Breakdown of Hari ini saya mengurus urusan keluarga, jadi saya tidak ikut rapat.
sebuah
a
saya
I
tidak
not
hari ini
today
rapat
the meeting
jadi
so
urusan keluarga
the family matter
mengurus
to deal with
ikut
to join/attend
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Questions & Answers about Hari ini saya mengurus urusan keluarga, jadi saya tidak ikut rapat.
Why does Indonesian put Hari ini at the beginning? Can it go elsewhere?
Hari ini is a time adverbial, and Indonesian often places time expressions at the start to set the context first. It can also appear later without changing the basic meaning:
- Saya mengurus urusan keluarga hari ini, jadi saya tidak ikut rapat. Starting with Hari ini just sounds very natural and clear.
Does mengurus mark a tense (like “am taking care of” vs “took care of”)?
No. Indonesian verbs don’t change for tense. mengurus doesn’t mean present/past by itself; time is usually shown by words like hari ini, kemarin (yesterday), besok (tomorrow), etc. Here, Hari ini tells you it’s happening today.
What is the difference between mengurus and urusan? They look related.
They come from the same root urus.
- mengurus (verb) = to handle/manage/take care of (something)
- urusan (noun) = a matter/affair/business (something to deal with) So mengurus urusan keluarga literally means “to handle family matters.”
Is mengurus urusan keluarga repetitive? Would native speakers say that?
It can feel repetitive because both words are from urus, but it’s still common and understandable. That said, Indonesians often use smoother alternatives such as:
- Hari ini saya ada urusan keluarga, jadi saya tidak ikut rapat. (I have family matters)
- Hari ini saya mengurus keperluan keluarga... (family needs/errands)
- Hari ini saya mengurus keluarga... (more general: take care of the family)
Why is it urusan keluarga and not something like “of the family” with a preposition?
Indonesian often links nouns directly (a “noun + noun” pattern). urusan keluarga is literally “family matters,” where keluarga works like a modifier. No “of” is needed.
What does jadi mean here? Is it the same as “so”?
Yes. jadi commonly functions as a connector meaning so / therefore / as a result. It links the first clause (reason/context) to the second clause (result). In more formal writing you might also see oleh karena itu (“therefore”), but jadi is very normal in everyday speech and writing.
Is the comma required before jadi?
Not strictly required, but it’s very common to use a comma when jadi connects two independent clauses, especially in writing:
- ..., jadi ... In casual texting, people may omit the comma.
Why is it saya tidak ikut rapat and not saya tidak datang ke rapat?
They’re different shades of meaning:
- tidak ikut rapat = not participate/join the meeting (could imply you’re not attending as a participant)
- tidak datang ke rapat = not come to the meeting (focuses on physical arrival)
- tidak hadir rapat = not be present/attend (more formal) ikut rapat is very common in office/work contexts.
Can I drop the second saya after jadi?
Yes, it’s often omitted because it’s clearly the same subject:
- Hari ini saya mengurus urusan keluarga, jadi tidak ikut rapat. Including saya is also correct; it can sound slightly more explicit.
Why use tidak here? When would I use bukan instead?
Use tidak to negate verbs and adjectives:
- tidak ikut (not join) Use bukan to negate nouns or noun phrases (identity/classification):
- Saya bukan manajer. (I’m not a manager.) So saya tidak ikut rapat is correct because ikut is a verb.
What level of formality is saya? Could I use aku?
saya is neutral-to-formal and safe in most situations (work, with strangers, polite contexts). aku is more informal and personal (friends, close peers). The sentence sounds like something you’d say at work, so saya fits well.
Is rapat the same as pertemuan?
Related, but not identical:
- rapat = meeting, often an official/work meeting (discussion/agenda)
- pertemuan = meeting/encounter/gathering, broader and sometimes less formal In an office context, rapat is usually the best match for “meeting.”
Do I need to add bisa (can) to make it sound natural, like “I can’t attend”?
You don’t need it—your sentence is already natural. Adding bisa makes the “unable to” nuance explicit:
- ..., jadi saya tidak bisa ikut rapat. (so I can’t attend) Without bisa, it simply states that you won’t join/attend (the reason is already given).