Setelah pesawat mendarat, kami menunggu di ruang kedatangan sampai Ayah datang.

Setelah means after. It introduces a time clause:

• Setelah pesawat mendarat = After the plane landed

So the sentence structure is:

• Setelah ..., kami menunggu ...
• After ..., we waited ...

You can also move that clause to the end:

• Kami menunggu di ruang kedatangan sampai Ayah datang setelah pesawat mendarat.

But starting with setelah is very natural when you want to set the time first.

The comma separates the introductory time clause from the main clause:

• Setelah pesawat mendarat, = introductory clause
• kami menunggu di ruang kedatangan sampai Ayah datang = main clause

In Indonesian, commas are commonly used this way, especially when a dependent clause comes first. It works much like English:

• After the plane landed, we waited...

Mendarat means to land.

It comes from the root darat, which relates to land or ground. With the meN- verbal prefix, it becomes a verb meaning to land.

So:

• darat = land / ground
• mendarat = to land

This is a very common Indonesian pattern: a root word becomes an active verb with meN-.

This is a very common question.

Both kami and kita can mean we, but they are different:

• kami = we, excluding the person being spoken to
• kita = we, including the person being spoken to

So here, kami menunggu means we waited, but not including the listener.

If the speaker were including the listener, they would say kita instead.

In Indonesian, menunggu already means to wait for.

So:

• menunggu Ayah = wait for Dad
• not literally wait for with a separate word for for

In this sentence, the object is not directly attached to menunggu because the sentence instead says where they waited and until when:

• kami menunggu di ruang kedatangan sampai Ayah datang
• we waited in the arrivals area until Dad came

You could also say:

• Kami menunggu Ayah di ruang kedatangan.
• We waited for Dad in the arrivals area.

Because this di is a preposition meaning in / at / on, not a verb prefix.

• di ruang kedatangan = in the arrivals area

In Indonesian:

• di as a preposition is written separately
• di- as a passive verb prefix is written attached

Compare:

• di ruang = in the room
• dibuka = opened

This is an important spelling rule.

Ruang kedatangan literally means something like arrival room/arrivals area.

Breakdown:

• ruang = room / space / area
• kedatangan = arrival

So together it means the place for arrivals at an airport, often best translated as:

• the arrivals area
• the arrivals hall

This is also a good example of Indonesian noun order, where the main noun usually comes first:

• ruang
  • kedatangan
• area
  • of arrival
• not arrival area word-for-word, even though that is the natural English translation

They are related, but they do different jobs.

• datang = to come / to arrive
• kedatangan = arrival (a noun)

So:

• ruang kedatangan = arrival area / arrivals hall
• Ayah datang = Dad came / Dad arrived

This shows a common Indonesian pattern where ke- -an can form a noun from a root.

In Indonesian, family terms like Ayah, Ibu, Mama, Kakek, etc. are often capitalized when they are used like a name or direct title.

So:

• Ayah datang = Dad came
• ayah saya datang = my father came

Capitalizing Ayah here shows it is being used like Dad as a name/title, not just the common noun father.

Here, sampai means until.

So:

• sampai Ayah datang = until Dad came

This word is very useful because sampai can also appear in other meanings depending on context, such as:

• to / up to
• until
• to arrive / to reach in some uses

But in this sentence, it is clearly a conjunction meaning until.

Because the sentence is simply saying that they waited until Dad came/arrived.

• Ayah datang = Dad came
• Ayah menjemput kami = Dad picked us up

The original sentence does not explicitly say picked us up. It only says he came. In context, we may understand that he came to meet them, but grammatically the sentence stays simple.

Indonesian does not mark tense the way English does.

Instead, time is usually understood from:

1. context
2. time words
3. sequence of events

Here, the sequence makes it clear this is a past situation:

• the plane landed
• we waited
• Dad came

So even though the verbs do not change form, the meaning is naturally understood as past.

If needed, Indonesian could add time words like:

• tadi = earlier
• kemarin = yesterday
• sudah = already

But they are not necessary here.

Indonesian does not have articles like a, an, and the.

So:

• pesawat can mean a plane or the plane
• ruang kedatangan can mean an arrivals area or the arrivals area

The exact meaning depends on context.

In this sentence, English naturally uses the because the speaker and listener know which plane and which arrivals area are being talked about. Indonesian does not need a separate word for that.

Yes, hingga can also mean until.

So this would also be possible:

• Setelah pesawat mendarat, kami menunggu di ruang kedatangan hingga Ayah datang.

The difference is mostly about style and tone:

• sampai is very common and everyday
• hingga can sound a bit more formal or literary

In normal speech, sampai is extremely natural.

Not always. Indonesian often omits subjects when they are clear from context.

For example, in conversation someone might say:

• Setelah pesawat mendarat, menunggu di ruang kedatangan sampai Ayah datang.

This can happen in informal speech if everyone already knows who is being talked about.

But in a full, clear sentence, keeping kami is better and more standard.

You can break it down word by word, but a natural English translation will not always follow the exact same structure.

Word-by-word:

• Setelah = after
• pesawat = plane
• mendarat = landed / to land
• kami = we
• menunggu = waited / wait for
• di = in / at
• ruang kedatangan = arrivals area
• sampai = until
• Ayah = Dad
• datang = came

A natural English version is:

• After the plane landed, we waited in the arrivals area until Dad came.

So yes, the pieces line up fairly well, but the best translation is usually not a strict word-for-word one.