Usually means the lead singer in a band.
  • Strong association with bands / groups:
    
    • vokalis band rock itu = the vocalist of that rock band.

• penyanyi

  • General word for singer, any context.
  • Could be solo artists, choir members, etc.:
    
    • penyanyi terkenal = a famous singer.

In your sentence, vokalis suggests you’re talking about a band’s vocalist, not just any singer.

Could we say “Saya menyukai lirik…” instead of “Saya suka lirik…”? Is there a difference?

You can say Saya menyukai lirik yang vokalis tulis…, and it’s grammatically correct.

Differences in feel:

• suka

  • Very common, everyday verb for “like”.
  • Pattern: saya suka [object]
  • Neutral in tone, widely used in speech.

• menyukai

  • More formal / literary / “heavy” in many everyday contexts.
  • Pattern: saya menyukai [object]
  • Often used in writing, descriptions, or when sounding more elaborate.

In normal spoken Indonesian, Saya suka lirik… is more natural and common. Saya menyukai lirik… may sound a bit stiffer in casual conversation.

Who is doing “mencari kerja” in this sentence—the vocalist or the new graduates?

Grammatically, mencari kerja goes with lulusan baru:

• perjuangan [lulusan baru mencari kerja]
  → “the struggle of new graduates looking for work”

Indonesian allows this kind of compact structure where a noun (lulusan baru) is directly followed by a verb phrase (mencari kerja), and it’s understood that the noun is the doer of the action.

It does not mean the vocalist is looking for a job; rather, the lyrics are about new graduates who are looking for work. Context usually makes this clear to native speakers.