Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Jangankan berbicara cepat seperti penutur asli, menjawab satu pertanyaan lisan di sesi perkenalan saja kadang masih membuat saya gugup. - Let alone speaking fast like a native speaker, answering a single spoken question in the introduction session alone sometimes still makes me nervous.

you’re saying: “Let alone speaking quickly like a native speaker, even just answering one oral question in the introduction session still sometimes makes me nervous.”

So:

X = berbicara cepat seperti penutur asli
Y = (hanya) menjawab satu pertanyaan lisan di sesi perkenalan

The idea: if even Y is already hard, then X is obviously even harder or impossible.

Why is there no subject like saya after jangankan?

In Indonesian, the subject is often dropped when it’s clear from context. The full, very explicit version would be something like:

Jangankan saya berbicara cepat seperti penutur asli, saya menjawab satu pertanyaan lisan …

But that’s clumsy and unnatural. Indonesian usually avoids repeating saya when it’s obvious that you are the subject of both verbs.

So:

Jangankan berbicara cepat seperti penutur asli, menjawab … saja … membuat saya gugup.

is understood as:

Jangankan (saya) berbicara …, (saya) menjawab … saja masih membuat saya gugup.

Why is it berbicara cepat and not berbicara dengan cepat?

Both are grammatical, but:

berbicara cepat = speak quickly
berbicara dengan cepat = speak quickly (a bit more explicit / slightly more formal)

In Indonesian, adverbs are often just adjectives placed after the verb, without dengan:

berlari cepat (run fast)
makan pelan-pelan (eat slowly)

Berbicara cepat is natural and concise. Berbicara dengan cepat is also correct but sounds a bit more formal or careful, and it’s longer than needed here.

What exactly does penutur asli mean? Why not orang asli?

Penutur asli literally means “native speaker”:

tutur = speech / utterance
penutur = speaker (someone who speaks a language)
penutur asli = native speaker

Orang asli means “native person / indigenous person” and usually refers to origin or ethnicity, not language proficiency. So to say native speaker, the natural expression is penutur asli, not orang asli.

Why is it menjawab satu pertanyaan lisan, with the number satu before the noun and lisan after?

Indonesian noun phrase order is:

number + noun + adjective

So:

satu pertanyaan lisan = one oral question

Breaking it down:

satu = one (number)
pertanyaan = question (noun)
lisan = oral (adjective)

This is the normal pattern, just like:

tiga buku baru (three new books)
beberapa masalah teknis (several technical problems)

Could you also say sebuah pertanyaan lisan instead of satu pertanyaan lisan?

Yes, you could say:

menjawab sebuah pertanyaan lisan

The nuances:

satu pertanyaan lisan emphasizes the exact number (one).
sebuah pertanyaan lisan emphasizes a single question as a unit, often similar to English “a question” or “one (single) question”.

In this context, both would work. Satu is slightly more literal about “just one (only one) question,” which fits the idea of “even just one question already makes me nervous.”

What does lisan add here? Could I just say menjawab satu pertanyaan di sesi perkenalan?

Lisan means oral / spoken, as opposed to written:

ujian lisan = oral exam
ujian tertulis = written exam

In your sentence, lisan clarifies that the question is spoken, probably in a live setting.

You can say:

menjawab satu pertanyaan di sesi perkenalan

and it’s still correct; it just becomes more general (“answer one question”). With lisan, the focus is on the pressure of speaking out loud.

What is the function of saja in di sesi perkenalan saja?

Here saja has a nuance like “just / only / even just” and adds a sense of limitation or minimality.

di sesi perkenalan saja suggests:
- “even just during the introduction session”
  or
- “only in the introduction session (not in more serious/advanced parts)”

Combined with jangankan, the feeling is:

Jangankan berbicara cepat seperti penutur asli, menjawab satu pertanyaan lisan di sesi perkenalan saja…
→ “Let alone speaking quickly like a native speaker, even just answering one question in the intro session already makes me nervous.”

Could I move saja somewhere else, like menjawab satu pertanyaan lisan saja di sesi perkenalan? Would that change the meaning?

Yes, you can move saja, and the nuance shifts slightly:

…menjawab satu pertanyaan lisan di sesi perkenalan saja…
- Emphasis more on the session: “even just in the introduction session”.
…menjawab satu pertanyaan lisan saja di sesi perkenalan…
- Emphasis more on the number of questions: “just one oral question in the introduction session”.

Both forms are understandable and quite natural. The original one highlights how early and simple the situation is (just the intro session), while the alternative highlights how few questions there are (just one).

What does sesi perkenalan literally mean, and where does perkenalan come from?

Sesi perkenalan = introduction session:

sesi = session
perkenalan comes from:
- root: kenal (to know, to be acquainted with)
- per– –an noun-forming prefix/suffix
- perkenalan = the act of introducing / introductions

So sesi perkenalan is a time/segment dedicated to people introducing themselves (e.g., the “introduce yourself” part of a class or meeting).

What’s the difference between kadang, kadang-kadang, and terkadang?

All three mean roughly “sometimes”:

kadang
kadang-kadang
terkadang

Differences:

kadang-kadang is the most neutral/common spoken form.
kadang is a shorter, slightly more informal or colloquial version.
terkadang is more formal or literary, often in writing.

In casual or semi-formal speech, kadang (as in the sentence) or kadang-kadang are both very natural:

Kadang saya lupa.
Kadang-kadang saya lupa.

Meaning: “Sometimes I forget.”

How does masih work in kadang masih membuat saya gugup?

Masih means “still / yet” and shows that a condition continues or has not changed.

membuat saya gugup = makes me nervous
masih membuat saya gugup = still makes me nervous (even now)

So kadang masih membuat saya gugup implies:

“sometimes it still makes me nervous (even though maybe it shouldn’t anymore, or even though time has passed / I have more experience).”

The combination:

kadang masih = sometimes still

How does the structure membuat saya gugup work grammatically?

The pattern is:

membuat + [object] + [adjective]
= make + [object] + [adjective]

So:

membuat saya gugup = makes me nervous
(literally: “makes me be nervous”)

Other examples:

Berita itu membuat saya sedih.
= That news makes me sad.
Sikapnya membuat orang lain marah.
= His/Her attitude makes other people angry.

You can replace saya with other pronouns:

membuatku gugup (more informal)
membuat mereka gugup (makes them nervous)

Is this sentence overall formal, informal, or neutral? Could any words be replaced in casual speech?

The sentence is fairly neutral, maybe leaning slightly formal, but it’s fine in most contexts (conversation, writing, class).

In more casual spoken Indonesian, you might hear:

Jangankan ngomong cepat kayak orang lokal, jawab satu pertanyaan aja pas perkenalan kadang masih bikin aku gugup.

Changes:

berbicara → ngomong (very informal “to talk”)
seperti → kayak (informal “like”)
penutur asli → orang lokal (less precise, more casual)
menjawab → jawab
saja → aja (colloquial form of saja)
membuat → bikin (informal “make”)
saya → aku (less formal “I/me”)

The original sentence uses more standard forms, which are safe and appropriate in most situations.