Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Saya kira kereta terlambat.

Saya kira
- More like I suppose / I assume / I guess.
- Often used for assumptions about facts, especially when you could be wrong.
- Can sound a bit softer or more tentative.
Saya pikir
- More like I think (after considering it).
- Used more for opinions, reasoning, arguments.
- Sounds a bit more “in my opinion” than “I guess”.

Examples:

Saya kira kereta terlambat.
I assume the train is late. (Based on the situation.)
Saya pikir idenya bagus.
I think the idea is good. (My opinion.)

In informal speech, aku kira / aku pikir are common variants with aku.

Does Saya kira kereta terlambat mean I think the train is late or I thought the train was late? There is no tense marker.

Indonesian verbs do not change for tense, so Saya kira kereta terlambat can correspond to several English possibilities. Context and time words decide the tense:

Now / general (present):
- Looking at the platform now:
  Saya kira kereta terlambat. → I think the train is late.
Past belief (I was wrong or referring to a past thought):
- Later, telling a story:
  Tadi saya kira kereta terlambat.
  I thought the train was late earlier.
Future assumption:
- Looking at the schedule for later:
  Saya kira kereta akan terlambat.
  I think the train will be late.

To be explicitly past, Indonesians often add time markers like tadi, kemarin, dulu, or make the context clear.

Why isn’t there a word like “is” in kereta terlambat? Why not kereta adalah terlambat?

Indonesian usually does not use a copula (like English is/are) before adjectives.

kereta terlambat = the train is late
dia marah = he/she is angry
makanan enak = the food is delicious

The word adalah is used mainly:

Before nouns, not adjectives:
- Indonesia adalah negara besar. = Indonesia is a big country.
In more formal or written language.

With adjectives like terlambat, adalah sounds unnatural in everyday speech:

✗ kereta adalah terlambat (unnatural)
✓ kereta terlambat (natural)

Why terlambat and not just lambat? What’s the difference?

Both come from lambat, but they’re used differently:

lambat
- Basic meaning: slow.
- Can be used for speed or timing, but often about slowness in general.
- Example: Internetnya lambat. = The internet is slow.
terlambat
- Common fixed adjective: late (too late; after the expected time).
- Strong idea of not on time, missing a schedule.
- Example: Saya terlambat ke kantor. = I’m late to the office.

For a train arriving after its scheduled time, terlambat is the natural choice:

kereta terlambat = the train is late (not on time), not “the train is slow”.

Is terlambat a verb or an adjective here?

In kereta terlambat, terlambat functions as an adjective meaning late.

Some notes:

The prefix ter- has many functions in Indonesian (superlative, accidental, passive, etc.), but in terlambat it forms a lexicalized adjective: late.
You can use it like other adjectives:
- Kereta itu terlambat lagi. = That train is late again.
- Saya tidak mau terlambat. = I don’t want to be late.

So think of terlambat as a single vocabulary item: late.

Does kereta always mean train? I thought car was also something with kereta.

Modern standard Indonesian:

kereta (by itself, in everyday usage) = train
kereta api = literally fire carriage, the full term for train, but people often shorten it to kereta.

Car is:

mobil (from “automobile”).

Older or literary uses of kereta can mean carriage / chariot, but in normal, modern conversation:

kereta → train
mobil → car

So kereta terlambat is naturally understood as the train is late, not the car is late.

Can I change the word order, like Kereta terlambat, saya kira?

Yes, you can move saya kira to the end:

Kereta terlambat, saya kira.
Literally: The train is late, I think.

This is similar to English “The train is late, I think.”
Nuance:

Saya kira kereta terlambat.
- Neutral, standard word order.
- Fits both spoken and written.
Kereta terlambat, saya kira.
- Slightly more conversational, often used when you first make the statement, then soften it with saya kira.

Both are grammatical; the original order is more common in textbooks.

Could I say Saya pikir kereta terlambat instead? Would it sound natural?

Yes, Saya pikir kereta terlambat is grammatical and understandable.

Nuance difference:

Saya kira kereta terlambat.
- I assume / suppose the train is late. (Tentative assumption.)
Saya pikir kereta terlambat.
- I think the train is late. (More like an opinion or conclusion.)

In everyday speech, people might use both, depending on how certain or how “opinion-like” they want to sound. For a simple “I guess the train is late”, Saya kira… is particularly natural.

Can I make this into a question like Do you think the train is late??

Yes. You mainly change the subject and add question intonation (or a question mark in writing):

Kamu kira kereta terlambat?
Do you think the train is late?

More variations:

Menurut kamu, kereta terlambat?
According to you, is the train late?
Kamu pikir kereta terlambat?
You think the train is late?

All can work; kamu kira kereta terlambat? is a very direct parallel to the original sentence.

Could I drop saya and just say Kira kereta terlambat?

No, that sounds ungrammatical or at least very odd in standard Indonesian.

kira is a verb that normally needs an explicit subject:
- Saya kira…
- Dia kira…
- Orang kira…

You can omit the subject only when it’s very clear from context and in certain informal styles, but simply starting with Kira kereta terlambat is not normal.

Natural options:

Saya kira kereta terlambat.
Aku kira kereta terlambat. (more informal)
In context, you might instead just say:
Kayaknya kereta terlambat. = Seems like the train is late.