Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Anak-anak cukup mengerti aturan permainan, jadi pelatih tidak perlu menjelaskan berkali-kali. - The children understand the game rules well enough, so the coach doesn’t need to explain many times.

Anak-anak is the reduplicated form of anak and usually means children (plural). Reduplication is a common way to show plurality in Indonesian.

anak = child / children (number is often understood from context)
anak-anak = clearly plural: children

You don’t always have to say anak-anak for "children". Often, context or a number word makes it clear:

tiga anak = three children (no reduplication needed)
semua anak = all (the) children

In this sentence, anak-anak emphasizes that we’re talking about a group of kids, not just one child.

What exactly does cukup mean here, and where can it appear in a sentence?

Here, cukup means enough / sufficiently / quite. It modifies the verb phrase mengerti aturan permainan.

Typical uses:

Before adjectives: cukup besar = quite big / big enough
Before verbs: cukup mengerti = understand well enough

Position is generally:

Subject + cukup + verb/adjective + rest of sentence
- Anak-anak cukup mengerti aturan permainan.
- Dia cukup pintar.

So cukup is an adverb indicating degree, similar to fairly, quite, or enough depending on context.

What is the difference between mengerti and memahami or paham?

All are related to understanding, but with slight nuances:

mengerti: to understand, to grasp; very common and neutral
- Saya mengerti. = I understand.
memahami: to comprehend, to understand deeply/fully
- Dia memahami konsep itu. = He/She comprehends that concept.
paham (verb/adjective, often colloquial): to understand, or "be understanding"
- Saya paham. = I get it. (very common in speech)

In this sentence, cukup mengerti fits well because it suggests a practical, functional understanding of the game rules, not deep theoretical comprehension.

Why is it aturan permainan instead of something like permainan aturan?

In Indonesian, the main noun usually comes first, and the modifier comes after it. Here:

aturan = rules
permainan = game

So aturan permainan literally is rules (of the) game.

General patterns:

buku sejarah = history book (book of history)
guru matematika = math teacher (teacher of math)
aturan sekolah = school rules

Putting it the other way around (permainan aturan) would sound wrong or at least very odd in Indonesian.

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

Pelatih means coach or trainer.

It comes from the root latih (to train / to practice) with the prefix pe-, which often forms a person who does the action:

latih → melatih = to train (someone)
pelatih = trainer / coach

Other similar patterns:

ajar → mengajar (to teach) → pengajar (teacher/instructor)
bantu → membantu (to help) → pembantu (helper, maid)

So pelatih is "the one who trains," i.e., the coach.

What’s the nuance of tidak perlu here? How is it different from tidak harus or tidak usah?

tidak perlu = doesn’t need to / it isn’t necessary to

In this sentence: pelatih tidak perlu menjelaskan = the coach doesn’t need to explain.

Rough differences:

tidak perlu: no necessity/requirement
- Neutral, can be written or spoken.
tidak harus: not required / not obligatory
- Focus on obligation: Anda tidak harus datang. = You’re not required to come.
tidak usah: don’t need to / better not / no need
- More informal and often sounds like a gentle suggestion: Tidak usah repot-repot. = No need to go to the trouble.

Here tidak perlu is appropriate because it simply states that repeated explanation is unnecessary.

Why is the verb menjelaskan used instead of just jelas?

jelas is an adjective meaning clear.

To make it a verb "to explain", Indonesian adds the prefix me- and suffix -kan:

jelas (clear) → menjelaskan (to explain / to make clear)

So:

Penjelasannya jelas. = The explanation is clear.
Dia menjelaskan aturan permainan. = He/She explains the game rules.

Using just jelas here would be ungrammatical because the sentence needs an action (to explain), not a description (clear).

What does berkali-kali mean, and how is it formed?

berkali-kali means many times / repeatedly / over and over again.

It’s formed from:

kali = time(s), as in frequency or count (e.g., three times)
kali-kali (reduplication) = multiple times
berkali-kali (with prefix ber-) = repeatedly / over and over

Similar expressions:

berulang-ulang = repeatedly
sering = often (more about frequency in general)

In the sentence, menjelaskan berkali-kali = to explain again and again / multiple times.

Could we put berkali-kali in a different position, like pelatih tidak perlu berkali-kali menjelaskan? Is that still correct?

Yes, pelatih tidak perlu berkali-kali menjelaskan is also grammatically correct and natural.

Both are fine:

pelatih tidak perlu menjelaskan berkali-kali
pelatih tidak perlu berkali-kali menjelaskan

The meaning is the same ("the coach doesn’t need to explain many times"). The original order (menjelaskan berkali-kali) might sound slightly more neutral; moving berkali-kali before the verb adds a tiny bit of emphasis on the repetition, but it’s a subtle difference.

What function does jadi have here? How is it different from sehingga?

Here, jadi works as a conjunction meaning so / therefore.

Anak-anak cukup mengerti aturan permainan, jadi pelatih tidak perlu menjelaskan berkali-kali.
= The children understand the rules well enough, so the coach doesn’t need to explain repeatedly.

Differences:

jadi: common in speech and writing; sounds a bit more conversational.
sehingga: also "so/therefore," but often used in slightly more formal or written contexts, and it tends to emphasize result.

You could say:

..., sehingga pelatih tidak perlu menjelaskan berkali-kali.

That’s correct, but feels a bit more formal or "written" than jadi.

There’s no tense marking in the Indonesian sentence. How do we know if this is past, present, or future?

Indonesian doesn’t mark tense directly on verbs like English does. Context usually tells you the time.

This sentence by itself could be:

Present: The kids currently understand the rules enough, so the coach doesn’t need to keep explaining.
Past: The kids (already) understood the rules enough, so the coach didn’t need to keep explaining.
Future: If understood from context: They will understand the rules enough, so the coach won’t need to keep explaining.

To make time clearer, Indonesians often add time words:

tadi (earlier), kemarin (yesterday), nanti (later), besok (tomorrow), sudah (already), akan (will), etc.

But structurally, the sentence stays the same.

Is the word order here fixed, or could we move parts around, like starting with pelatih?

Some movement is possible, but you must keep the internal phrases intact.

Original:
Anak-anak cukup mengerti aturan permainan, jadi pelatih tidak perlu menjelaskan berkali-kali.

You could say:

Pelatih tidak perlu menjelaskan berkali-kali, karena anak-anak cukup mengerti aturan permainan.
(Here we also swapped jadi for karena = because.)

Or, keeping jadi:

Anak-anak cukup mengerti aturan permainan. Jadi, pelatih tidak perlu menjelaskan berkali-kali.

However, you wouldn’t break key chunks like:

cukup mengerti (must stay together)
aturan permainan (must stay together)
tidak perlu menjelaskan (normally stays together)

So there is some flexibility, but not total freedom to reorder every word.