Kalau kita cukup disiplin mengikuti jadwal, kita bisa menyelesaikan tugas lebih cepat tanpa harus lembur setiap malam.

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Questions & Answers about Kalau kita cukup disiplin mengikuti jadwal, kita bisa menyelesaikan tugas lebih cepat tanpa harus lembur setiap malam.

What nuance does kalau have here? Is it more like “if” or “when,” and could I use jika instead?

In this sentence, kalau is a conditional “if”:

  • Kalau kita cukup disiplin mengikuti jadwal, ...
    If we are disciplined enough to follow the schedule, ...

Nuance:

  • kalau is very common and conversational. It can mean if or when, depending on context.
  • jika is more formal and almost always means if, not “when.”

You can say:

  • Jika kita cukup disiplin mengikuti jadwal, kita bisa menyelesaikan tugas lebih cepat...

It sounds a bit more formal (e.g. writing, presentations), but grammatically it’s fine.

In everyday speech, kalau is more natural.


Why is kita repeated? Can I say the sentence only once with kita?

The original:

  • Kalau kita cukup disiplin mengikuti jadwal, kita bisa menyelesaikan tugas ...

Repeating kita is very normal in Indonesian, especially when the subject appears in both the “if”-clause and the main clause.

You can omit the second kita and say:

  • Kalau kita cukup disiplin mengikuti jadwal, bisa menyelesaikan tugas lebih cepat...

This is still understandable and used in speech, but:

  • Repeating kita makes the sentence clearer and slightly more careful or complete.
  • Omitting it feels a bit more casual.

Both are acceptable; the version with repeated kita is “safer” and a good default, especially in writing.


What does cukup disiplin mean exactly? Is it “quite disciplined” or “disciplined enough”?

Cukup literally means enough, but in practice the nuance depends on context:

  • cukup disiplin here = disciplined enough (to achieve the result mentioned).
  • It can sometimes feel like quite disciplined or fairly disciplined, but the core idea is sufficient, not extreme.

So:

  • Kalau kita cukup disiplin mengikuti jadwal
    = If we are disciplined enough to follow the schedule (consistently / sufficiently).

It suggests the discipline reaches the minimum level needed to avoid working overtime every night, not necessarily military-level discipline.


Why is it cukup disiplin mengikuti jadwal and not something like cukup disiplin untuk mengikuti jadwal?

Both patterns are possible:

  1. cukup disiplin mengikuti jadwal
  2. cukup disiplin untuk mengikuti jadwal

Differences:

  • (1) is more compact and very natural in speech. The verb mengikuti (to follow) directly follows the adjective disiplin, forming a sequence:
    cukup disiplin (dalam hal) mengikuti jadwal
    ≈ “disciplined enough in following the schedule.”
  • (2) is explicitly structured:
    cukup disiplin untuk mengikuti jadwal
    ≈ “disciplined enough to follow the schedule.”

Both are grammatically fine. Version (1) is a very typical spoken style; version (2) sounds slightly more explicit or careful, but not overly formal.


Why is there no article before jadwal? Should it be like “the schedule” or “a schedule”?

Indonesian does not use articles like a/an/the. So jadwal can mean:

  • the schedule
  • a schedule
  • our schedule, depending on context.

In this sentence, in natural English you’d probably say “the schedule” (the one we’re supposed to follow). But in Indonesian, you just say:

  • mengikuti jadwal = to follow the schedule.

If you want to be more specific, you can add a determiner:

  • mengikuti jadwal ini = follow this schedule
  • mengikuti jadwal kerja = follow the work schedule

But a bare noun is normal and very common.


What is the role of bisa here? Could I use dapat instead, and is there any difference?

Bisa here expresses possibility/ability:

  • kita bisa menyelesaikan tugas lebih cepat
    = we can / will be able to complete the tasks faster

You could replace bisa with dapat:

  • kita dapat menyelesaikan tugas lebih cepat...

Differences:

  • bisa is more conversational and very common.
  • dapat is slightly more formal or “written language”-like, especially in official documents.
  • In this context, the meaning is basically the same: a possible outcome if the condition is met.

For everyday speech, bisa is the most natural.


What does tugas mean here? Is it more like “task,” “job,” or “homework”?

Tugas is a general word for task / assignment / duty. Its exact English translation depends on context:

  • office / workplace: work tasks / assignments
  • school: assignments / homework
  • military / role: duty

In this sentence, with jadwal and lembur, it sounds like work tasks or assignments at a job:

  • menyelesaikan tugas lebih cepat
    = finish our work tasks / assignments faster

If it were clearly about school, you could interpret it as assignments.


How does lebih cepat work here? Is it always used for comparisons?

Yes, lebih is the basic comparative marker meaning more / -er.

  • cepat = fast / quickly
  • lebih cepat = faster / more quickly

In the sentence:

  • menyelesaikan tugas lebih cepat
    = finish the tasks faster (than usual / than before / than without discipline)

The comparison target (faster than what?) is understood from context and does not have to be stated. Lebih + adjective/adverb is the general pattern:

  • lebih baik = better
  • lebih lambat = slower
  • lebih rajin = more diligent

What does tanpa harus lembur mean exactly? Why both tanpa and harus?

Breakdown:

  • tanpa = without
  • harus = must / have to
  • lembur = to work overtime

So:

  • tanpa harus lembur setiap malam
    without having to work overtime every night

If you said only tanpa lembur, it would mean:

  • without overtime (at all)

By adding harus, you emphasize necessity/obligation:

  • tanpa lembur = with no overtime happening
  • tanpa harus lembur = without being forced/obliged to do overtime

The original sentence focuses on removing the need to do overtime every night, not necessarily banning overtime in all cases.


What does lembur mean, and is it a verb or a noun?

Lembur is commonly used as both:

  • noun: overtime (work)
    • Saya dapat uang lembur. = I get overtime pay.
  • verb (intransitive): to work overtime
    • Saya harus lembur malam ini. = I have to work overtime tonight.

In this sentence:

  • tanpa harus lembur setiap malam
    lembur is being used like a verb: to work overtime.

Context will usually tell you whether it’s noun-like or verb-like, but the form lembur itself doesn’t change.


Is there any difference between setiap malam and tiap malam?

Both mean every night:

  • setiap malam
  • tiap malam

Differences:

  • setiap is slightly more neutral/standard.
  • tiap is a shorter, more colloquial form, very common in speech.

So you can safely say:

  • tanpa harus lembur tiap malam

It sounds natural and a bit more casual. Semantically, they’re the same in this context.