Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Saya menulis cerpen fantasi tentang kelinci yang bisa berbicara. - I write a fantasy short story about a rabbit that can talk.

Saya menulis cerpen fantasi… can mean:
- I write fantasy short stories… (habit)
- I am writing a fantasy short story… (right now)
- I wrote a fantasy short story… (past, if the context is past)

To be more specific, Indonesians often add time words or aspect markers:

Present continuous: Saya sedang menulis cerpen fantasi… (I am writing…)
Past (often with a time word):
Kemarin saya menulis cerpen fantasi… (Yesterday I wrote…)
Future: Besok saya akan menulis cerpen fantasi… (Tomorrow I will write…)

Context usually carries the tense.

What’s the difference between saya and aku here?

Both mean I, but differ in formality:

saya: neutral / polite; safe in most situations (talking to strangers, older people, formal writing).
aku: informal / intimate; used with friends, family, or in casual speech and many song lyrics.

Your sentence with aku would be:

Aku menulis cerpen fantasi tentang kelinci yang bisa berbicara.

Grammatically both are fine; the choice depends on the relationship and situation.

If I want to say I am currently writing, should I add sedang?

Yes, sedang is the usual way to show a progressive action (happening right now).

Saya menulis cerpen fantasi…
= I write / I am writing / I wrote (tense depends on context)
Saya sedang menulis cerpen fantasi…
= I am (in the middle of) writing a fantasy short story…

You can also add both sedang and a time expression:

Sekarang saya sedang menulis cerpen fantasi…
Now I am writing a fantasy short story…

Do I need to say sebuah cerpen fantasi instead of just cerpen fantasi?

You can, but you don’t have to.

cerpen = short story
sebuah cerpen = a (single) short story

In Indonesian, it’s very common to omit words like sebuah (a/an) unless you really want to highlight that it’s one specific item or contrast with others.

Both are natural:

Saya menulis cerpen fantasi…
Saya menulis sebuah cerpen fantasi…

The version with sebuah very slightly emphasizes “one short story,” but in many contexts there’s no real difference.

What exactly does cerpen fantasi mean? Why is the order like that?

cerpen fantasi is a noun–noun phrase:

cerpen = cerita pendek = short story
fantasi = fantasy

So cerpen fantasi literally is short story (of) fantasy, i.e. a fantasy short story.

In Indonesian:

The main noun (head) usually comes first.
The modifier comes after it.

So:

cerpen fantasi = a short story of the fantasy genre
(head: cerpen, modifier: fantasi)
buku sejarah = history book
(head: buku, modifier: sejarah)

This is the reverse of English, where you say fantasy short story, history book, etc.

What does tentang mean, and how is it used in this sentence?

tentang means about / regarding.

In the sentence:

cerpen fantasi tentang kelinci…
= a fantasy short story about a rabbit…

Structure:

cerpen fantasi (fantasy short story)
tentang kelinci (about a rabbit)

Other common ways to say about:

mengenai (slightly more formal)
soal (more informal / conversational)

Examples:

Saya menulis cerpen fantasi tentang kelinci.
Saya menulis cerpen fantasi mengenai kelinci.

Here tentang must come before the noun it introduces, like about a rabbit in English.

Does kelinci here mean a rabbit or rabbits?

It can mean either, depending on context. Indonesian nouns are usually number-neutral:

kelinci = rabbit / rabbits

Possible readings of the sentence:

I wrote a fantasy short story about a rabbit that can talk.
I wrote a fantasy short story about rabbits that can talk.

If you really want to emphasize plural, you can use:

Reduplication: kelinci-kelinci (rabbits)
A plural word: banyak kelinci (many rabbits), para kelinci (the rabbits, more literary).

Examples:

…tentang kelinci-kelinci yang bisa berbicara.
…tentang banyak kelinci yang bisa berbicara.

