Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Editor bilang alur cerita sudah jelas, tetapi akhir cerpen masih terlalu cepat. - The editor says the storyline is already clear, but the ending of the short story is still too fast.

berkata – neutral, a bit more formal, common in both speech and writing
- Editor berkata alur cerita sudah jelas…
mengatakan – more formal, often used in written or reported speech
- Editor mengatakan bahwa alur cerita sudah jelas…

Using bilang gives the sentence a spoken, relaxed feel, like you’re telling someone about what the editor said in conversation, not quoting a formal report.

Also note:

bilang can be used without bahwa:
- Editor bilang alur cerita sudah jelas…
mengatakan almost always takes bahwa (or an object):
- Editor mengatakan bahwa alur cerita sudah jelas…

Why is it just Editor bilang and not The editor said with a word for “the”? Why no article in Indonesian?

Indonesian does not use articles like “a / an / the”. Nouns stand alone:

editor can mean “an editor” or “the editor” depending on context.

In this sentence:

Editor bilang…
is understood as “The editor said…” in English because we naturally assume a specific editor (probably the one working on this story).

If you need to be clearer, Indonesian uses other ways to specify:

seorang editor = “an editor” (one editor, not specific)
editor itu = “that editor / the editor (already known in context)”

What does alur cerita mean literally, and can you just say alur?

Literally:

alur = flow, plot line, course
cerita = story

So alur cerita = “the plot (of the story)” or “the story’s flow”.

You can sometimes just say alur, especially when the context (e.g., you’re discussing a story) makes it obvious:

Alurnya bagus, tapi karakternya kurang kuat.
“The plot is good, but the characters are not strong.”

Other related expressions:

alur – most common for “plot”
jalan cerita – literally “the way/path of the story”, also means “plot/storyline”

In formal criticism, alur cerita and alur are both natural.

What exactly does sudah add in alur cerita sudah jelas?

Sudah is an aspect marker meaning “already” or indicating that a state has been reached.

alur cerita jelas
= “the plot is clear”
alur cerita sudah jelas
= “the plot is (already) clear now / has become clear”

Here, sudah implies:

there might have been a process (earlier it may have been confusing, but now it’s clear), or
from the editor’s point of view, the clarity requirement is already fulfilled.

You could translate it more naturally as:

“The editor said the plot is clear,”
but sudah gives a nuance like “it’s clear now / clear enough already.”

What’s the difference between sudah and telah in this kind of sentence?

Both sudah and telah can mean “already”, but:

sudah – very common in everyday speech and writing
telah – more formal, typical in news, academic, or official writing

Here:

alur cerita sudah jelas – natural in both spoken and written Indonesian
alur cerita telah jelas – grammatically correct, but feels more formal/journalistic

In normal conversation about a short story, sudah is the natural choice.

How should I understand masih terlalu in akhir cerpen masih terlalu cepat?

Here:

masih = still
terlalu = too (excessive)
cepat = fast

So:

masih terlalu cepat
= “is still too fast” / “is still too rushed”

Nuance:

The editor previously thought the ending was too fast.
Even after some revision (implied), it’s still too fast.
There has been some change or effort, but the problem hasn’t been fully fixed.

Compare:

terlalu cepat = too fast (stated as a problem)
masih terlalu cepat = still too fast (the problem remains)

Does cepat always mean “fast in time”? How can it mean “rushed” for an ending?

Literally, cepat means “fast / quick”.

In this context (akhir cerpen masih terlalu cepat), it’s used more figuratively:

The pacing of the ending is too fast.
Events wrap up too abruptly.
The conclusion doesn’t have enough buildup or development.

This is similar to English:

“The ending is too fast”
meaning “The ending feels rushed / abrupt.”

So cepat can describe:

physical speed (running fast)
speaking too fast
plot pacing being too quick or abrupt

What exactly is akhir cerpen, and why is the word order like that?

akhir cerpen is a noun phrase:

akhir = end
cerpen = short story (cerita pendek)

So akhir cerpen literally = “the end of the short story” / “the short story’s ending”.

