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Saya usulkan rapat dimulai pukul delapan besok pagi.

Saya usulkan rapat dimulai pukul delapan besok pagi.
I propose that the meeting start at eight o’clock tomorrow morning.
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Questions & Answers about Saya usulkan rapat dimulai pukul delapan besok pagi.

What does usulkan mean exactly, and how is it related to usul and mengusulkan?
  • usul = proposal / suggestion (noun), and also a verb root “to propose / to suggest.”
  • mengusulkan = to propose / to suggest (formal full verb): meN- + usul + -kan.
  • usulkan in saya usulkan … is a shortened active form of mengusulkan where the meN- prefix is dropped but -kan stays.

So:

  • Saya mengusulkan rapat dimulai …
  • Saya usulkan rapat dimulai …

Both mean “I propose that the meeting start …”. The shortened saya usulkan is very common and sounds natural in neutral to slightly formal speech.

Is Saya usulkan rapat dimulai… different in meaning from Saya mengusulkan rapat dimulai…?

The meaning is essentially the same: “I propose that the meeting start …”

Differences are mostly in style:

  • Saya mengusulkan …

    • Slightly more formal/“complete.”
    • Very natural in written proposals, formal meetings, documents.

  • Saya usulkan …

    • Still acceptable in formal settings, but feels a bit more direct and compressed.
    • Very common in spoken Indonesian, including in meetings.

You can safely use either. In a very formal written document, Saya mengusulkan is the safer choice.

Why doesn’t the sentence use something like bahwa (“that”) or agar (“so that”)? For example: Saya usulkan agar rapat dimulai…

In Indonesian, it’s very common to have a verb of saying/thinking followed directly by a clause as its object, without a word like “that”:

  • Saya pikir dia sudah datang. = I think (that) he has arrived.
  • Dia bilang rapat dibatalkan. = He said (that) the meeting was cancelled.
  • Saya usulkan rapat dimulai … = I propose (that) the meeting start …

You can add a connector:

  • Saya mengusulkan agar rapat dimulai pukul delapan besok pagi.
    • agar focuses on the desired outcome or purpose (“so that”).
  • Saya mengusulkan bahwa rapat dimulai pukul delapan besok pagi.
    • bahwa is more like simple “that,” and feels quite formal/ written.

The original sentence is natural and does not need agar or bahwa.

Why is it rapat dimulai, not rapat mulai?

Both can appear in Indonesian, but they differ slightly:

  • rapat dimulai

    • dimulai is the passive form of memulai (“to start something”).
    • Literally: “the meeting is started (at…)” – the doer is not mentioned.
    • Feels more formal, neutral, and is very common in announcements and schedules:
      • Rapat akan dimulai pukul delapan.

  • rapat mulai

    • mulai is used as an intransitive verb “to start, begin.”
    • Rapat mulai pukul delapan. = “The meeting starts at eight.”
    • This is also correct and quite common, especially in speech.

In the structure Saya usulkan rapat dimulai pukul delapan…, the passive dimulai sounds very natural and somewhat more formal/impersonal than rapat mulai… would.

Could I say Saya usulkan kita mulai rapat pukul delapan besok pagi instead? What would change?

Yes, that’s also natural, but with a slightly different focus:

  • Saya usulkan rapat dimulai pukul delapan…

    • Focuses on the event “the meeting” and its scheduled start time.
    • More impersonal and formal-sounding.

  • Saya usulkan kita mulai rapat pukul delapan…

    • Focuses on “we” as the actors who will start the meeting.
    • More inclusive and conversational (“I propose we start the meeting at eight…”).

Both are acceptable; choose depending on how formal and impersonal vs. inclusive you want to sound.

What’s the difference between pukul and jam when talking about time like pukul delapan?

Both can be used for clock time:

  • pukul delapan

    • Literally “strike eight” (from clocks striking the hour).
    • Common in more formal or neutral contexts, announcements, writing.

