Narrating Events in Indonesian

In Brief

Indonesian verbs do not change form to show past, present, or future, so a clear timeline often comes from context and time expressions. Use pertama to open a sequence, kemudian, lalu, or selanjutnya to move it forward, and akhirnya to introduce the ending or final outcome. Combine these words with markers such as kemarin (“yesterday”), setelah itu (“after that”), and tiba-tiba (“suddenly”) to turn separate actions into a connected story.

Overview

Narrating events is more than listing actions. A listener needs to know which event came first, which actions followed, whether two things happened at the same time, and what result brought the story to an end. Indonesian uses sequencing expressions—words and phrases that organize events in order—to make those relationships explicit.

This B1 topic builds on basic temporal connectors such as ketika (“when”), sebelum (“before”), and setelah (“after”). At B1, the goal is to combine those connectors across several sentences and shape a coherent narrative rather than produce only one time clause at a time.

This skill is particularly useful because Indonesian does not have tense endings like English walked or was walking. The verb pergi, for example, can mean “go,” “went,” or “will go,” depending on context. A time marker, an aspect marker such as sudah (“already”), or the surrounding story tells the reader when the action happens.

How It Works

The basic sequence

A simple narrative can follow this pattern:

Stage	Common Indonesian marker	Core meaning
Opening	pertama, mula-mula	first, at first
Continuation	kemudian, lalu, setelah itu	then, afterward
Next organized step	selanjutnya	next, subsequently
Closing or outcome	akhirnya, pada akhirnya	finally, in the end

The markers are not compulsory in every sentence. In fact, repeating one before every action can sound mechanical. State the time frame early, use markers where the order might otherwise be unclear, and let closely connected actions follow naturally.

Pertama means “first.” In instructions, pertama-tama (“first of all”) is also common. Mula-mula means “at first” or “initially” and often presents an initial situation that later changes.

• Pertama, kami membeli tiket. — “First, we bought tickets.”
• Mula-mula, semuanya berjalan lancar. — “At first, everything went smoothly.”

Choosing between kemudian, lalu, and selanjutnya

All three can advance a story, but they do not always feel identical.

Marker	Typical use	Tone
kemudian	a later event in a narrative	neutral; common in speech and writing
lalu	the next action, often in a quick sequence	neutral and very common in conversation
selanjutnya	the next stage, item, or organized step	orderly; frequent in explanations and structured accounts

Kemudian can indicate that something happened later without emphasizing an immediate jump. Lalu often keeps the action moving briskly. Selanjutnya makes the organization of the account more visible, much like “next” in a presentation or procedure.

The phrase setelah itu literally points back to the previous event: “after that.” It is especially useful when beginning a new sentence. Do not confuse it with setelah + event, where setelah introduces what must happen first:

• Setelah itu, kami pulang. — “After that, we went home.”
• Setelah makan, kami pulang. — “After eating, we went home.”
• Setelah kami makan, kami pulang. — “After we ate, we went home.”

Closing with akhirnya

Akhirnya presents the endpoint, eventual result, or resolution of a series of events. It often suggests that some time, effort, uncertainty, or difficulty came before the result. That makes it more meaningful than a purely numbered “last step.”

• Setelah menunggu dua jam, akhirnya bus datang. — “After waiting for two hours, the bus finally came.”

For the final item in a neutral list or procedure, terakhir (“last/lastly”) may be more precise:

• Terakhir, tambahkan garam. — “Lastly, add salt.”

Compare that with Akhirnya, sup itu siap, “Finally, the soup was ready,” which presents the outcome.

Establishing time without verb tense

English speakers often expect the verb itself to mark past time. In Indonesian, keep the verb unchanged and establish the time in other ways.

