Setelah turun dari gunung, kami mengadakan percakapan mendalam tentang rasa takut dan keberanian.

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Questions & Answers about Setelah turun dari gunung, kami mengadakan percakapan mendalam tentang rasa takut dan keberanian.

Why is there no subject after setelah? Shouldn’t it be setelah kami turun dari gunung?

In Indonesian, if the subject of the time clause is the same as the subject of the main clause, it’s very common (and natural) to omit it:

  • Setelah turun dari gunung, kami …
    = After (we) came down from the mountain, we …

The implied subject of turun is understood to be kami, the same kami in the main clause.

You can say:

  • Setelah kami turun dari gunung, kami mengadakan…

This is also correct, but it sounds a bit heavier or more repetitive. Native speakers often drop the repeated subject in the first clause when context is clear.


Can I use sesudah instead of setelah? Is there any difference?

Setelah and sesudah both mean after and are largely interchangeable in this kind of sentence.

  • Setelah turun dari gunung, kami…
  • Sesudah turun dari gunung, kami…

Both sound natural.
Nuance:

  • Setelah is slightly more common in modern, neutral writing.
  • Sesudah is also standard, maybe a bit more old‑fashioned/formal in some ears, but still very widely used.

In everyday speech, you’ll hear both.


Why is it turun dari gunung and not turun gunung? Are both correct?

Strictly speaking:

  • turun dari gunung = to come down from the mountain (explicit from)
  • turun gunung = literally to descend the mountain, with the preposition dropped

Both are used. Differences:

  • turun dari gunung

    • Sounds a bit more careful/standard, especially in writing.
    • Very clear grammatically (turun from the mountain).
  • turun gunung

    • Very common in speech; the dari is just omitted.
    • Also appears in idiomatic expressions (e.g. turun gunung can mean “come down from the hills/back into society” in some contexts).

In a neutral written sentence like this, turun dari gunung is a safe, standard choice.


What’s the difference between kami and kita here?

Both are we, but they differ in inclusiveness:

  • kami = we (not including you, the listener)
  • kita = we (including you, the listener)

In the sentence:

… kami mengadakan percakapan mendalam …

the speaker is talking about their group, not including the person being spoken to. If they wanted to include the listener, they’d say:

  • … kita mengadakan percakapan mendalam …

Many learners overuse kita because it’s easier, but natives make a clear distinction in more careful speech/writing.


What does mengadakan literally mean, and can I just say kami bercakap‑cakap or kami mengobrol instead?

Literally:

  • mengadakan = to hold / to organize / to conduct
    (from ada = to exist → mengadakan = to “cause something to exist”, e.g. hold an event)

So mengadakan percakapan is like “to hold a conversation” or “to have a conversation” in a somewhat formal or deliberate way.

Alternatives:

  • Kami bercakap‑cakap tentang rasa takut dan keberanian.
  • Kami mengobrol tentang rasa takut dan keberanian.

Nuance:

  • mengadakan percakapan
    • More formal and deliberate, like a serious, purposeful talk.
  • bercakap‑cakap
    • Neutral “to talk” or “to converse”; can be casual or serious depending on context.
  • mengobrol
    • More clearly casual, like “to chat”.

Given percakapan mendalam, mengadakan fits the idea of a serious, intentional conversation.


Is mengadakan percakapan a common expression? Could I say melakukan percakapan or membuat percakapan?

Yes, mengadakan percakapan is natural and idiomatic, especially in a slightly formal or written style.

Alternatives:

  • mengadakan percakapan
  • mengadakan diskusi
  • mengadakan pertemuan

But:

  • melakukan percakapan ❌ (sounds wrong/unnatural)
  • membuat percakapan ❌ (incorrect in this meaning)

For “have a conversation”, typical options are:

  • mengadakan percakapan (formal/neutral)
  • bercakap‑cakap (neutral)
  • mengobrol (casual)

Why is it percakapan mendalam, with the adjective after the noun? Can I say mendalam percakapan?

In Indonesian, descriptive adjectives almost always come after the noun they describe:

  • percakapan mendalam = a deep/profound conversation
  • gunung tinggi = a tall mountain
  • rumah besar = a big house

So mendalam percakapan is wrong.

