A2 Adjectives 1 min read Fácil

Expressing Physical States

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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

In Indonesian, you don't need a verb like 'am' or 'is' to describe a physical state; just place the adjective directly after the subject.

  • No 'to be' verb: Just say 'Saya lapar' (I am hungry).
  • Negation: Use 'tidak' before the adjective: 'Saya tidak lapar' (I am not hungry).
  • Questions: Add 'kah' or use intonation: 'Apakah kamu lapar?' (Are you hungry?).
Subject + [Adjective] = State of Being

Meanings

Indonesian uses adjectives as predicates without a copula (verb 'to be'). This is the standard way to describe physical conditions or states.

1

Physical Condition

Describing bodily states like hunger, tiredness, or sickness.

“Dia sakit.”

“Kami haus.”

2

Sensory State

Describing how one feels in terms of temperature or comfort.

“Saya kepanasan.”

“Dia kedinginan.”

Adjective Predicate Structure

Subject Negation (Optional) Adjective English Meaning
Saya - lapar I am hungry
Kamu tidak lelah You are not tired
Dia - sakit He/She is sick
Kami tidak haus We are not thirsty
Mereka - sehat They are healthy
Anda tidak nyaman You are not comfortable

Informal Negation

Formal Informal
tidak nggak

Reference Table

Reference table for Expressing Physical States
Form Structure Example
Affirmative Subject + Adjective Saya lapar
Negative Subject + tidak + Adjective Saya tidak lapar
Question Apakah + Subject + Adjective? Apakah kamu lapar?
Emphasis Subject + sangat + Adjective Saya sangat lapar
State Change Subject + sudah + Adjective Saya sudah lelah
Still State Subject + masih + Adjective Saya masih lapar

Espectro de formalidade

Formal
Saya merasa lelah.

Saya merasa lelah. (Expressing fatigue)

Neutro
Saya lelah.

Saya lelah. (Expressing fatigue)

Informal
Saya capek.

Saya capek. (Expressing fatigue)

Gíria
Gue capek banget.

Gue capek banget. (Expressing fatigue)

Physical States Map

Physical State

Energy

  • lelah tired
  • bugar fit

Needs

  • lapar hungry
  • haus thirsty

English vs Indonesian Structure

English
I am hungry I am hungry
Indonesian
Saya lapar I hungry

Sentence Building

1

Is it negative?

YES
Add 'tidak'
NO
Skip

Common Adjectives

😊

Feelings

  • • lapar
  • • haus
  • • lelah
  • • sakit
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Examples by Level

1

Saya lapar.

I am hungry.

2

Dia lelah.

He is tired.

3

Kami haus.

We are thirsty.

4

Kamu sakit?

Are you sick?

1

Apakah kamu lelah hari ini?

Are you tired today?

2

Saya tidak lapar sekarang.

I am not hungry now.

3

Anak itu sangat sehat.

That child is very healthy.

4

Mereka masih haus.

They are still thirsty.

1

Saya merasa sedikit pusing.

I feel a bit dizzy.

2

Dia sudah lelah bekerja.

He is already tired of working.

3

Cuaca hari ini sangat panas.

The weather today is very hot.

4

Apakah kamu merasa nyaman di sini?

Do you feel comfortable here?

1

Saya benar-benar kepanasan di ruangan ini.

I am really overheated in this room.

2

Meskipun lelah, dia tetap bekerja.

Although tired, he keeps working.

3

Dia tampak sangat pucat.

He looks very pale.

4

Jangan khawatir, saya tidak sakit.

Don't worry, I am not sick.

1

Kondisinya sangat kritis saat ini.

His condition is very critical right now.

2

Saya merasa kurang sehat akhir-akhir ini.

I have been feeling unwell lately.

3

Dia terlihat sangat bugar untuk usianya.

He looks very fit for his age.

4

Situasinya menjadi sangat sulit.

The situation is becoming very difficult.

