Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Makalah itu menghubungkan teori logika dengan contoh perangkat lunak di dunia nyata. - That paper connects logic theory with examples of software in the real world.

academic paper – common in university settings (conference paper, seminar paper)
report – especially for formal written reports in school/university or organizations
sometimes essay, if it’s a structured, formal essay

It’s generally more formal and structured than tulisan (a piece of writing in general) and more academic than artikel (magazine/newspaper/online article).

So in this sentence, makalah itu is very naturally that paper (in the academic sense).

Why is itu used after makalah, and does it mean that or the?

Itu is a demonstrative meaning that, but it often overlaps with English the.

Makalah itu literally: that paper
Functionally, it often means the paper (already known in this context)

In Indonesian:

itu after a noun: refers to something specific/known/mentioned before.
- makalah itu – that/the (aforementioned) paper
ini after a noun: this (near the speaker)
- makalah ini – this paper

If you remove itu and say Makalah menghubungkan…, it sounds incomplete or generic, almost like you’re talking about papers in general. To talk about one specific paper, you normally include itu, ini, or tersebut (that particular / said / aforementioned).

What’s the root of menghubungkan, and what exactly does it mean?

The root is hubung (related to hubungan = relationship/connection).

menghubungkan = meng- + hubung + -kan
The pattern meN-…-kan often means to cause/make/bring something into a certain state.

So menghubungkan means:

to connect,
to link,
to relate (A to/with B)

In this sentence:

menghubungkan teori logika dengan contoh perangkat lunak
= connects / links the theory of logic with examples of software

What’s the difference between menghubungkan and menghubungi? They look similar.

Both share the root hubung, but the suffix changes the meaning:

menghubungi = meng- + hubung + -i
- basic idea: to contact someone
- e.g. Saya akan menghubungi Anda besok. – I will contact you tomorrow.
menghubungkan = meng- + hubung + -kan
- basic idea: to connect/link A and B
- e.g. Jembatan itu menghubungkan dua desa. – The bridge connects two villages.

So in your sentence, because we’re linking theory and examples, menghubungkan (to connect) is correct. Using menghubungi here would be wrong.

Why is dengan used after menghubungkan? Could you use dan instead?

After menghubungkan, you normally use dengan to indicate what two things are being connected:

menghubungkan A dengan B – to connect A with B

Using dan would change the structure:

A dan B = A and B (just listing items, not showing a relationship)

Compare:

Makalah itu menghubungkan teori logika dengan contoh perangkat lunak.
→ The paper connects logic theory with software examples.
Makalah itu membahas teori logika dan contoh perangkat lunak.
→ The paper discusses logic theory and software examples.
(Just listing two topics, not explicitly saying it connects them.)

So with menghubungkan, dengan is the natural preposition.

Why is it teori logika (literally theory logic) and not teori tentang logika (theory about logic)?

In Indonesian, it’s very common to put:

head noun + modifying noun

So:

teori logika
= literally theory (of) logic
= the theory of logic / logic theory

This pattern is extremely common:

teori musik – music theory
teori warna – color theory
teori bahasa – language theory

You can say teori tentang logika (theory about logic), but:

it’s longer,
and in this academic context, teori logika sounds more natural and compact.

Does contoh perangkat lunak mean software examples or examples of software? How does the word order work?

Contoh perangkat lunak is:

contoh = example(s)
perangkat lunak = software

Noun phrase structure: head noun + modifier

head: contoh (examples)
modifier: perangkat lunak (software)

So contoh perangkat lunak = examples of software / software examples.

There is no plural -s in Indonesian, so contoh can mean example or examples, depending on context. Here, in natural English, you’d say examples of software (plural).

What exactly does perangkat lunak mean? Why not just use software in Indonesian?

Perangkat lunak is the standard Indonesian term for software.

perangkat = device / equipment / apparatus
lunak = soft
So literally: soft device/equipment → software.

In everyday language, you’ll also hear:

software (borrowed from English) – very common in speech and tech contexts
aplikasi (apps/applications) – more specific than software in general
program – a program

In formal writing (like an academic paper), perangkat lunak is very standard and appropriate.

