Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Ketika saya menonton wawancara penutur asli tanpa subtitel, saya fokus pada nada suara dan intonasi di audio. - When I watch an interview with a native speaker without subtitles, I focus on the tone of voice and intonation in the audio.

ketika – a bit more formal/neutral, very common in written and spoken Indonesian.
saat – also very common; often slightly formal or neutral, frequently used in media, narration, explanations.
waktu – literally “time”, but in colloquial speech it’s often used as “when”; feels more casual.

In your sentence, ketika is perfectly natural and neutral. You could safely use saat too. Waktu would sound more casual, like everyday spoken Indonesian.

Why use saya here? Could I say aku or omit the pronoun?

Saya is the polite/neutral “I” in Indonesian.

Saya – polite, neutral, safe in almost any situation.
Aku – informal/intimate “I”, used with friends, family, people you’re close to.

So:

Ketika saya menonton... – polite/neutral.
Ketika aku menonton... – informal, friendly.

Omitting the pronoun:

Indonesian often drops the subject if it’s clear from context, so you could say:

Ketika menonton wawancara penutur asli tanpa subtitel, saya fokus pada...

or even, in the right context:

Ketika menonton wawancara penutur asli tanpa subtitel, fokus pada nada suara dan intonasi di audio.

But if this is a standalone sentence or for learners, keeping saya is clearer and more natural.

Why is the verb menonton used instead of melihat or just nonton?

In Indonesian:

menonton = to watch (something with moving images: TV, film, video, performance)
melihat = to see or look at (more general)
nonton = colloquial/short form of menonton

So:

menonton wawancara = “watch an interview” (video).
melihat wawancara would sound odd; you don’t usually “see” an interview; you watch it.
nonton wawancara is fine in informal speech or chat:
- Waktu aku nonton wawancara penutur asli...

In a neutral written sentence, menonton is the best choice.

What exactly does wawancara penutur asli mean? Is it “interview of native speakers” or “interview with a native speaker”? Do we need dengan?

The phrase wawancara penutur asli is a noun–noun phrase:

wawancara = interview
penutur asli = native speaker

In Indonesian, Noun A + Noun B usually means:

“Noun A of Noun B” or
“Noun A about/featuring Noun B”

So wawancara penutur asli can naturally be understood as:

an interview with native speakers, or
an interview featuring native speakers.

If you want to be very explicit, you can say:

wawancara dengan penutur asli = interview with native speakers.

Both are correct. The version without dengan is more compact and typical in written style, but still natural in speech.

Why is it tanpa subtitel and not something like tidak ada subtitel? What’s the difference?

tanpa means “without”.
tanpa subtitel = “without subtitles”.

So your phrase:

...menonton wawancara penutur asli tanpa subtitel...
= “...watch interviews with native speakers without subtitles...”

You could also say:

...menonton wawancara penutur asli yang tidak ada subtitelnya...
= “...watch interviews with native speakers that have no subtitles.”

Differences:

tanpa subtitel – shorter, more direct, sounds natural and standard.
tidak ada subtitel – literally “there are no subtitles”; needs more structure (yang tidak ada subtitelnya) to fit smoothly into the noun phrase.

For this sentence, tanpa subtitel is the cleanest and most idiomatic choice.

Is saya fokus pada correct? Could I say fokus ke or just saya fokus nada suara?

The natural pattern is:

fokus pada + noun = focus on something

So your sentence is correct:

saya fokus pada nada suara dan intonasi...

Alternatives:

fokus ke – used in casual speech, often okay, but pada is more standard:
- Sekarang fokus ke tugasmu. (very colloquial)
fokus sama – very colloquial:
- Aku fokus sama pelafalan.

You cannot say saya fokus nada suara; it sounds incomplete or ungrammatical. You need a preposition (pada/ke/sama) between fokus and the thing you focus on.

For neutral/standard Indonesian: fokus pada is the best choice.

What’s the difference between nada suara and intonasi? Isn’t that redundant?

They are related but not identical:

nada suara = literally “tone of voice” or “pitch of voice”.
- Can refer to how high/low the voice is, or the overall “tone” (angry, excited, soft, etc.).
intonasi = “intonation”
- Refers more specifically to the pattern of pitch changes across a phrase or sentence (rising, falling, etc.).

Saying nada suara dan intonasi emphasizes two slightly different aspects:

the quality or tone of the voice (nada suara), and
the melodic pattern of speech (intonasi).

In practice, many speakers might just say one of them, but putting both together is still natural, especially in a learning context where you want to stress both voice tone and intonation patterns.

Is di audio natural? Could I say dari audio, pada audio, or just omit it?