Word order in Indonesian noun phrases is typically:

Head noun + describing noun

akhir (head noun “end”) + cerpen (“short story”)
= the end of the short story

This is different from English, where we more often say “the short story’s ending” or “the ending of the short story.”

What does cerpen stand for, and is it informal to use the abbreviation?

Cerpen is a standard, widely used abbreviation of:

cerita pendek = short story
(cerita = story, pendek = short)

It is not slang; it’s a normal word in literary and everyday contexts:

Saya menulis cerpen. – “I write short stories.”
Majalah itu memuat cerpen dan puisi. – “That magazine publishes short stories and poems.”

So akhir cerpen is completely natural and not overly informal.

Why isn’t it akhir cerpennya or akhir cerpen itu to mean “the ending of the story”?

You could say:

akhir cerpennya – “its ending” / “the story’s ending (that particular story)”
akhir cerpen itu – “the ending of that short story”

But you don’t have to. Indonesian often leaves definiteness implicit, especially when context is clear.

Here, we already know we’re talking about one specific short story being edited, so:

akhir cerpen is naturally interpreted as “the ending (of the short story we’re discussing)”.

Adding -nya or itu would just add extra emphasis that it’s that specific story’s ending, which isn’t necessary in this context.

Why is the adjective cepat placed after the noun in akhir cerpen masih terlalu cepat? Can it come before?

In Indonesian, adjectives usually come after the noun they modify.

Pattern:

noun + adjective

Examples:

cerita bagus – a good story
ending cepat – a fast / rushed ending

In the sentence:

akhir cerpen masih terlalu cepat
- akhir cerpen = the short story’s ending
- (masih terlalu) cepat describes akhir cerpen

You generally cannot say:

cepat akhir cerpen ✗
as a normal way of saying “the fast ending.”

So the position of cepat is standard word order.

Why is there a comma before tetapi, and does tetapi work like “but”?

Yes, tetapi functions like “but/however” to connect two contrasting clauses.

Editor bilang alur cerita sudah jelas, tetapi akhir cerpen masih terlalu cepat.
= “The editor said the plot is clear, but the ending of the short story is still too rushed.”

The comma before tetapi is normal punctuation when you join two clauses:

Saya suka idenya, tetapi eksekusinya kurang rapi.
“I like the idea, but the execution is not neat.”

You can also use tapi (more informal) instead of tetapi in casual speech:

… tapi akhir cerpen masih terlalu cepat.

How do we know this is past tense (“the editor said”) if Indonesian verbs don’t change form?

Indonesian verbs don’t change for tense. Bilang is the same form for past, present, or future.

The time reference comes from:

context
time words (e.g., kemarin, tadi, besok)

In this sentence, in English we naturally interpret:

Editor bilang… as “The editor said…”
because:
we’re usually reporting what the editor told us earlier.

With a time word, it’s clearer:

Kemarin editor bilang alur cerita sudah jelas…
“Yesterday the editor said the plot was clear…”

So the tense is inferred, not marked on the verb.

Could we say Editor bilang bahwa alur cerita sudah jelas, tetapi akhir cerpen masih terlalu cepat? What does bahwa do?

Yes, that’s correct and natural.

bahwa functions like “that” introducing a reported clause:
- Editor bilang bahwa alur cerita sudah jelas.
  “The editor said that the plot is clear.”

In spoken, informal Indonesian, bahwa is often dropped after bilang/berkata:

Editor bilang alur cerita sudah jelas…
(no bahwa, but same meaning)

Using bahwa:

sounds a bit more formal or explicit,
is common with mengatakan:
- Editor mengatakan bahwa alur cerita sudah jelas…

Is the overall style of the sentence formal, neutral, or informal?

It’s mostly neutral-informal:

bilang – informal / conversational choice instead of berkata/mengatakan
tetapi – more standard/formal than tapi
vocabulary like alur cerita, akhir cerpen – neutral, suitable for literary discussion

If you wanted it more formal (e.g. for a review or report), you might write:

Editor mengatakan bahwa alur cerita sudah jelas, tetapi akhir cerpen masih terlalu cepat.

If you wanted it more casual, you might say:

Editor bilang alur ceritanya udah jelas, tapi akhir cerpennya masih terlalu cepat.