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Hari ulang tahun nenek sangat istimewa bagi keluarga kami.

Hari ulang tahun nenek sangat istimewa bagi keluarga kami.
Grandmother's birthday is very special for our family.
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Questions & Answers about Hari ulang tahun nenek sangat istimewa bagi keluarga kami.

What is the word‑for‑word breakdown of Hari ulang tahun nenek sangat istimewa bagi keluarga kami?

Here is a simple gloss:

  • Hari = day
  • ulang tahun = birthday (literally: repeat year)
  • nenek = grandmother / grandma
  • sangat = very
  • istimewa = special
  • bagi = for / to (from the point of view of)
  • keluarga = family
  • kami = we / us (exclusive: not including the listener)

Literal order:
Day birthday grandmother very special for family we (not including you).

Natural English:
Grandma’s birthday is very special to our family.

Where is the verb “is” in this Indonesian sentence?

There is no separate word for “is/are/am” in this kind of Indonesian sentence.

In Indonesian, when the predicate is an adjective, you simply put the adjective after the subject:

  • Hari ulang tahun nenek = the subject
  • sangat istimewa = the predicate (adjective phrase “very special”)

So:

  • Hari ulang tahun nenek sangat istimewa
    = Grandma’s birthday is very special

Indonesian does not need (and normally does not use) adalah before an adjective.
You would not say: Hari ulang tahun nenek adalah sangat istimewa — this sounds unnatural.

What exactly does ulang tahun mean? Why is it “repeat year”?

Ulang tahun is the standard Indonesian word for birthday.

  • ulang = repeat, again
  • tahun = year

So literally it’s “repeat year”, referring to the repetition of the date each year.

Common uses:

  • ulang tahun = birthday
  • hari ulang tahun = birthday (literally “birthday day”)
  • Selamat ulang tahun! = Happy birthday!

You will hear both ulang tahun and hari ulang tahun; both are normal, depending on the sentence.

Is hari (day) really necessary? Could I just say Ulang tahun nenek sangat istimewa?

You can say:

  • Ulang tahun nenek sangat istimewa.

This is grammatical and understandable, and also means “Grandma’s birthday is very special.”

Adding hari makes it sound a bit more like you are talking about that day itself as a special day:

  • Hari ulang tahun nenek sangat istimewa
    = The day of Grandma’s birthday is very special.

But in everyday speech, people often just say ulang tahun nenek for “Grandma’s birthday.” Both versions are acceptable here.

Does nenek already mean “my grandma,” or do I need nenek saya or nenekku?

nenek by itself just means grandmother / grandma in general.

To say my grandmother, you can add a possessive:

  • nenek saya = my grandmother (neutral/polite)
  • nenekku = my grandma (more informal)

So why does the sentence use only nenek?

In context, Hari ulang tahun nenek usually means “Grandma’s birthday” where it’s already clear you’re talking about the family’s own grandma (not some random grandma). Indonesian often omits the possessive when the relationship is obvious.

If you want to be explicit, you can say:

  • Hari ulang tahun nenek kami sangat istimewa bagi keluarga kami.
    = Our grandmother’s birthday is very special to our family.
What does bagi mean here, and how is it different from untuk?

In this sentence:

  • bagi keluarga kami ≈ for our family / to our family

bagi and untuk both often translate as “for”, but there is a nuance:

  • bagi

    • Slightly more formal or literary.
    • Often used to introduce a point of view: “for / in the eyes of / from the perspective of”.
    • E.g. Bagi saya, kesehatan itu penting. = For me, health is important.

  • untuk

    • Very common and neutral.
    • Often means “for (the benefit of)” or “intended for”.
    • E.g. Hadiah ini untuk nenek. = This gift is for Grandma.

In this sentence you could also say:

  • Hari ulang tahun nenek sangat istimewa untuk keluarga kami.

That’s natural too; bagi just sounds a bit more like you’re talking about the family’s point of view.

What is the difference between keluarga kami and keluarga kita?