What does the word yang do in kelinci yang bisa berbicara?

yang introduces a relative clause (like that / who / which in English).

kelinci = rabbit
yang bisa berbicara = that can talk

So:

kelinci yang bisa berbicara
= the rabbit that can talk / rabbits that can talk

Key points:

yang attaches the clause to the noun right before it.
So here, it clearly modifies kelinci, not cerpen.
Without yang, it would be ungrammatical:
- ✗ kelinci bisa berbicara (as a noun phrase) — missing yang.
- ✓ kelinci yang bisa berbicara.

Other examples:

orang yang pintar = a person who is smart
buku yang saya baca = the book that I read / am reading

What’s the difference between bisa, dapat, and boleh here?

In this sentence you use bisa, which usually expresses ability / capability.

bisa berbicara = can talk / be able to talk

Rough contrasts:

bisa
- Ability or possibility; very common and neutral.
- kelinci yang bisa berbicara = a rabbit that can talk (has the ability).
dapat
- Also “can / able to”, a bit more formal or written, and also “to get / to obtain” in other contexts.
- kelinci yang dapat berbicara is possible, but bisa sounds more natural in everyday speech.
boleh
- Permission, like “may / be allowed to”.
- kelinci yang boleh berbicara would mean “a rabbit that is allowed to talk”, which is a different meaning and odd here.

So bisa berbicara is the natural choice for “can talk” in this context.

What’s the difference between berbicara, bicara, and berkata?

All relate to speaking, but they’re used differently:

berbicara
- More formal/neutral, “to speak, to talk”.
- Works well in writing and neutral speech.
- kelinci yang bisa berbicara = a rabbit that can talk.
bicara
- A bit more casual/shortened form; often used in everyday speech:
  - bisa bicara instead of bisa berbicara.
- You could say:
  - kelinci yang bisa bicara (totally natural).
berkata
- “To say (something)” — typically followed by what someone says.
- Pattern: [subject] berkata, “…”
- Example: Kelinci itu berkata, “Halo.” = The rabbit said, “Hello.”

In your sentence, berbicara and bicara are both fine; berkata wouldn’t fit there.

How do I know that yang bisa berbicara is describing kelinci, not cerpen fantasi?

In Indonesian, yang always modifies the noun immediately before it.

The phrase is:

cerpen fantasi tentang kelinci yang bisa berbicara
- cerpen fantasi = fantasy short story
- tentang kelinci = about a rabbit
- yang bisa berbicara = that can talk

Because yang comes right after kelinci, it must describe kelinci.

If you wanted cerpen fantasi (the story) itself to be the one that can talk, you’d have to place yang bisa berbicara immediately after cerpen fantasi, e.g.:

Saya menulis cerpen fantasi yang bisa berbicara tentang kelinci.
(This would sound strange in meaning, but structurally it makes cerpen fantasi the thing that can talk.)

Can I drop saya and just say Menulis cerpen fantasi tentang kelinci yang bisa berbicara?

Yes, you can omit the subject pronoun in Indonesian if it’s clear from context.

Saya menulis cerpen…
Menulis cerpen… (I / you / we write a short story…)

Without saya, it becomes more like a note or a fragment:

A journal heading: Menulis cerpen fantasi tentang kelinci yang bisa berbicara.
A to‑do list item: Menulis cerpen fantasi…

In a full, normal sentence (especially in writing or formal speech), using saya keeps it clearer and more complete.

Is this whole sentence natural in Indonesian, or would a native speaker phrase it differently?

The sentence is natural and correct:

Saya menulis cerpen fantasi tentang kelinci yang bisa berbicara.

A few common, equally natural variations you might hear:

Saya sedang menulis cerpen fantasi tentang kelinci yang bisa bicara.
(I am currently writing…; “bisa bicara” a bit more casual.)
Saya menulis sebuah cerpen fantasi tentang seekor kelinci yang bisa berbicara.
(Adding sebuah for “a short story” and seekor as a classifier for animals.)

But your original sentence is perfectly fine and idiomatic as is.