Sentence Pattern (Pola Kalimat)

1. Subject – Complement

A simple sentence can be built by adding a noun, an adjective, a prepositional phrase or a

numeral to complement the subject. There is no verb ‘to be’ in Indonesian. However, because
of the influence of English, a sort of copula verb ‘adalah‘ or ‘ialah‘ is often inserted between
the subject and comlement.

Dewi peragawati. Dewi (is a) catwalk model. noun

Dewi adalah seorang peragawati. Dewi is a catwalk model. copula verb
Dia cantik. She (is) beautiful. adjective
Bapak di kantor. Father (is) at the office. preposition phrase
Anaknya satu. His son is one. numeral
Dewi bukan peragawati. Dewi is not a catwalk model. negative sentence
Apakah Dewi peragawati? Is Dewi a catwalk model? interrogative sentence
Dewilah peragawatinya Dewi is the catwalk model. predicate marker
2. Subject – Predicate – Adverb

The predicator may be a simple intransitive verb without any affixes. It may also take the
prefix ber-, me-, or ter-. Adverbial is an optional element.

Subject Predicate Adverb Meaning

Ibu saya ada di rumah. My mother is at home.
Latihan menari sudah selesai kemarin. The dance rehearsal has concluded yesterday.
Uangnya tersimpan dengan baik. His money was kept safely.
3. Subject – Predicate – Object – Adverb

The predicator may be a simple verb without any affixes. It may also take the affixes me-, -i,
me-i, memer-i, me-kan, memper-kan. Adverbial is an optional element.

Subject Predicate Object Adverb Meaning

Mereka sudah mengerjakan laporan itu kemarin. They have done the report yesterday.
Dia mengalami kesulitan sebagai pelajar. He experienced many difficulties as student.
Polisi membekuk pencuri. The police arrested the thief.
4. Subject – Predicate – Complement – Adverb

The complement may be a noun phrase, an adjective, or a noun phrase preceded by an adjective-like
verb. It may be also a noun preceded by an adjective as predicate. Adverbial is an optional element.

Subject Predicate Complement Adverbial Meaning

Noun Verb Noun Adverb
Ujian tinggal dua hari lagi. The exam is two days away.
Dia berdagang batik di Pasar. He traded batik in the market.
Ayahnya menjadi guru. - His father becomes a teacher.

Subject Predicate Complement

Meaning
Noun Verb Adjective
Bajunya berwarna kuning. His shirt is yellow.

1
 Dia merasa beruntung. He felt lucky.

Subject Predicate Complement Meaning

Noun Adjective Noun
Mangga itu manis rasanya. That mango is sweet in taste.
Pohon ini banyak buahnya. This tree has many fruits.
Orang itu lambat jalannya. That person are slow in walking.
5. Subject – Predicate – Object – Complement

The complement may be a noun phrase, an adjective, a noun phrase or a verb.

Subject Predicate Object Complement Meaning

Noun Verb Noun Adjective
Dia merasa badannya lemah. He felt his body weak.
Masalah itu membuat dia marah. That problem made him angry.

Subject Predicate Object Complement Meaning

Noun Verb Noun Noun
Dia mengira saya orang Jawa. He thought me a Javanese/He thought I was a Javanese.
Mereka menamai bayi itu Amir. They named the baby Amir.

Subject Predicate Object Complement Meaning

Noun Verb Noun Verb
Dia menyuruh saya keluar. He asked me to go out.
Mereka mengajarkan kami menari. They taught us dancing.
6. Subject – Predicate – Object – Object

The structure has two objects. The first object is indirect object and the second one is direct object.
The indirect object is often called the beneficiary of an action.

Subject Predicate Indirect Object Direct Object Meaning

Noun Verb Noun Noun
Saya sedang mencarikan adik saya pekerjaan. I am getting my sister a job.
Dia menawari saya pekerjaan. He offered me a job.