Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Saya baca ulang catatan itu sebelum ujian.

Saya baca ulang catatan itu sebelum ujian.

I reread those notes before the exam.

Breakdown of Saya baca ulang catatan itu sebelum ujian.

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Questions & Answers about Saya baca ulang catatan itu sebelum ujian.

What does baca ulang literally mean, and how is it different from just baca?

Literally:

baca = to read
ulang = again / to repeat

Together, baca ulang = to read again → to reread.

Difference:

Saya baca catatan itu. = I read those notes.
Saya baca ulang catatan itu. = I reread those notes / I read those notes again.

So baca ulang adds the idea of repetition that plain baca doesn’t have.

Why is it baca and not membaca here? Aren’t verbs supposed to take me- like membaca?

Both are grammatically correct:

Saya membaca ulang catatan itu sebelum ujian.
Saya baca ulang catatan itu sebelum ujian.

Meaning: the same.

In everyday Indonesian, especially spoken and semi-formal writing, the me- prefix (here membaca) is very often dropped when:

The subject is clear (like saya, aku), and
There is a direct object after the verb (catatan itu).

So you’ll commonly hear:

Saya makan nasi. (instead of Saya memakan nasi.)
Saya baca buku itu. (instead of Saya membaca buku itu.)

Keeping the prefix (membaca) sounds a bit more formal or “bookish,” but it’s definitely not wrong.

What exactly does itu do in catatan itu? Is it “that” or “the”?

Itu is a demonstrative:

ini = this
itu = that

But in actual usage, itu often behaves like English “the” when the speaker and listener both know which thing is being talked about.

So:

catatan itu can be:
- those notes (that we both know about), or
- the notes (not just any notes, but specific ones).

Compare:

Saya baca ulang catatan itu sebelum ujian.
→ I reread those/the notes (the ones for this exam).
Saya baca ulang catatan sebelum ujian.
→ I reread notes before the exam. (less clearly specific; sounds more general)

Context decides whether you feel it as “that/those” or “the,” but grammatically it’s the same itu.

Does catatan mean one note or many notes?

Indonesian usually doesn’t mark singular vs plural on the noun itself, so:

catatan can mean a note / the note or notes / the notes.

You know from context and from any extra words:

satu catatan = one note
beberapa catatan = several notes
banyak catatan = many notes
catatan-catatan = notes (plural marked by reduplication; used especially in more formal or written language)

In this sentence, catatan itu most naturally means “those notes” (like study notes), i.e., plural.

Can I move sebelum ujian to the beginning, like “Before the exam, I reread the notes”?

Yes. Time phrases are flexible:

Saya baca ulang catatan itu sebelum ujian.
Sebelum ujian, saya baca ulang catatan itu.

Both are natural and mean the same. Starting with Sebelum ujian slightly emphasizes the time frame (“As for before the exam…”), but it’s a normal variation.

What you generally don’t do is put it awkwardly in the middle:

✗ Saya sebelum ujian baca ulang catatan itu. (sounds odd)

Keep sebelum ujian at the beginning or end of the clause.

What’s the difference between saya and aku here? Can I say Aku baca ulang catatan itu sebelum ujian?

Yes, you can say:

Aku baca ulang catatan itu sebelum ujian.

Difference in nuance:

saya
- more formal / polite / neutral
- used in work, with strangers, in polite conversation.
aku
- more informal / intimate
- used with friends, family, close peers, in casual messages.

The rest of the sentence stays the same; changing saya to aku doesn’t affect the verb form here. Just be consistent with style in longer conversations (don’t constantly switch between saya and aku without a reason).

What’s the difference between ujian and tes? Aren’t both “test/exam”?

Both relate to “tests,” but typical usage differs:

ujian
- more like exam, often in an academic setting
- ujian sekolah = school exam
- ujian akhir = final exam
- usually bigger, more formal assessments.
tes (from English “test”)
- often shorter or more specific tests
- tes darah = blood test
- tes level bahasa = language level test
- tes kepribadian = personality test.

There is overlap, and in casual speech people might mix them, but ujian is the natural word for a scheduled school/university exam.

Could I say baca lagi instead of baca ulang? What’s the difference?

You can say both, with a slight nuance difference:

baca ulang
- more like “reread” as a single concept
- sounds a bit more “studious” or deliberate
- common in written and spoken language.
baca lagi
- lagi = again/more
- more casual: “read again” / “read it one more time”
- very common in speech.

In your sentence, both work:

Saya baca ulang catatan itu sebelum ujian.
Saya baca lagi catatan itu sebelum ujian.

Meaning is essentially the same: I read the notes again before the exam. Baca ulang just sounds slightly more like a set phrase for “re-read.”

Note: ulang and lagi are not always interchangeable (e.g. ulang tahun = birthday; you can’t say ✗lagi tahun).

How does Indonesian show tense here? How do we know whether it’s before a future or past exam?

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

Time is understood from:

Time words: kemarin (yesterday), besok (tomorrow), tadi (earlier), etc.
Context: what you’re talking about.

In Saya baca ulang catatan itu sebelum ujian, without extra context it could mean:

I (habitually) reread the notes before an exam.
I reread the notes before the exam (in the past).
I will reread the notes before the upcoming exam.

To make it clearly future, you might add something like:

Nanti sebelum ujian, saya baca ulang catatan itu.
Besok sebelum ujian, saya baca ulang catatan itu.

To make it clearly past:

Tadi sebelum ujian, saya baca ulang catatan itu.
Kemarin sebelum ujian, saya baca ulang catatan itu.

How would this sentence look in more formal Indonesian and in very casual Indonesian?

More formal / written style:

Saya membaca ulang catatan tersebut sebelum ujian.
- membaca ulang: keeps the me- prefix → more formal.
- tersebut: a more formal “that/aforementioned” instead of itu.

Very casual (standard informal):

Aku baca lagi catatan itu sebelum ujian.

Very casual with Jakarta slang pronoun:

Gue baca lagi catatan itu sebelum ujian.

All mean the same thing; the differences are in formality, not content.

How do you pronounce catatan and ujian?

Key points:

Indonesian c = ch as in “church”.
Indonesian j = j as in “jam”.
Vowels are short and clear; no diphthongs like English “note” or “read.”

catatan

Syllables: ca-ta-tan
Pronounced roughly: cha-TA-tan
- ca like “cha” in “chart”
- ta like “tah”
- last -tan with a short “a” (like “tahn”)
Stress usually on the second syllable: ca-TA-tan.

ujian

Syllables: u-ji-an
Pronounced roughly: oo-JEE-ahn
- u like “oo” in “food” (but shorter)
- ji like “jee” in “jeep”
- an like “ahn”

Every letter is pronounced; there are basically no silent letters.

Is sebelum a preposition or a conjunction? Can I use it to join two clauses?

Sebelum functions like “before” and can work:

Before a noun phrase (preposition-like):
- sebelum ujian = before the exam
- Example: Saya belajar sebelum ujian.
  → I study before the exam.
Before a clause (subordinating conjunction):
- Sebelum ujian dimulai, saya baca ulang catatan itu.
  → Before the exam starts, I reread the notes.
- Saya baca ulang catatan itu sebelum saya ujian.
  → I reread the notes before I take the exam.

So yes, you can use sebelum to connect two clauses, or just to introduce a time phrase as in the original sentence.