Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Jurang di sisi kanan jalur begitu dalam sehingga kami diminta berjalan satu per satu. - The ravine on the right side of the trail was so deep that we were asked to walk one by one.

Jurang refers to a deep drop in the ground: a ravine, chasm, gorge, or precipice. It focuses on the gap/depth rather than the vertical rock face.

English “cliff” often suggests a high, vertical rock wall next to the sea or land.
Jurang is more like a deep ravine or chasm beside a road or path.

In context, “jurang di sisi kanan jalur” is best understood as “a steep drop / ravine on the right side of the path.”

How is di sisi kanan jalur structured, and why is the order like that?

The phrase breaks down as:

di = at/on/in (location preposition)
sisi = side
kanan = right
jalur = path / trail / lane

So:

di sisi kanan jalur = on the right side of the path

The order is: preposition + noun (sisi) + modifier (kanan) + noun being possessed (jalur).

Literally: “at the side right (of the) path”.

You could also say:

di sebelah kanan jalur = on the right side of the path

But you would not say something like “di kanan sisi jalur”; the natural chunk is sisi kanan (“right side”), then jalur explains whose right side.

What’s the nuance of jalur here, and how is it different from jalan?

Jalur is a more specific word than jalan:

jalan = road, street; more general, also the basic root for “to walk” (berjalan).
jalur = path, lane, route, track, trail, or a designated line/pathway.

In this sentence, jalur suggests a specific path or trail, like a hiking trail or a narrow route, where having a ravine next to it is plausible.

Examples:

jalur pendakian = hiking trail / climbing route
jalur busway = bus lane
jalur kereta = train track

If you used jalan instead, it would still be understood, but jalur feels more precise and a bit more formal/technical.

What does begitu dalam mean, and how is begitu working here?

Begitu here is an intensifier meaning “so” in the sense of “so [adjective] that…”:

begitu dalam = so deep

Common pattern:

begitu + adjective + sehingga + result clause

So:

jalur begitu sempit sehingga kami harus antre
= the path was so narrow that we had to queue

Begitu can also mean “like that / in that way” in other contexts, but in this pattern begitu + adj + sehingga, it reliably means “so [adj] that…”.

What is the function of sehingga, and how is it different from jadi?

Sehingga introduces a result clause, especially when the first clause describes a degree (so deep, so high, so crowded, etc.) that causes something:

begitu dalam sehingga… = so deep that…

Differences:

sehingga
- More formal/neutral.
- Often used after a clause describing cause, degree, condition.
- Common in writing and careful speech.
jadi
- More conversational: “so” / “therefore”.
- Less tightly tied to the “so [adj] that…” pattern.
- Sounds more casual.

You could say:

Jurang … begitu dalam sehingga kami diminta… (neutral–formal, very natural)
Jurang … dalam banget, jadi kita disuruh jalan satu-satu. (much more casual)

Why is kami diminta in the passive voice, and what’s the active version?

Kami diminta is a passive construction:

minta = to ask (for), to request
diminta = be asked / be requested

So kami diminta = we were asked.

Passive structure:

Subject + di-verb (+ [oleh + agent])

The agent is omitted because it’s either obvious (e.g., the guide, the leader) or not important:

Kami diminta (oleh pemandu) berjalan satu per satu.
= We were asked (by the guide) to walk one by one.

The active version would be:

Pemandu meminta kami berjalan satu per satu.
= The guide asked us to walk one by one.

Indonesian often uses the passive when the focus is on the people affected (here: kami) rather than on who did the asking.

How do we know this sentence refers to the past, if there is no tense marking?

Indonesian generally does not mark tense (past/present/future) on verbs.

Diminta on its own doesn’t tell you the time. The time is understood from context:

If you’re telling a story about a hike yesterday, listeners naturally interpret it as past:
“On the trail, the ravine was so deep that we were asked to walk one by one.”

If you want to make it explicitly past, you can add a time word:

Kemarin jurang di sisi kanan jalur begitu dalam sehingga kami diminta berjalan satu per satu.
= Yesterday, the ravine … was so deep that we were asked to walk one by one.

Or:

tadi, waktu itu, dulu, etc., to give more explicit time reference.

What’s the difference between berjalan and jalan in this context?

jalan is a noun: road/street.
As a verb, the formal form is berjalan = to walk, to go (on foot).

