Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Kadang-kadang, kita cukup duduk bersama keluarga di ruang tamu, tanpa harus berkata banyak, untuk merasa tenang. - Sometimes, we just need to sit together with family in the living room, without having to say much, to feel calm.

kadang-kadang = the more common, neutral, everyday form. It’s like English sometimes / every now and then.
kadang alone is shorter and a bit more informal or casual. You’ll see and hear it often in speech.

In this sentence, you could say:

Kadang, kita cukup duduk…

and it would still be correct and natural. Using kadang-kadang just feels a bit fuller and slightly more formal or standard, but the meaning is the same.

Why is there a comma after kadang-kadang? Is it necessary?

The comma after Kadang-kadang is used like in English when you put an adverb at the beginning of the sentence:

Sometimes, we just sit…

It’s not absolutely mandatory in informal Indonesian, but it’s good style and helps readability, especially in writing. Without the comma, it’s still correct:

Kadang-kadang kita cukup duduk…

So:

With comma: more clearly separates Kadang-kadang (time adverb) from the rest.
Without comma: still fine, especially in casual writing or speech.

What’s the difference between kita and kami here? Could the sentence use kami instead?

Both kita and kami mean we, but:

kita = we (including the person you’re talking to)
kami = we (excluding the person you’re talking to)

In this sentence, using kita suggests something like:

Sometimes, we (including you) just sit with family…

It feels more general and inclusive, like a statement about people in general, including the listener.

If you said Kadang-kadang, kami cukup duduk…, it would mean:

Sometimes, we (but not you) just sit with our family…

That’s also grammatically correct, but the nuance changes: it becomes about our habit, not necessarily including the listener.

What does cukup mean in kita cukup duduk? Is it “enough” or “just”?

cukup literally means enough / sufficient, but in this type of sentence it often translates more naturally as just / simply.

kita cukup duduk…
= we just sit… / simply sitting is enough…

Nuances:

enough: The action of sitting together is sufficient to achieve feeling calm.
just/simply: You don’t need to do anything more complicated than that.

So both ideas are there:

We don’t need more than sitting together.
We only need to sit together.

Why use bersama keluarga? Could I say dengan keluarga instead?

Both are possible, but slightly different in tone:

bersama keluarga = with the family / together with the family
– bersama emphasizes togetherness.
dengan keluarga = also with the family, but a bit more neutral and general.

In this sentence:

kita cukup duduk bersama keluarga sounds very natural and nicely emphasizes the idea of being together as a calming presence.
kita cukup duduk dengan keluarga is grammatically fine, but slightly less warm or less focused on the feeling of togetherness.

So bersama fits the emotional tone better here.

What exactly does ruang tamu mean? Is it literally “guest room”?

Literally, ruang tamu is:

ruang = room
tamu = guest

But in practice, ruang tamu is what English speakers usually call the living room / sitting room—the room where you sit with guests or family.

So:

di ruang tamu = in the living room.

Can I change the word order of bersama keluarga di ruang tamu?

Yes, word order here is quite flexible, and these are all natural:

kita cukup duduk bersama keluarga di ruang tamu
kita cukup duduk di ruang tamu bersama keluarga

Both mean the same: we just sit with our family in the living room.

Usually:

The core action (duduk) comes first,
Then you can add with whom (bersama keluarga) and where (di ruang tamu) in either order, depending on what you want to emphasize slightly.

There is no big meaning change here; both are acceptable and common.

What does tanpa harus mean? Why not just say tanpa berkata banyak?

tanpa = without
harus = must / have to

So tanpa harus berkata banyak literally is:

without having to say much

If you say only tanpa berkata banyak, that’s:

without saying much

Grammatically, tanpa berkata banyak is perfectly correct and understandable. The difference:

tanpa berkata banyak: describes the situation (there is no much speaking).
tanpa harus berkata banyak: emphasizes that there is no obligation / no need to speak much. It sounds softer and more natural for expressing comfort: you don’t have to talk a lot.

In this calming, emotional context, tanpa harus fits very well.

Why berkata banyak and not banyak berkata? Is this natural?

Both berkata banyak and banyak berkata can appear in Indonesian, but they are not equally natural in all contexts.

Here:

berkata banyak = to say much / to talk a lot
This is the more natural phrase in this sentence.

If you say banyak berkata, it can sound a bit odd or marked here, although native speakers might still understand it. The usual patterns are:

berkata banyak (verb + quantity)
or using other verbs: banyak bicara (talk a lot), banyak ngomong (talk a lot, informal)

You could very naturally say:

tanpa harus banyak bicara
= without having to talk much

So alternatives that sound very natural:

tanpa harus berkata banyak (as in the sentence)
tanpa harus banyak bicara (very common)

What does untuk do in untuk merasa tenang? Could I use agar instead?

Here:

untuk = to / in order to
merasa = to feel
tenang = calm

So untuk merasa tenang = to feel calm / in order to feel calm.

Using untuk + verb is a common way to express purpose:

Saya belajar keras untuk lulus.
I study hard to pass.

You can use agar here:

…tanpa harus berkata banyak, agar merasa tenang.

That also means so that (we) feel calm. Difference in nuance:

untuk merasa tenang: more neutral, slightly more “functional” — the purpose.
agar merasa tenang: a bit more explicitly “so that (we) will feel calm”, slightly more formal / literary in some contexts.

Both are acceptable; untuk is extremely common and very natural in this sentence.

Who is the subject of merasa in untuk merasa tenang? There is no kita there.

The understood subject of merasa is still kita from earlier in the sentence.

Indonesian often omits repeated subjects when they are clear from context. So:

Kadang-kadang, kita cukup duduk… untuk merasa tenang.

is understood as:

Kadang-kadang, kita cukup duduk… untuk (kita) merasa tenang.

You could say untuk kita merasa tenang, but it’s more natural and smoother here to drop kita, since it’s obvious who is doing the feeling.

Could I leave out kita and say Kadang-kadang, cukup duduk…?

Yes, you can, especially in a more general, proverb-like style:

Kadang-kadang, cukup duduk bersama keluarga di ruang tamu, tanpa harus berkata banyak, untuk merasa tenang.

This sounds like a general truth about life: Sometimes, just sitting with family in the living room, without having to say much, is enough to feel calm.

By removing kita, it becomes less about “we (you and I)” specifically and more about people in general. Both versions are correct; the one with kita is a bit more personal and direct.