Sebelum wawancara kerja, dia menyemprot sedikit parfum di pergelangan tangan.

Before the job interview, he/she sprays a little perfume on his/her wrists.

Breakdown of Sebelum wawancara kerja, dia menyemprot sedikit parfum di pergelangan tangan.

• dia: he/she
• sedikit: a little
• sebelum: before
• di: on
• wawancara kerja: the job interview
• menyemprot: to spray
• parfum: the perfume
• pergelangan tangan: the wrist

Questions & Answers about Sebelum wawancara kerja, dia menyemprot sedikit parfum di pergelangan tangan.

What does sebelum do in this sentence, and how is it different from sebelumnya?

Sebelum means before and introduces a time phrase or clause:

• Sebelum wawancara kerja = Before the job interview

It can be used with:

• a noun phrase: sebelum wawancara kerja (before the job interview)
• a full clause: sebelum dia berangkat (before he/she leaves)

Sebelumnya means before that / previously and usually stands alone or refers back to something already mentioned:

• Sebelumnya, dia gugup sekali. = Previously, he/she was very nervous.

You would not say Sebelumnya wawancara kerja here; that sounds wrong. In this sentence you specifically want sebelum.

What exactly does wawancara kerja mean? Is it literally “work interview”?

Yes, it is literally work interview, but idiomatically it means job interview:

• wawancara = interview (as a noun or verb)
• kerja = work / job

Together, wawancara kerja is the normal, natural way to say job interview in Indonesian.

You can say just wawancara if the context is clear, but wawancara kerja is more specific.

Is dia specifically “he” or “she”? How do Indonesians show gender here?

Dia is gender‑neutral. It can mean he or she, and also they (for one person whose gender is unknown or irrelevant).

If speakers want to make the gender explicit, they usually add a noun like:

• pria / laki‑laki = man, male
• wanita / perempuan / cewek = woman, female

For example:

• Seorang pria itu menyemprot sedikit parfum... = That man sprayed a little perfume...

But in everyday Indonesian, people very often just use dia without specifying gender, exactly like in your sentence.

What is the base form of menyemprot, and what does the meN‑ prefix do here?

The base verb is semprot = to spray.

With the active verb prefix meN‑, it becomes menyemprot:

• meN‑ + semprot → menyemprot
  (the s of semprot drops and meN‑ becomes meny‑)

meN‑ generally makes an active, transitive verb:

• menyemprot parfum = to spray perfume

There is also a related form menyemprotkan, which often emphasizes spraying something onto something:

• Dia menyemprotkan parfum ke pergelangan tangan.
  = He/She sprays perfume onto (his/her) wrist.

Your sentence with menyemprot is still perfectly natural and common.

Why is sedikit placed before parfum? Could I say parfum sedikit instead?

Sedikit means a little / a small amount (of).

When it quantifies a noun, like parfum, it normally comes before the noun:

• sedikit parfum = a little (bit of) perfume

Putting it after the noun (parfum sedikit) is not natural in this context for standard Indonesian. It would sound odd, a bit like saying “perfume a little” as a noun phrase.

So:

• ✅ menyemprot sedikit parfum (correct, natural)
• ❌ menyemprot parfum sedikit (unnatural here as a single noun phrase)

You might see sedikit after a verb:

• Dia makan sedikit. = He/She ate a little.

In that case it’s modifying the verb, not the noun.

Why is di pergelangan tangan used? Could we use ke or pada instead of di?

Di usually marks a location (at, in, on), not movement:

• di pergelangan tangan = on/at the wrist

So your sentence literally focuses on where the perfume ends up:

• ...menyemprot sedikit parfum di pergelangan tangan.
  = sprayed a little perfume on the wrist.

If you want to emphasize the direction (spray onto), Indonesian often uses menyemprotkan ... ke/pada ...:

• Dia menyemprotkan parfum ke pergelangan tangan.
  = He/She sprays perfume onto the wrist.

All of these are acceptable:

• menyemprot sedikit parfum di pergelangan tangan (very common, everyday)
• menyemprotkan sedikit parfum ke pergelangan tangan (a bit more explicit/“textbook”)

So di is fine and natural in the original sentence.

What does pergelangan tangan literally mean? Is pergelangan one word by itself?

Yes, pergelangan is a word on its own.

• pergelangan = joint where you wear a bracelet, i.e. wrist
• tangan = hand / arm (often both in casual use)

So pergelangan tangan literally means the wrist (of the hand).

You’ll see the same pattern with the ankle:

• pergelangan kaki = ankle (literally “wrist of the foot/leg”)

How can this sentence be past or future in Indonesian if the verb never changes form?

Indonesian verbs generally do not change form for tense. The time is shown by context or by time words.

Your sentence by itself is neutral in tense:

• Sebelum wawancara kerja, dia menyemprot sedikit parfum di pergelangan tangan.
  Could mean:
  
  • Before the job interview, he/she sprayed a little perfume… (past)
  • Before the job interview, he/she sprays a little perfume… (habitual)
  • Before the job interview, he/she will spray a little perfume… (future)

To make it explicit, you add time markers:

• Past:
  
  • Sebelum wawancara kerja tadi, dia sudah menyemprot sedikit parfum...
• Future:
  
  • Sebelum wawancara kerja nanti, dia akan menyemprot sedikit parfum...

Can the time phrase sebelum wawancara kerja go at the end instead of the beginning?

Yes. Time expressions are flexible in Indonesian. Both are correct:

• Sebelum wawancara kerja, dia menyemprot sedikit parfum di pergelangan tangan.
• Dia menyemprot sedikit parfum di pergelangan tangan sebelum wawancara kerja.

Putting the time phrase first (Sebelum wawancara kerja, ...) slightly emphasizes the timing. Putting it at the end is also very natural and common.

Is this sentence formal, informal, or neutral? Would people say something different in casual speech?

The sentence is neutral standard Indonesian—fine for writing, stories, news, and polite conversation.

In casual spoken Indonesian, you might hear something like:

• Sebelum interview kerja, dia nyemprot dikit parfum di pergelangan tangan.

Changes there:

• interview instead of wawancara (borrowed English word)
• nyemprot instead of menyemprot (colloquial dropping of the meN‑ pattern)
• dikit instead of sedikit (slang/colloquial form)

Your original sentence is correct and widely understandable in all regions.

Is parfum the only word for “perfume”? What about minyak wangi?

Both are used, but with slightly different flavors:

• parfum = perfume (the usual, modern, product word; from French/English)
• minyak wangi = literally fragrant oil, more general; can sound a bit more traditional or generic

In your sentence, both are possible:

• ...dia menyemprot sedikit parfum...
• ...dia menyemprot sedikit minyak wangi...

Parfum is probably the most natural in modern, urban contexts when talking about commercial perfume.

Could the subject dia be dropped here like in some other languages?

Not in the same way as, say, Spanish. In Indonesian, subjects are usually stated, especially with transitive verbs like menyemprot.

• Dia menyemprot sedikit parfum... (normal statement)

If you remove dia in this sentence, it turns into something else, usually an imperative directed at “you”:

• Sebelum wawancara kerja, semprot sedikit parfum di pergelangan tangan.
  = Before the job interview, spray a little perfume on your wrist.

So for a neutral descriptive sentence about “he/she”, you should keep dia.