In standard Indonesian, you would normally say:

berjalan satu per satu = walk one by one

In casual speech, people often drop the ber- and just say jalan as a verb:

Kita jalan satu-satu aja.
= Let’s just walk one by one.

So in this sentence, berjalan is the correct formal/standard verb choice.

What does satu per satu mean, and how is it different from satu-satu?

Both express the idea of “one by one”:

satu per satu
- Literally: one per one
- Feels a bit more formal/neutral.
- Very common in writing and careful speech.
satu-satu
- Reduplication pattern, often used in spoken/casual Indonesian.
- Still correct and widely understood.

The sentence could be more colloquial as:

… sehingga kami diminta jalan satu-satu.

But in standard written Indonesian, berjalan satu per satu is very natural.

Can the subject kami be omitted before diminta?

Grammatically, you can omit the subject in Indonesian if it’s very clear from context, but in this sentence:

… sehingga diminta berjalan satu per satu.

on its own is a bit vague: “so (someone) was asked to walk one by one” — it’s not clear who.

It’s more natural here to keep the subject:

sehingga kami diminta berjalan satu per satu.

You might omit kami only if it’s extremely clear from the previous sentence, e.g.:

Kami sedang mendaki gunung. Jurang di sisi kanan jalur begitu dalam sehingga diminta berjalan satu per satu.
Even then, most writers would still repeat kami for clarity and natural flow.

Why is the preposition di used in jurang di sisi kanan jalur and not pada?

Di is the standard preposition for physical location:

di rumah = at home
di jalan = on the road
di sisi kanan jalur = on the right side of the path

Pada is used:

For more abstract locations: pada halaman ini (on this page), pada kesempatan ini (on this occasion).
As a more formal alternative to kepada in some contexts.

For a literal, physical place like the side of a path, di is the normal, natural choice:

✅ jurang di sisi kanan jalur
❌ jurang pada sisi kanan jalur (grammatically possible but sounds overly stiff / unnatural here)

Could we say di sisi kanan dari jalur instead of di sisi kanan jalur?

You can say:

di sisi kanan dari jalur

and it will be understood as “on the right side of the path”, but:

In modern, good style, the “dari” is usually omitted when a noun directly follows another noun showing possession or relation.

So:

sisi kanan jalur is more concise and natural than
sisi kanan dari jalur

You still see X dari Y sometimes for clarity or emphasis, but in this simple structure, sisi kanan jalur is preferred.

Could we move begitu dalam earlier and say Jurang begitu dalam di sisi kanan jalur…?

You could say:

Jurang begitu dalam di sisi kanan jalur sehingga kami diminta berjalan satu per satu.

It is grammatically acceptable, but it slightly changes the focus:

Original: Jurang di sisi kanan jalur begitu dalam…
→ First locates the ravine (on the right side of the path), then describes how deep it is.
Alternative: Jurang begitu dalam di sisi kanan jalur…
→ First emphasizes how deep the ravine is, then adds where it is.

Native speakers will generally prefer the original order, because it flows more naturally when describing the setting: locate first, then describe the degree.

What is the level of formality of this sentence, and how might it sound in casual conversation?

The original sentence is neutral to slightly formal, good for:

Writing (stories, reports, news)
Narration
Polite spoken Indonesian

A more casual spoken version might be:

Jurang di kanan jalur dalam banget, jadi kita disuruh jalan satu-satu.

Differences:

begitu dalam → dalam banget (very colloquial “so deep”)
sehingga → jadi (conversational “so”)
kami → kita (often used in casual speech for “we”)
diminta → disuruh (more like “told/ordered” than “requested”)
berjalan satu per satu → jalan satu-satu (dropping ber-, using reduplication)

Is diminta closer to “asked” or “required/ordered” in English?

Literally, diminta = “(to be) asked (for)”, from minta (to ask/request).

In practice, in a context like safety on a dangerous path:

kami diminta berjalan satu per satu often feels stronger than a mild “we were asked”.
It can imply “we were asked/required to”, closer to “we were told to” or “we were instructed to”.

If the speaker wants to stress obligation even more, they might use:

kami diwajibkan berjalan satu per satu = we were required / obliged to walk one by one
kami diharuskan berjalan satu per satu = we had to / were required to walk one by one

But diminta already carries a sense of serious recommendation or instruction, especially in a safety context.