Robot itu memakai beberapa sensor cahaya agar bisa berbelok sendiri.

That robot uses several light sensors so it can turn by itself.

Breakdown of Robot itu memakai beberapa sensor cahaya agar bisa berbelok sendiri.

• itu: that
• agar: so that
• bisa: can
• memakai: to use
• beberapa: several
• robot: the robot
• sensor cahaya: the light sensor
• berbelok: to turn
• sendiri: by itself

Questions & Answers about Robot itu memakai beberapa sensor cahaya agar bisa berbelok sendiri.

In robot itu, what does itu mean? Is it like that robot or the robot, and can I omit it?

Itu literally means that, but very often it works like the in English.

• Robot itu can mean:
  • that robot (physically or contextually distant), or
  • the robot (a specific robot that both speakers know about).

If you say just robot (without itu/ini), it often feels more general or nonspecific, like a robot or robots in general.

• Robot itu memakai... = a particular, known robot.
• Robot memakai... = more like a robot uses... (generic statement).

You can omit itu, but you slightly change the meaning from specific to more general. So it’s not wrong grammatically; it just loses that sense of “that specific robot / the robot we were talking about.”

Why does the sentence use memakai? I thought memakai meant to wear clothes. How can a robot wear sensors?

In Indonesian, memakai is broader than English to wear:

• It can mean to wear (clothes, glasses, shoes).
• It can also mean to use (objects, tools, methods).

So memakai beberapa sensor cahaya is natural Indonesian and means uses several light sensors. It does not imply the robot is literally “wearing” the sensors like clothing; it’s just the standard verb for using something.

You could also say:

• Robot itu menggunakan beberapa sensor cahaya...

Menggunakan is a bit more formal and only means to use, not to wear. In everyday speech, memakai (or its informal form pakai) is extremely common for to use.

What is the difference between memakai and menggunakan here? Are they interchangeable?

In this sentence, they are effectively interchangeable:

• Robot itu memakai beberapa sensor cahaya...
• Robot itu menggunakan beberapa sensor cahaya...

Both sound natural and mean the same thing: The robot uses several light sensors...

Nuances:

• Memakai / pakai

  • Common in everyday conversation.
  • Slightly less formal.
  • Can mean to wear or to use.

• Menggunakan

  • More formal or written style.
  • Only means to use, never to wear.

In normal conversation, memakai/pakai feels more natural. In a formal article or technical writing, menggunakan might sound a bit more appropriate, but both are fine.

What does beberapa mean exactly? Is it like some, a few, or several?

Beberapa is a vague quantity word that usually corresponds to some, a few, or several:

• beberapa sensor ≈ a few sensors / several sensors / some sensors

It implies more than one, but not a large number. There’s no exact number; it depends on context.

Note that Indonesian usually doesn’t mark plural with an -s like English. Plurality is often shown by:

• Words like beberapa (some, several), banyak (many), etc.
• Context.

Indonesian doesn’t add -s for plurals. How do we know sensor in beberapa sensor is plural?

Indonesian nouns generally don’t change form for plural. Sensor can mean sensor or sensors, depending on context.

We know it’s plural here because of beberapa:

• beberapa sensor = a few / several sensors
• satu sensor = one sensor
• banyak sensor = many sensors

So the word beberapa tells you it’s more than one. The noun sensor itself stays the same.

Why is it sensor cahaya and not cahaya sensor? What is the word order for things like light sensor in Indonesian?

Indonesian usually puts the main noun first, then the describing noun after it.

• English: light sensor (modifier light before sensor)
• Indonesian: sensor cahaya (head sensor, then modifier cahaya)

So:

• sensor cahaya = light sensor (literally: sensor of light)
• kartu kredit = credit card
• mesin cuci = washing machine

You do not need a word like of or for. The order itself shows the relationship.

Cahaya sensor would sound wrong or at least very strange; it doesn’t follow the usual pattern.

What does agar mean, and how is it different from supaya or untuk?

Agar introduces a purpose or goal, similar to so that / in order to:

• ... memakai beberapa sensor cahaya agar bisa berbelok sendiri.
  ≈ ... uses several light sensors so that it can turn by itself.

Comparisons:

• agar and supaya

  • Very similar in meaning (so that, in order that).
  • In most everyday contexts, they’re interchangeable.
  • Agar can sound a bit more formal or written; supaya a bit more conversational.

• untuk

  • Often means for or to in the sense of purpose, but grammatically it usually goes before a verb in infinitive-like form, not a full clause with its own subject.
  • In this specific sentence, you could also say:
    • ... memakai beberapa sensor cahaya untuk berbelok sendiri.
    • This is natural and focuses more on the function/purpose (to turn by itself) rather than an explicit so that it can clause.

So:

• agar/supaya bisa berbelok sendiri = so that it can turn by itself
• untuk berbelok sendiri = to turn by itself / for turning by itself

What is the role of bisa here? Could we just say agar berbelok sendiri?

Bisa is a modal verb meaning can / be able to.

• agar bisa berbelok sendiri ≈ so that it can turn by itself

If you remove bisa:

• agar berbelok sendiri still sounds understandable, but it’s less natural.
• It also starts to sound more like a description of what will happen (result) rather than an ability.

Native speakers strongly prefer including bisa (or dapat) when talking about capability:

• Robot itu memakai beberapa sensor cahaya agar bisa berbelok sendiri. (natural)
• Robot itu memakai beberapa sensor cahaya agar berbelok sendiri. (feels off / incomplete)

You can also use dapat instead of bisa; it’s a bit more formal:

• agar dapat berbelok sendiri = so that it can turn by itself

What does berbelok mean, and how is it different from just belok?

The base word is belok = to turn (change direction).

• Berbelok is belok with the prefix ber-.
  Ber- here makes it an intransitive verb describing the subject’s action: to turn / to be turning.

In practice:

• In speech, people often just say belok:
  • Belok kiri. = Turn left.
• Berbelok is slightly more standard/complete, common in more formal or descriptive sentences:
  • Mobil itu berbelok ke kanan. = The car turned to the right.

In this sentence, berbelok sendiri sounds very natural and slightly more formal/neutral than just belok sendiri. Both are understandable, but berbelok fits well in a descriptive/technical context.

What does sendiri add in berbelok sendiri? Does it mean alone, itself, or something else?

Sendiri can mean:

• by oneself / by itself
• alone
• sometimes personally / in person, depending on position.

Here, berbelok sendiri means to turn by itself / to turn on its own (without help).

So agar bisa berbelok sendiri means:

• so that it can turn by itself
• so that it can turn on its own

Position matters:

• robot itu sendiri = the robot itself (emphasizing the robot, not others)
• berbelok sendiri = turn by itself / turn on its own

In this sentence, sendiri emphasizes autonomy: the robot doesn’t need a human to steer it.

Can I change the word order, like putting the agar part earlier: Robot itu agar bisa berbelok sendiri memakai beberapa sensor cahaya?

No, that word order is not natural.

The usual patterns are:

1. Main clause + agar + clause of purpose

   • Robot itu memakai beberapa sensor cahaya agar bisa berbelok sendiri.

2. Occasionally, you can front the agar clause, but it usually needs a comma and is more formal/written:

   • Agar bisa berbelok sendiri, robot itu memakai beberapa sensor cahaya.

Your version:

• Robot itu agar bisa berbelok sendiri memakai beberapa sensor cahaya

doesn’t follow the usual structure and sounds wrong. Keep agar before its clause (agar bisa berbelok sendiri) and attach that to the main clause (memakai beberapa sensor cahaya), either before or after, as in the two correct patterns above.