Both mean “our family,” but Indonesian distinguishes between:

  • kami = we / us (excluding the listener)
  • kita = we / us (including the listener)

So:

  • keluarga kami = our family, but your (listener’s) family is not included.
  • keluarga kita = our family, including you (the listener).

In this sentence:

  • bagi keluarga kami implies the speaker’s family is different from the listener’s family.
    If you are talking to someone who is part of the family, you would naturally say:

  • Hari ulang tahun nenek sangat istimewa bagi keluarga kita.
    = Grandma’s birthday is very special to our family (yours and mine).

Why is the word order Hari ulang tahun nenek sangat istimewa bagi keluarga kami, and not something else?

The basic pattern here is:

  • Subject
    • Adjective Predicate
      • Prepositional Phrase

Breakdown:

  • Subject: Hari ulang tahun nenek
  • Predicate (adjective): sangat istimewa
  • Prepositional phrase: bagi keluarga kami

So:

  • Hari ulang tahun nenek (Grandma’s birthday)
    sangat istimewa (is very special)
    bagi keluarga kami (for our family).

You could move the prepositional phrase earlier:

  • Bagi keluarga kami, hari ulang tahun nenek sangat istimewa.
    = For our family, Grandma’s birthday is very special.

Both are correct; Indonesian word order is fairly flexible, but the original sentence is the most neutral order.

Can I drop sangat? What changes if I just say istimewa?

Yes:

  • Hari ulang tahun nenek istimewa bagi keluarga kami.

This is still correct and natural.
The difference is only in intensity:

  • istimewa = special
  • sangat istimewa = very special

So with sangat, you strongly emphasize how special it is. Without sangat, you’re making a calmer statement.

Is sangat istimewa the only way to say “very special”? Are there synonyms?

There are several natural alternatives:

  • sangat istimewa = very special (neutral, slightly formal)
  • sangat spesial = very special (uses the loanword spesial; common in speech)
  • begitu istimewa = so special
  • amat istimewa = very special (quite formal / written)

Examples:

  • Hari ulang tahun nenek begitu istimewa bagi keluarga kami.
  • Hari ulang tahun nenek sangat spesial bagi keluarga kami.

All are understandable; sangat istimewa is a good standard choice.

How do I express past or future time in this sentence, since there’s no tense?

Indonesian doesn’t mark tense on verbs (and here there isn’t even a verb like “to be”). Time is usually shown with time words or particles.

For the past (was special):

  • Dulu, hari ulang tahun nenek sangat istimewa bagi keluarga kami.
    = In the past, Grandma’s birthday was very special to our family.

For the future (will be special), you can use akan:

  • Hari ulang tahun nenek akan sangat istimewa bagi keluarga kami.
    = Grandma’s birthday will be very special to our family.

Without any extra word, the sentence is typically understood as a general timeless statement, or its time is taken from the wider context.

Is the sentence formal, informal, or neutral in tone?

Hari ulang tahun nenek sangat istimewa bagi keluarga kami. is neutral and works in many contexts:

  • In writing (e.g., a short essay, a card)
  • In speech (talking to friends, relatives, or in a polite conversation)

It’s not slangy or overly formal.

To make it more casual, you might hear:

  • Ulang tahun nenek itu sangat spesial buat keluarga kami.

To make it more formal, for example in a speech:

  • Hari ulang tahun nenek merupakan hari yang sangat istimewa bagi keluarga kami.
How do I pronounce each word in this sentence?

Approximate pronunciation (Indonesian vowels are pure, like in Spanish/Italian):

  • Hari = HAH-ree
  • ulang = OO-lang (short “oo” as in book, but a bit clearer)
  • tahun = TAH-hoon (both syllables clear)
  • nenek = NEH-nek
  • sangat = SAHN-gat (the final t is often not strongly released)
  • istimewa = ees-tee-MEH-wah (stress often on -meh-)
  • bagi = BAH-gee (g as in “go”)
  • keluarga = kuh-LOO-AR-gah (4 syllables: ke-lu-ar-ga)
  • kami = KAH-mee

Indonesian stress is usually light and fairly even; just make each syllable clear.