Karena kunci rumah tertinggal di kantor, saya mau tidak mau kembali ke sana.

Because my house key was left at the office, whether I like it or not I have to go back there.

Breakdown of Karena kunci rumah tertinggal di kantor, saya mau tidak mau kembali ke sana.

• saya: I
• di: at
• kantor: the office
• karena: because

Questions & Answers about Karena kunci rumah tertinggal di kantor, saya mau tidak mau kembali ke sana.

What does karena mean here, and can it come at the beginning of a sentence?

Karena means because or since.

Yes, it can very naturally come at the beginning of a sentence, just like because in English when you put the reason first:

• Karena kunci rumah tertinggal di kantor, saya ...
• Saya ... karena kunci rumah tertinggal di kantor.

Both are correct. When the karena clause comes first, Indonesian often uses a comma after it, as in this sentence.

Why is it kunci rumah and not something like rumah kunci?

In Indonesian, the main noun usually comes first, and the word that describes or specifies it comes after.

So:

• kunci rumah = house key / key to the house
• literally: key house

This is a very common Indonesian pattern:

• mobil polisi = police car
• pintu kantor = office door
• buku pelajaran = textbook

So kunci rumah is the normal word order.

Does kunci rumah mean the house key or a house key?