1

Sungguh, saya tidak merasa lelah sedikit pun.

Honestly, I don't feel tired at all.

2

Dia tampak sangat letih setelah perjalanan jauh.

He appears very exhausted after the long trip.

3

Apakah Anda merasa cukup bugar untuk mendaki?

Do you feel fit enough to hike?

4

Keadaannya tidak stabil sejak kemarin.

The state is unstable since yesterday.

Easily Confused

Expressing Physical States vs Tidak vs Bukan

Learners mix them up because both mean 'not'.

Expressing Physical States vs Adalah vs Omission

Learners think they need a verb to link words.

Expressing Physical States vs Lelah vs Capek

They mean the same thing but have different registers.

Erros comuns

✗

Saya adalah lapar

✓

Saya lapar

Adalah is for nouns, not adjectives.
✗

Saya bukan lapar

✓

Saya tidak lapar

Bukan is for nouns, tidak is for adjectives.
✗

Saya am lapar

✓

Saya lapar

Do not include English verbs.
✗

Saya lapar-kan

✓

Saya lapar

No suffix needed for simple state.
✗

Apakah kamu adalah lelah?

✓

Apakah kamu lelah?

Adalah is unnecessary.
✗

Dia tidak sehat-nya

✓

Dia tidak sehat

No possessive suffix needed.
✗

Saya sangat tidak lapar

✓

Saya tidak lapar

Usually just 'tidak' is enough.
✗

Saya merasa lelah-nya

✓

Saya merasa lelah

Incorrect suffix usage.
✗

Dia bukan lelah, dia sakit

✓

Dia tidak lelah, dia sakit

Use tidak for adjectives.
✗

Saya sangat lelah-kan

✓

Saya sangat lelah

Adjective does not change.
✗

Kondisinya adalah kritis

✓

Kondisinya kritis

Even in formal contexts, omit copula.
✗

Dia tidak merasa sehat-nya

✓

Dia tidak merasa sehat

Incorrect suffix.
✗

Saya tidak bugar-kan

✓

Saya tidak bugar

No suffix.

Sentence Patterns

Saya ___.

Apakah kamu ___?

Saya tidak ___.

Dia sangat ___.

Real World Usage

Texting a friend constant

Gue capek bgt.

Ordering food very common

Saya lapar.

Doctor's visit common

Saya merasa pusing.

Social media post common

Lelah tapi senang.

Travel common

Saya kepanasan.

Job interview occasional

Saya merasa siap.

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💡

Don't overthink

If you want to say 'I am [adjective]', just say 'Saya [adjective]'. Don't look for the verb.
⚠️

Watch out for 'adalah'

Never use 'adalah' with adjectives. It sounds very unnatural.
🎯

Use 'nggak' in speech

In casual conversation, 'tidak' becomes 'nggak'. It makes you sound much more like a local.
💬

The 'Sudah makan?' culture

Remember that asking about hunger is a sign of care in Indonesia.

Smart Tips

Add 'banget' at the end of the sentence for emphasis.

Saya lelah. → Saya lelah banget.

If you can replace the word with a verb, use 'tidak'.

Saya bukan lelah. → Saya tidak lelah.

Use 'merasa' before the adjective.

Saya lelah. → Saya merasa lelah.

Drop the subject if it's clear from context.

Saya lapar. → Lapar nih.

Pronúncia

la-PAR

Stress

Stress usually falls on the penultimate syllable.

Apakah kamu lapar? (upward pitch at the end)

Intonation

Rising intonation for yes/no questions.

Question

Kamu lapar? ↗

Inquisitive tone

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Think of the 'No-Verb' rule: 'I hungry' sounds caveman-like in English, but it's perfect Indonesian!

Visual Association

Imagine a person standing next to a sign that says 'Lapar'. No bridge (verb) is needed between them.

Rhyme

No 'am', no 'is', no 'are' to be found, Just put the words side-by-side on the ground.

