Time: sudah, sedang, akan, belum

By Speak Indo, from the Speak Indo Indonesian course.

Indonesian verbs do not inflect for tense. Time words and aspect markers show when or how an event happens.

How it works

Because the verb itself does not change for tense, context and small markers carry the time meaning: • sudah, already, completed, or a new state • sedang, currently in progress; often shortened to lagi in conversation • akan, will or intended future; mau and bakal are also common in speech • belum, not yet • pernah, ever or having had the experience These words do not map perfectly onto English tenses. A time phrase alone can be enough: Kemarin saya kerja (I worked yesterday).

Examples

• Saya sudah makan.
  I have already eaten.
• Dia sedang bekerja.
  He/She is (currently) working.
• Kami akan pergi besok.
  We will go tomorrow.
• Saya belum siap.
  I'm not ready yet.
• Pernah ke Bali?
  Have you ever been to Bali?