There are a few fixed expressions where what looks like an adjective comes first (e.g. orang tua, rumah sakit), but these are set phrases or compound nouns, not the normal adjective pattern.

So for “deep conversation”, percakapan mendalam is the correct and natural order.


What’s the difference between dalam and mendalam? Why use mendalam here?

Both come from the basic idea of “deep”, but they’re used differently:

  • dalam

    • Basic adjective: “deep” (physical or metaphorical)
    • e.g. air yang dalam = deep water
  • mendalam

    • Derived form, often meaning “profound”, “in‑depth”
    • Common with abstract things:
      • pemikiran mendalam = deep/profound thought
      • penelitian mendalam = in‑depth research
      • percakapan mendalam = deep conversation

In this sentence, mendalam suggests a serious, thoughtful, in‑depth conversation, not just that it is “deep” in some vague way. You could say percakapan yang sangat dalam, but percakapan mendalam is more idiomatic.

You’ll also see:

  • secara mendalam = in depth (adverbial)
    • e.g. membahas secara mendalam = to discuss in depth

Is the comma after gunung necessary? What happens if I leave it out?

The comma marks a pause between the introductory time clause and the main clause:

  • Setelah turun dari gunung, kami mengadakan …

In good written Indonesian, when a dependent clause comes before the main clause, a comma is normally used. So this is standard and recommended.

Without the comma:

  • Setelah turun dari gunung kami mengadakan…

It’s still understandable, and in informal writing people sometimes skip the comma, but it is less clear visually and not as good style. For learning and for formal writing, keep the comma.


How does tentang work here, and when would I use mengenai or soal instead?

tentang means about / regarding:

  • percakapan mendalam tentang rasa takut dan keberanian
    = a deep conversation about fear and courage

Alternatives:

  • mengenai

    • Slightly more formal, often in written or official contexts.
    • percakapan mendalam mengenai rasa takut dan keberanian → also correct.
  • soal

    • More informal/colloquial, can feel conversational.
    • percakapan mendalam soal rasa takut dan keberanian → sounds quite spoken/informal.

In this sentence:

  • tentang is neutral and the safest choice.
  • mengenai tilts formal.
  • soal tilts casual.

Why is it rasa takut but keberanian? Can I just say takut dan berani?

Here, Indonesian prefers nouns after tentang (“about X and Y”), not adjectives:

  • rasa takut = the feeling of fear
    • rasa = taste/feeling; rasa takut = fear as an emotion
  • keberanian = courage / bravery
    • from berani (brave) → ke‑ ‑an forms the abstract noun

So we have:

  • tentang rasa takut dan keberanian
    = about (the feeling of) fear and (the quality of) courage

If you say:

  • tentang takut dan berani

this sounds off, because takut and berani are primarily adjectives (afraid and brave). It would be like saying “about afraid and brave” in English.

More natural nouny options:

  • tentang ketakutan dan keberanian
  • tentang rasa takut dan rasa berani (possible, but less common; keberanian is more idiomatic than rasa berani)

What about ketakutan? How is ketakutan different from rasa takut?

Both relate to “fear”, but they have slightly different flavors:

  • rasa takut

    • literally “the feeling of fear”
    • quite neutral; focuses on the emotion itself
  • ketakutan (ke‑ ‑an noun from takut)

    • can mean fear as a general state or a fear
    • sometimes suggests a more intense or entrenched state
    • also has a verb‑ish use: dia ketakutan = he/she is terrified

In your sentence, both are possible:

  • … tentang rasa takut dan keberanian.
  • … tentang ketakutan dan keberanian.

rasa takut feels a bit more explicitly “the feeling of fear”; ketakutan feels like “fear” as a condition or state. The difference here is subtle; both would be understood similarly.


Could I say Setelah kami turun dari gunung, kami mengadakan…, or is repeating kami bad style?

You can absolutely say:

  • Setelah kami turun dari gunung, kami mengadakan percakapan mendalam …

It’s grammatically correct and not “wrong” style. Indonesian often allows repetition.

However, native speakers often drop the first kami when it’s clear:

  • Setelah turun dari gunung, kami mengadakan …

This sounds a bit smoother and is more typical when the subject is the same. Both versions are acceptable; the sentence you gave is just the more concise, natural one.