Sebelum webinar dimulai, saya mematikan notifikasi di ponsel supaya bisa fokus.

Before the webinar starts, I turn off notifications on my phone so I can focus.

Breakdown of Sebelum webinar dimulai, saya mematikan notifikasi di ponsel supaya bisa fokus.

• saya: I
• mematikan: to turn off
• sebelum: before
• di: on
• supaya: so that
• bisa: can
• dimulai: to start
• fokus: to focus
• notifikasi: notification
• webinar: webinar
• ponsel: phone

Questions & Answers about Sebelum webinar dimulai, saya mematikan notifikasi di ponsel supaya bisa fokus.

Why does the sentence start with Sebelum webinar dimulai, ... and why is there a comma?

Sebelum means before, and it introduces a time clause. Putting Sebelum webinar dimulai at the beginning sets the time context first (similar to Before the webinar started, ... in English).
The comma is commonly used after a fronted introductory clause to make the sentence easier to read. It’s optional in very short clauses, but here it’s natural and standard.

What is the grammar of webinar dimulai? Is it passive?

Yes. dimulai is the passive form of memulai (to start).

• webinar dimulai = the webinar is started / the webinar starts (natural English)
  Indonesian often uses the passive di- form to describe events happening without focusing on who does the action.

Can I also say Sebelum webinar mulai? What’s the difference?

Yes, Sebelum webinar mulai is also very common and slightly more direct/colloquial.

• webinar mulai uses mulai as an intransitive verb (the webinar starts).
• webinar dimulai is passive (the webinar is started), a bit more formal or “event-announcement” style.
  Both are correct; the meaning is essentially the same in context.

Why is saya mematikan notifikasi using me- and not just mati?

Because mati means to be off / to be dead (a state), while mematikan means to turn off (an action you do to something).

• notifikasi mati = the notifications are off (state)
• saya mematikan notifikasi = I turned off the notifications (action)

Is mematikan always used for turning things off?

Often, yes—especially for making something “not active.” It can be used for:

• devices/settings: mematikan ponsel, mematikan alarm, mematikan notifikasi
• lights/electricity: mematikan lampu
  For some things, you can also use menonaktifkan (to deactivate), which sounds more technical/official: menonaktifkan notifikasi.

Why use di ponsel and not pada ponsel?

For devices/places where something is “in/on” the device, Indonesian commonly uses di:

• notifikasi di ponsel = notifications on the phone
  pada is possible but more formal/abstract and is used more in fixed phrases or formal writing. For everyday speech, di ponsel is the natural choice.

What exactly does ponsel mean, and are there other common words?

ponsel is short for telepon seluler and means mobile phone/cell phone.
Other very common options:

• HP (very common in Indonesia)
• handphone (also very common)
• telepon (can mean phone in general, sometimes landline)

Why is supaya used here? How is it different from agar?

Both supaya and agar mean so that / in order to.

• supaya is very common in spoken Indonesian and feels slightly more casual.
• agar can feel a bit more formal or written, but it’s also used in speech.
  You can swap them here with no real change in meaning: ... agar bisa fokus.

Do I need bisa in supaya bisa fokus? What does it add?

You can say either supaya bisa fokus or supaya fokus.

• supaya bisa fokus = so that I can be able to focus (emphasizes ability/possibility)
• supaya fokus = so that I’m focused / so I can focus (more direct)
  Including bisa is very natural and common.

Is fokus a verb or an adjective in Indonesian?

It can function like both, depending on context. In bisa fokus, fokus behaves like a verb/adjective meaning to be focused / to focus. Indonesian often uses one form without changing endings, and the surrounding words (like bisa, lebih, tetap) show the role.

Why is it mematikan notifikasi (plural) without any plural marker?

Indonesian often leaves nouns unmarked for plural when the meaning is clear from context. notifikasi can mean one notification, notification(s) in general, or the notification feature.
If you really want to emphasize plural, you could say notifikasi-notifikasi, but that sounds unnecessary here.

Could I change the order and say Saya mematikan notifikasi di ponsel sebelum webinar dimulai?

Yes, that’s also correct. Indonesian is flexible with time clauses.

• Sebelum webinar dimulai, saya ... foregrounds the time setting (nice narrative flow).
• Saya ... sebelum webinar dimulai foregrounds what you did first (more action-first).
  Both are natural; choose based on what you want to emphasize.