Kunci itu terlepas dari tangan saya.

The key slipped from my hand.

Breakdown of Kunci itu terlepas dari tangan saya.

• itu: that
• dari: from
• saya: my
• kunci: the key

Questions & Answers about Kunci itu terlepas dari tangan saya.

What does terlepas mean here?

Here, terlepas means something like slipped loose, came free, or got released accidentally. In this sentence, it suggests the key was in your hand and then unintentionally was no longer there.

What does the prefix ter- do in terlepas?

In this sentence, ter- gives a sense of something that happened unintentionally, unexpectedly, or by itself from the speaker’s point of view.

So:

• lepas = free, loose, released
• terlepas = became free / slipped free accidentally

That accidental nuance is very important here.

Is terlepas a passive form?

Not in the same way as a normal di- passive.

Malay di- passives usually highlight that something was done by someone, for example dibuka = was opened.

ter- often works differently: it can show that something happened unintentionally, spontaneously, or simply resulted in a certain state. So terlepas is better understood as accidentally slipped free rather than a regular passive like was released.

Why is itu after instead of before it?