What does di dunia nyata literally mean, and why di instead of something like pada?

Literally:

di = in/at
dunia = world
nyata = real

So di dunia nyata = in the real world.

About di:

di is the usual preposition for location (in, at, on).
pada is more formal and often used with time expressions or abstract objects, but di dunia nyata is the standard idiom.

You might also see:

di dunia nyata – in the real world
dalam dunia nyata – more literally within the real world, slightly more formal

Dunia nyata itself is a fixed phrase for the real world, including both literal and figurative use (as opposed to theory, simulation, fiction, etc.).

Is there any tense in this sentence? How do we know if it’s past, present, or future?

Indonesian verbs don’t change form for tense. Menghubungkan stays the same.

The sentence:

Makalah itu menghubungkan teori logika dengan contoh perangkat lunak di dunia nyata.

could be translated as:

That paper connects… (present)
That paper connected… (past)
sometimes That paper will connect… (future), although for future you’d often add a word like akan.

Normally:

The default reading without time words is present/general:
→ That paper connects the theory of logic with real-world software examples.

Tense must be inferred from context or added time markers (e.g. kemarin, akan, sudah).

Could we say Teori logika dihubungkan dengan contoh perangkat lunak di dunia nyata oleh makalah itu? Is that just a passive version?

Yes, grammatically that’s the passive voice:

dihubungkan = di- + hubung + -kan (passive form of menghubungkan)
literally: The theory of logic is connected with software examples in the real world by that paper.

However:

It’s technically correct but very awkward and untypical.
Using the passive with makalah as the agent (oleh makalah itu) sounds forced and overly literal.

In natural Indonesian, the original active sentence is much better:

Makalah itu menghubungkan teori logika dengan contoh perangkat lunak di dunia nyata.

The active clause with makalah itu as the subject is exactly how Indonesians would express this idea.

What would change if we said Makalah itu menghubungkan contoh perangkat lunak di dunia nyata dengan teori logika (swapping the order)?

Grammatically, it’s fine:

Makalah itu menghubungkan contoh perangkat lunak di dunia nyata dengan teori logika.
= The paper connects real‑world software examples with logic theory.

Nuance:

Indonesian is fairly flexible in word order for objects like this.
The first item after menghubungkan is often felt as the “starting point” or main focus.

So:

…menghubungkan teori logika dengan contoh perangkat lunak…
→ subtly frames it as starting from theory and connecting it to examples.
…menghubungkan contoh perangkat lunak… dengan teori logika…
→ subtly frames it as starting from examples and relating them back to theory.

Both are acceptable; which is preferred depends on what you want to emphasize.

Is this sentence formal, informal, or neutral? In what context would it be used?

This sentence is on the formal/academic side because of:

makalah – academic paper/report
menghubungkan – rather formal verb
teori logika, perangkat lunak – technical/academic vocabulary

You would see this kind of sentence in:

academic writing (theses, journal articles, conference papers)
research reports
formal presentations or abstracts

It’s not colloquial; you wouldn’t normally speak exactly like this in casual conversation, though you might still use the same words in a slightly more relaxed structure.

Could we replace menghubungkan with another verb like mengaitkan or menghubung-hubungkan? Would that change the meaning?

Yes, but the nuance changes:

mengaitkan
- basic meaning: to relate / link / associate
- Makalah itu mengaitkan teori logika dengan contoh perangkat lunak di dunia nyata.
  → The paper relates/associates logic theory with real‑world software examples.
- This is acceptable and common in academic writing. Slightly more about drawing conceptual relations than connecting directly.
menghubung-hubungkan
- reduplication: often implies over‑connecting things, sometimes with a hint of forcing connections or doing it excessively.
- In many contexts, it has a slightly negative or critical feel:
  → to link things together (perhaps in a speculative or forced way).
- It would be unusual and often inappropriate in a neutral academic description like this.

For a neutral, clear statement about an academic paper, menghubungkan (or mengaitkan) is the best choice.