Sup sayur hangat dimasukkan ke dalam mangkuk besar.

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Questions & Answers about Sup sayur hangat dimasukkan ke dalam mangkuk besar.

What does dimasukkan mean exactly, and how is it formed?

Dimasukkan comes from the root verb masuk (to enter, to go in).

Morphology:

  • di- = passive prefix
  • masuk = to enter
  • -kan = suffix that makes it “to put something into / cause to enter”

So memasukkan = to put (something) into (somewhere) – active voice
and dimasukkan = is/was put into – passive voice.

In this sentence, sup sayur hangat dimasukkan = the warm vegetable soup is/was put in (into something).


Who is doing the action when the sentence uses dimasukkan?

With dimasukkan, the sentence is in the passive voice, so:

  • the focus is on what is being moved (the soup),
  • the person doing the action (the agent) is not mentioned.

So the English sense is:

  • The warm vegetable soup is/was put into the big bowl (by someone).

If you wanted to mention the doer, you could say, for example:

  • Sup sayur hangat dimasukkan ibu ke dalam mangkuk besar.
    → The warm vegetable soup is/was put into the big bowl by Mother.

But it’s also perfectly natural in Indonesian to leave the agent unstated, as in the original sentence.


Could I say memasukkan sup sayur hangat ke dalam mangkuk besar instead? How would that change things?

You can, but the structure changes to active voice, and you must add a subject:

  • Dia memasukkan sup sayur hangat ke dalam mangkuk besar.
    → He/She puts/put the warm vegetable soup into the big bowl.

Comparison:

  • Sup sayur hangat dimasukkan ke dalam mangkuk besar.
    → Passive; focus on the soup.
  • Dia memasukkan sup sayur hangat ke dalam mangkuk besar.
    → Active; focus on the person doing the action.

Both are grammatically correct; the choice depends on what you want to emphasize.


Why is it ke dalam mangkuk besar and not just ke mangkuk besar? Are both correct?

Both are possible, but they have slightly different nuance:

  • ke mangkuk besar
    Literally to the big bowl. It can sound like movement toward the bowl.
  • ke dalam mangkuk besar
    Literally to inside the big bowl, i.e. into the big bowl, emphasizing that the soup goes inside the bowl.

Because we are talking about liquid going into a container, ke dalam mangkuk besar is more precise and natural. Ke mangkuk besar is not wrong, but it’s less explicit about going inside.


Is dalam here a preposition or an adjective? What does it do?

In this sentence, dalam is a preposition meaning inside or in.

  • ke dalam = to inside / into
  • ke dalam mangkuk besar = into the big bowl

As an adjective, dalam can also mean deep (for example, sumur dalam = deep well), but here it clearly functions as a preposition paired with ke.


How do I know if this sentence is past, present, or future? There’s no tense marker like in English.

Indonesian verbs usually do not change form for tense. Dimasukkan itself does not show past, present, or future.

The time is understood from context or from extra words, for example:

  • tadi = earlier
  • kemarin = yesterday
  • sedang = in the process of (continuous)
  • nanti = later

So, depending on context, the same sentence could mean:

  • The warm vegetable soup is being put into the big bowl.
  • The warm vegetable soup was put into the big bowl.
  • The warm vegetable soup will be put into the big bowl. (if the context is clearly future)

Without context, English speakers usually translate it as is being put or was put, but in Indonesian the verb form itself is neutral.


Is sup sayur hangat the subject or the object in this sentence?

In this passive structure, sup sayur hangat is the grammatical subject.

Underlying idea:

  • Active: (Someone) memasukkan sup sayur hangat ke dalam mangkuk besar.
    • Subject: the person (someone)
    • Object: sup sayur hangat
  • Passive: Sup sayur hangat dimasukkan ke dalam mangkuk besar.
    • Subject: sup sayur hangat (the former object)
    • Agent: omitted or optional

So in the final sentence, sup sayur hangat is what the sentence is about; it is the subject of dimasukkan.


What exactly does sup sayur hangat mean word by word? Does hangat describe the soup or the vegetables?

Word by word:

  • sup = soup
  • sayur = vegetable
  • sup sayur = vegetable soup
  • hangat = warm

Phrase structure in Indonesian noun phrases:

  • Head noun comes first
  • Then modifiers (other nouns, adjectives, etc.) follow.

So:

  • sup (head noun)
  • sup sayur = soup of vegetables → vegetable soup
  • sup sayur hangat = vegetable soup that is warm → warm vegetable soup

Hangat describes the whole sup sayur, not only the sayur.


Why is it mangkuk besar and not besar mangkuk?

In Indonesian, adjectives normally come after the noun they describe:

  • mangkuk besar = big bowl
  • rumah besar = big house
  • buku baru = new book

If you said besar mangkuk, it would sound strange or poetic and is not the normal everyday structure.

So the pattern is:

  • noun + adjective
    not
  • adjective + noun (as in English).

What is the difference between hangat and panas for temperature?

Both describe heat, but at different levels:

  • hangat = warm
    • Pleasantly warm, not too hot
    • Good for drinks, soup, water to wash with, etc.
  • panas = hot
    • Clearly hot; can be uncomfortable or burning
    • Used for weather, very hot food or liquid, a hot stove, etc.

In this sentence, sup sayur hangat suggests the soup is warm enough to enjoy but not burning hot.


How do I say into the big bowl versus into a big bowl in Indonesian? There is no the or a here.

Indonesian does not use articles like a/an or the, so mangkuk besar can mean:

  • a big bowl,
  • the big bowl,
    depending on context.

If you really want to make it clearly the specific bowl, you can add a demonstrative:

  • mangkuk besar itu = that big bowl / the big bowl (already known or visible)
  • mangkuk besar ini = this big bowl

Examples:

  • Sup sayur hangat dimasukkan ke dalam mangkuk besar.
    → into a big bowl / into the big bowl (context decides).
  • Sup sayur hangat dimasukkan ke dalam mangkuk besar itu.
    → clearly: into that big bowl / the big bowl we are talking about.

Is there any difference between sup sayur and something like sayur sup? Does the word order change the meaning?

Yes, word order in noun–noun combinations usually shows which one is the main noun.

  • sup sayur
    • Head noun: sup (soup)
    • Modifier: sayur (vegetable)
    • Meaning: vegetable soup (a type of soup)

Sayur sup would sound odd or suggest “vegetables for soup” or “vegetables cooked in a soup style,” but it’s not the usual way to say vegetable soup.

General rule:

  • [main noun] + [modifier noun]
    So:
  • sup ayam = chicken soup
  • sup sayur = vegetable soup
    not ayam sup or sayur sup in normal usage.