Saya minum air dulu supaya tidak keburu haus di jalan.

Here dulu means something like first, before that, or for now.

So Saya minum air dulu means:

• I’ll drink some water first
• Let me drink water first

It does not mean in the past here.
Although dulu can sometimes mean formerly / in the past, in this sentence it marks an action done before another expected situation, namely being on the road and possibly getting thirsty.

Both are possible, but they have slightly different focus.

• Saya minum air dulu = the most neutral and natural order here
• Saya dulu minum air = puts more emphasis on first or on contrasting with another action

In everyday Indonesian, verb + object + dulu is very common when someone means do X first.

So Saya minum air dulu sounds very natural.

Supaya means so that or in order that.

It introduces a purpose:

• Saya minum air dulu supaya tidak keburu haus di jalan.
• I drink water first so that I won’t end up getting thirsty on the way.

Common alternatives are:

• agar — a bit more formal
• biar — more casual in speech

So these are similar:

• supaya tidak haus
• agar tidak haus
• biar tidak haus

Keburu is a very useful word, but it is hard to translate with one single English word.

In this sentence, keburu haus means something like:

• to get thirsty before there’s a good chance to do something about it
• to already become thirsty too soon
• to end up getting thirsty before expected

So tidak keburu haus means:

• not to get thirsty too soon
• not to end up already thirsty on the way

It adds a nuance that getting thirsty would happen before it is convenient.

You can say that, and it is simpler:

• Saya minum air dulu supaya tidak haus di jalan.
• I’ll drink water first so I won’t be thirsty on the way.

But keburu adds extra nuance. It suggests:

• the thirst might come sooner than wanted
• the speaker wants to prevent it before it starts
• there may not be a convenient chance to drink later

So:

• tidak haus = not thirsty
• tidak keburu haus = not becoming thirsty too soon / not already getting thirsty before you can do anything about it

Haus is usually treated like an adjective/state word, meaning thirsty.

So:

• Saya haus = I am thirsty

In Indonesian, words for states often work directly as predicates without needing a word like am.

That is why Indonesian says:

• Saya haus not
• Saya adalah haus

After keburu, Indonesian can use verbs or state words like this naturally:

• keburu lapar = get hungry too soon
• keburu capek = get tired too soon
• keburu haus = get thirsty too soon

Literally, yes, di jalan means on the road / on the street. But very often it naturally means:

• on the way
• during the trip
• while traveling

So in this sentence, di jalan is best understood as:

• on the way
• while out traveling

It does not necessarily mean the speaker is literally standing in the middle of a road.

Indonesian often does not use articles like a, an, or the, and it also often leaves words like some unstated when the meaning is obvious.

So:

• minum air = drink water / drink some water

The amount is understood from context.

If you want to be more specific, you could say:

• minum sedikit air = drink a little water
• minum segelas air = drink a glass of water

But in normal conversation, minum air is enough.

Yes, air in Indonesian means water.

It is pronounced roughly like ah-eer, not like English air.

So:

• air = water
• udara = air, in the English sense of the atmosphere

This is a very common thing for English speakers to mix up at first.

Often, yes, depending on context.

• air = water in general
• air putih = plain drinking water

In many daily situations, Indonesians say air putih when they specifically mean plain water to drink, especially to contrast it with tea, coffee, juice, and so on.

So these both work:

• Saya minum air dulu
• Saya minum air putih dulu

The version with air is still natural, especially when the context already makes it clear that it means drinking water.

Yes, very often, if the subject is already understood from context.

For example, in conversation someone might just say:

• Minum air dulu supaya tidak keburu haus di jalan.

That can still mean:

• I’ll drink water first so I don’t get thirsty on the way.

Indonesian often omits subjects when they are obvious.
Using saya makes the sentence clearer and a bit more complete.

It is mostly neutral and natural.

• saya is polite/neutral
• supaya is common and neutral
• keburu is very common in everyday speech
• di jalan is natural everyday Indonesian

If you wanted a more casual spoken style, you might hear:

• Aku minum air dulu biar nggak keburu haus di jalan.

If you wanted something a bit more formal, you could say:

• Saya minum air terlebih dahulu agar tidak keburu haus di perjalanan.

But the original sentence is perfectly normal.

Without extra markers, Indonesian verbs do not automatically show tense the way English verbs do.

So Saya minum air dulu depends on context. It could mean:

• I’m drinking water first
• I’ll drink water first
• I drink water first

In real life, with dulu, it often feels like:

• Let me drink some water first
• I’ll drink some water first

So the exact English tense comes from context, not from the verb form alone.

Indonesian often leaves time unstated if the meaning is already clear.

You could say:

• Saya akan minum air dulu supaya tidak keburu haus di jalan.

But it is usually unnecessary if the situation already shows that this is a plan or immediate intention.

The original sentence sounds natural because dulu and the purpose clause already make the intended meaning clear.

Yes, very often. It commonly appears with verbs and state words to mean already / too soon / before it’s convenient.

Examples:

• keburu lapar = get hungry too soon
• keburu capek = get tired too soon
• keburu malam = it gets late before expected
• keburu dingin = it gets cold before you do something
• keburu berangkat = leave too soon / leave before someone is ready

So learning keburu as a general pattern is very useful, not just in this sentence.