  • jam delapan

    • Literally “hour eight.”
    • Very common in everyday speech; also acceptable in formal contexts.

In this sentence:

  • Saya usulkan rapat dimulai pukul delapan besok pagi.

you could also say:

  • … dimulai jam delapan besok pagi.

The meaning is the same; pukul just sounds a bit more formal/official.

Is the order pukul delapan besok pagi fixed? Can I say besok pagi pukul delapan or besok pukul delapan pagi?

The order is flexible, and all of these are understandable:

  • pukul delapan besok pagi
  • besok pagi pukul delapan
  • besok pukul delapan pagi

Common patterns in natural speech:

  • Rapat dimulai besok pagi pukul delapan.
  • Rapat dimulai pukul delapan besok pagi.

Usually:

  1. Day / relative day (besok, nanti, lusa, hari Senin, etc.)
  2. Part of day (pagi, siang, sore, malam)
  3. Exact clock time (pukul delapan)

or:

  • Exact time first, then overall time phrase: pukul delapan besok pagi.

The original order is normal and natural, but not the only possible one.

Do we need to add akan (future marker), like rapat akan dimulai pukul delapan besok pagi?

No, akan is not required here, because the time expression besok pagi already makes it clear that it’s in the future.

  • Rapat dimulai pukul delapan besok pagi.
    = The meeting is (scheduled to be) started at eight tomorrow morning.

Adding akan is still correct and can sound more explicitly future / scheduled:

  • Rapat akan dimulai pukul delapan besok pagi.

Using or omitting akan is often a matter of style and emphasis; both forms are acceptable.

Is there any difference between besok pagi and pagi besok?

Both can mean “tomorrow morning”, and both are used.

  • besok pagi

    • Very common and neutral.
    • Literally “tomorrow morning.”

  • pagi besok

    • Also used, often when contrasting with other times, or in sentences like:
      • Pesawatnya berangkat pagi besok. = The flight leaves tomorrow morning.

In your sentence, besok pagi is the most standard, default choice.
You could say pukul delapan pagi besok, but pukul delapan besok pagi sounds a bit smoother.

How polite or formal is Saya usulkan rapat dimulai…? Would something else be softer?

Saya usulkan rapat dimulai pukul delapan besok pagi is:

  • Neutral to moderately formal.
  • Direct but not rude; quite appropriate in a work meeting.

For softer / more polite alternatives, you might hear:

  • Saya mengusulkan agar rapat dimulai pukul delapan besok pagi.
  • Saya menyarankan supaya rapat dimulai pukul delapan besok pagi.
  • Bagaimana kalau rapat dimulai pukul delapan besok pagi?
    (“What if the meeting starts at eight tomorrow morning?”)

The last one is the most indirect and very polite in conversation.

Can I drop Saya and just say Usulkan rapat dimulai pukul delapan besok pagi?

You can say it, but the nuance changes:

  • Usulkan rapat dimulai pukul delapan besok pagi.

    • Sounds like a directive or instruction to someone (e.g., in written notes: “Propose that the meeting start at eight tomorrow morning”).
    • It can be interpreted as an imperative: “Propose that the meeting start at eight…”

  • Saya usulkan rapat dimulai pukul delapan besok pagi.

    • Clear that you are the one making the proposal.
    • Sounds like you are speaking up in a meeting.

So if you’re actively giving your own suggestion, keep Saya.

Is dimulai one word or two (di mulai)?

It is one word: dimulai.

  • dimulai = passive verb form of memulai (“to start something”).
  • di as a separate word is the preposition “at / in / on.”
    • Example: di rumah, di kantor.

So:

  • ✅ Rapat dimulai pukul delapan.
  • ❌ Rapat di mulai pukul delapan. (incorrect)

As a rule of thumb:

  • If di is part of a verb (passive), it’s written together: dibuka, ditutup, dimulai.
  • If di is a preposition (“in/at/on”), it’s written separately: di rumah, di Jakarta, di kantor.