Kalau terus begadang, kita bisa keburu sakit sebelum ujian selesai.

Kalau means if. It introduces a condition:

• Kalau terus begadang = If we keep staying up late
• kita bisa keburu sakit sebelum ujian selesai = we might end up getting sick before the exams are over

Starting with the if-clause is very common in Indonesian, just like in English:

• Kalau hujan, saya di rumah. = If it rains, I stay home.

The comma after the first clause is also normal when the conditional part comes first.

The subject is understood from the main clause: kita.

So the full sense is:

• Kalau (kita) terus begadang, kita bisa keburu sakit...

In Indonesian, it is very common to leave out a repeated subject when it is already clear from context. English usually repeats it more often, but Indonesian often does not.

Here terus means continuously, repeatedly, or keep on.

So terus begadang means:

• keep staying up late
• continue staying up late
• go on pulling late nights

This is different from some other uses of terus, such as then, straight ahead, or directly, which you may also see in other contexts.

Begadang means to stay up late, often intentionally, and sometimes to stay up all night.

It is commonly used for situations like:

• studying late
• chatting late into the night
• watching something until very late
• not sleeping enough because you stay awake too long

So it is not just being awake; it usually suggests sleeping late on purpose or as a habit.

Bisa literally often means can, but in sentences like this it often has the sense of could or might.

So:

• kita bisa keburu sakit = we could/might end up getting sick

It does not necessarily mean ability here. It is more about possibility.

Keburu is a very useful word. It means something like:

• to already happen before something else
• to happen too soon
• to happen before there is time to prevent it

In this sentence:

• keburu sakit sebelum ujian selesai

means that we might get sick before the exams are finished, with the nuance that this happens too early or before we want it to happen.

A helpful way to think of keburu is:

• before it’s too late / before the other event finishes
• unfortunately already happening first

For example:

• Saya keburu lapar sebelum makan siang. = I got hungry before lunchtime came.
• Dia keburu pergi. = He left before we could do anything / before we were ready.

In Indonesian, sakit can function very naturally as a state, so jadi/become is often unnecessary.

• sakit = sick / ill
• keburu sakit = end up getting sick too soon / before expected

Indonesian often expresses changes of state more simply than English. English often wants become or get, but Indonesian can often just use the adjective/state word directly.

You may also hear:

• jatuh sakit = fall ill

That is also correct, but sakit by itself is very common and natural.

Literally, it means:

• before the exam(s) finish / are finished

Breakdown:

• sebelum = before
• ujian = exam / test
• selesai = finished / over

So ujian selesai means the exams are over or the exam period is finished.

Indonesian often does not need an extra verb like are here. A state word like selesai can act like the predicate by itself.

Indonesian often leaves nouns bare when the meaning is clear from context.

So ujian here can mean:

• the exam
• the exams
• the exam period

depending on the situation.

Unlike English, Indonesian does not always mark:

• the
• plural -s

If the speaker wanted to make it more specific, they might say:

• ujiannya = the exam(s)

But plain ujian is perfectly normal.

This is an important Indonesian distinction:

• kita = we, including the listener
• kami = we, excluding the listener

So kita suggests that the speaker is including the person they are talking to:

• If we keep staying up late, we might get sick...

That feels natural if the speaker and listener are both taking the exams or both involved in the same situation.

Yes. Kalau and jika can both mean if.

But there is a style difference:

• kalau = more common in everyday speech
• jika = often a bit more formal or written

So:

• Jika terus begadang, kita bisa keburu sakit sebelum ujian selesai.

is grammatical, but kalau sounds more conversational and natural in ordinary speech.

Yes, somewhat. Indonesian often allows the if-clause either before or after the main clause.

These are both possible:

• Kalau terus begadang, kita bisa keburu sakit sebelum ujian selesai.
• Kita bisa keburu sakit sebelum ujian selesai kalau terus begadang.

Putting kalau terus begadang first gives the condition more emphasis right away. That is a very common pattern.

It sounds natural and conversational, but not slangy.

Why?

• kalau is everyday Indonesian
• begadang is common vocabulary
• keburu is also very common in speech

So the sentence sounds like normal spoken or informal written Indonesian. It is not extremely formal, but it is completely standard and correct.