Story

Budi is walking. He feels 'lapar'. He doesn't need a verb to say it. He just says 'Saya lapar'. His friend asks 'Apakah kamu lapar?'. Budi says 'Tidak, saya tidak lapar'.

Word Web

laparhauslelahsakitsehatnyamanpusing

Desafio

Write 5 sentences about how you and your family feel right now using this structure.

Notas culturais

Asking 'Sudah makan?' (Have you eaten?) is a common way to show care, often replacing 'How are you?'.

In Java, 'capek' is very common for 'tired' instead of 'lelah'.

In formal settings, 'lelah' is preferred over 'capek'.

Indonesian is an Austronesian language, which typically lacks a copula for adjectival predicates.

Conversation Starters

“

Apakah kamu lapar?

“

Bagaimana perasaanmu hari ini?

“

Apakah kamu lelah setelah bekerja?

“

Apakah kamu merasa cukup bugar?

Journal Prompts

Write about how you feel right now.
Describe a time you were very tired.
Compare how you feel in the morning vs at night.
Discuss the importance of physical health.
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Test Yourself

Fill in the blank.

Saya ___ (hungry).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: lapar
Lapar means hungry.
Choose the correct sentence. Múltipla escolha

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Saya lapar
No copula needed.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Saya bukan lelah.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Saya tidak lelah
Use tidak for adjectives.
Reorder the words. Sentence Reorder

Arrange the words in the correct order:

All words placed

Click words above to build the sentence

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Saya tidak lapar
Subject + tidak + adjective.
Translate to Indonesian. Tradução

I am tired.

Answer starts with: Say...

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Saya lelah
Lelah means tired.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Apakah kamu sakit? B: ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ya, saya sakit
Match the adjective.
Build a sentence. Sentence Building

Subject: Dia, Adjective: sehat

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Dia sehat
Simple structure.
Sort into correct category. Grammar Sorting

Which word is for adjectives?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: tidak
Tidak is for adjectives.

Score: /8

Exercicios praticos

8 exercises
Fill in the blank.

Saya ___ (hungry).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: lapar
Lapar means hungry.
Choose the correct sentence. Múltipla escolha

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Saya lapar
No copula needed.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Saya bukan lelah.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Saya tidak lelah
Use tidak for adjectives.
Reorder the words. Sentence Reorder

lapar / tidak / saya

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Saya tidak lapar
Subject + tidak + adjective.
Translate to Indonesian. Tradução

I am tired.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Saya lelah
Lelah means tired.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Apakah kamu sakit? B: ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ya, saya sakit
Match the adjective.
Build a sentence. Sentence Building

Subject: Dia, Adjective: sehat

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Dia sehat
Simple structure.
Sort into correct category. Grammar Sorting

Which word is for adjectives?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: tidak
Tidak is for adjectives.

Score: /8

Perguntas frequentes (8)

No, Indonesian adjectives never change form.

No, 'adalah' is strictly for nouns.

Use 'sangat': 'Saya sangat lelah'.

No, use 'tidak' for formal writing.

Indonesian syntax doesn't require a copula for adjectival predicates.

Add 'tadi' or 'dulu' to indicate past tense.

Only if you are negating the adjective as a noun concept, which is rare.

Use 'Apakah' or rising intonation.

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In Other Languages

Spanish low

Estoy cansado

Spanish uses a copula; Indonesian does not.

French low

Je suis fatigué

French uses a copula; Indonesian does not.

German low

Ich bin müde

German uses a copula; Indonesian does not.

Japanese partial

Watashi wa tsukarete iru

Japanese uses a complex verb form; Indonesian uses a simple adjective.

Arabic high

Ana ta'ban

Both omit the copula, but Arabic has gender agreement.

Chinese high

Wo hen lei

Chinese uses 'hen' as a filler; Indonesian doesn't require it.

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Describing Symptoms
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Health Advice

Related Grammar Rules

A1

Adjective Placement
A1

Describing People
A2

Describing Conditions
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