Di audio literally means “in the audio” and is understandable, but it’s slightly unusual in careful, formal style. Depending on what you want to emphasize, you have options:

Keep it:
- ...intonasi di audio.
  = “...intonation in the audio.” (understandable; sounds a bit like learner language but not wrong)
More natural alternatives:
- ...intonasi dalam audio. (more formal “in the audio”)
- ...intonasi dari audio. (“from the audio” – focusing on what you hear from it)
- ...intonasi pembicara. (“the speaker’s intonation” – more direct and natural)
Often you can omit it:
- ...saya fokus pada nada suara dan intonasi. It’s already clear you mean what you hear in the recording/interview.

Many native speakers would just drop di audio unless they really need to contrast it with, for example, text or video.

Can I move tanpa subtitel or di audio to other positions in the sentence?

Yes, Indonesian word order is flexible as long as meaning stays clear. Here are some natural variations, with slight changes in emphasis:

Original:

Ketika saya menonton wawancara penutur asli tanpa subtitel, saya fokus pada nada suara dan intonasi di audio.

Other options:

Move tanpa subtitel:
- Ketika saya menonton wawancara penutur asli, tanpa subtitel, saya fokus pada nada suara dan intonasi di audio.
  (small pause; emphasizes the “without subtitles” part)
- Ketika saya menonton, tanpa subtitel, wawancara penutur asli, saya fokus pada...
  (possible but starts to feel heavy/awkward; too many commas in spoken style)
Move di audio:
- ...saya fokus pada nada suara dan intonasi yang ada di audio.
- ...saya fokus pada nada suara dan intonasi dalam audio.

Just be careful not to separate words that strongly belong together:

tanpa subtitel should stay close to wawancara penutur asli.
di/dalam audio should stay with nada suara dan intonasi if you keep it.

How do we know this means “when I watch” and not “when I watched” or “when I am watching”? There’s no tense marking.

Indonesian verbs do not change form for tense (past, present, future). Menonton can mean:

“watch(ed)” (past)
“am/was/will be watching” (progressive)
“watch” in general (habitual)

So Ketika saya menonton wawancara... can be:

When I watch interviews... (habit/habitual action)
When I watched interviews... (past)
When I am watching interviews... (present continuous)

The exact tense comes from:

context (other sentences around it),
time adverbs (like kemarin “yesterday”, nanti “later”, selalu “always”).

If you want to emphasize a habit, you can add selalu:

Ketika saya menonton wawancara penutur asli tanpa subtitel, saya selalu fokus pada...
= “When I watch..., I always focus on...”

To stress the progressive aspect, you can add sedang:

Ketika saya sedang menonton wawancara penutur asli...
= “When I am (in the middle of) watching interviews...”

Is the whole sentence formal, informal, or neutral? How would it change in informal speech?

The original sentence is neutral–polite, suitable for:

talking to a teacher,
writing in a textbook,
explaining your learning strategy.

To make it more informal/colloquial, you might change:

saya → aku
menonton → nonton
possibly drop or simplify some parts:

Example informal version:

Waktu aku nonton wawancara penutur asli tanpa subtitel, aku fokus ke nada suara dan intonasinya.

Even more casual (spoken):

Kalau aku nonton wawancara penutur asli tanpa subtitle, aku lebih fokus ke nada suara sama intonasinya.

So the grammar is flexible, but politeness and register change through pronouns, verb forms, and preposition choices.

Could I say sedang menonton instead of menonton? What difference would that make?

Yes:

Ketika saya menonton wawancara...
Ketika saya sedang menonton wawancara...

Both are grammatical, but sedang adds a clearer sense of “in the middle of doing it” (progressive aspect):

menonton – can be generic or progressive, depending on context.
sedang menonton – explicitly “am/was in the process of watching”.

Subtle nuance:

Ketika saya menonton wawancara...
= “When I watch interviews...” (could be a general habit)
Ketika saya sedang menonton wawancara...
= “When I am (actually) watching interviews...” (focus on the ongoing action)

If you’re describing a general study strategy or habit, both are okay. Many speakers would omit sedang unless they really want to highlight the ongoing nature of the action.

Does wawancara penutur asli mean one interview or multiple? How do I say “interviews” clearly?

Indonesian does not always mark plural explicitly. Wawancara penutur asli can mean:

one interview with a native speaker, or
interviews with native speakers,

depending on context.

To make the plural explicit, you have options:

beberapa wawancara penutur asli = several interviews with native speakers
banyak wawancara penutur asli = many interviews
wawancara-wawancara penutur asli = interviews (reduplication to mark plural; more common in writing than speech)

Examples:

Ketika saya menonton beberapa wawancara penutur asli tanpa subtitel... = “When I watch several interviews with native speakers without subtitles...”

In everyday usage, most people just say wawancara penutur asli and let context show if it’s one or many.