Function	Indonesian forms	What they add
Time frame	kemarin, tadi pagi, minggu lalu, waktu itu	when the story happened
Completed action	sudah, telah	the action is complete or already occurred
Ongoing action	sedang	the action is in progress
Not yet	belum	the expected action has not happened
Sudden turn	tiba-tiba	an unexpected event interrupts the flow

For example, Kemarin saya pergi ke pasar clearly refers to the past because of kemarin, not because pergi has changed. In Ketika saya sedang memasak, listrik padam, sedang presents cooking as ongoing while the power failure occurs.

Linking events within a sentence

A narrative needs both sentence-level sequence markers and clause connectors. A clause is a group of words built around an action or state. These connectors show the time relationship between two clauses:

Relationship	Pattern	Example meaning
Earlier action	sebelum + action, main event	before doing X, Y happened
Later action	setelah/sesudah + action, main event	after doing X, Y happened
Same time/background	ketika/waktu + clause	when X happened, Y happened
Simultaneous actions	sambil + verb	doing one action while doing another

The dependent time phrase can come first or later:

• Setelah rapat selesai, kami pergi makan. — “After the meeting ended, we went to eat.”
• Kami pergi makan setelah rapat selesai. — “We went to eat after the meeting ended.”

When the time phrase comes first, a comma makes a long sentence easier to read. Indonesian punctuation practice can vary in short phrases, but consistent punctuation helps learners and readers follow the narrative.

Examples in Context

Indonesian	English	Note
Pertama, saya pergi ke pasar.	First, I went to the market.	Opens the sequence.
Kemudian, saya memasak.	Then, I cooked.	Moves to a later event.
Selanjutnya, saya bersih-bersih.	Next, I cleaned up.	Marks an organized next step.
Akhirnya, saya istirahat.	Finally, I rested.	Gives the endpoint of the sequence.
Kemarin pagi kami terlambat bangun, lalu kami bergegas ke stasiun.	Yesterday morning we woke up late, then hurried to the station.	The opening phrase establishes past time.
Mula-mula, saya kira dompet saya tertinggal di rumah.	At first, I thought I had left my wallet at home.	Introduces an initial belief that may change.
Setelah itu, saya memeriksa tas sekali lagi.	After that, I checked my bag once more.	Refers back to the previous event.
Setelah saya menemukan dompet itu, saya langsung menelepon teman saya.	After I found the wallet, I immediately called my friend.	The time clause identifies the earlier event.
Ketika kami sedang menunggu kereta, tiba-tiba hujan turun.	While we were waiting for the train, it suddenly started raining.	Background action followed by an interruption.
Dia mendengarkan musik sambil membersihkan kamar.	She listened to music while cleaning the room.	Two actions happen at the same time.
Kami belum makan, jadi kami berhenti di sebuah warung.	We had not eaten yet, so we stopped at a food stall.	Belum supplies relevant background.
Bus itu akhirnya datang setelah kami menunggu hampir satu jam.	The bus finally arrived after we had waited for almost an hour.	Akhirnya implies a delayed result.
Terakhir, simpan salinan dokumen itu.	Lastly, save a copy of the document.	A neutral final instruction.

Common Mistakes

Trying to create an English-style past-tense verb

• Wrong: Kemarin saya went ke pasar.
• Right: Kemarin saya pergi ke pasar.
• Why: Indonesian does not inflect the verb for past tense. Kemarin already places pergi in the past.

Using setelah itu as if it directly introduced an action

• Wrong: Setelah itu makan, kami pulang.
• Right: Setelah makan, kami pulang.
• Also right: Setelah itu, kami makan lalu pulang.
• Why: Setelah makan means “after eating.” Setelah itu means “after that” and refers back to something already mentioned.

Treating akhirnya as an automatic translation of every “lastly”

• Less natural for a plain list: Akhirnya, tutup pintunya.
• Better: Terakhir, tutup pintunya.
• Why: Akhirnya often presents an eventual outcome or resolution. Terakhir is clearer for the last item in a procedure.

Repeating lalu before every action

• Awkward: Saya bangun, lalu mandi, lalu sarapan, lalu berangkat.
• Better: Saya bangun, mandi, dan sarapan, lalu berangkat.
• Why: One lalu can mark the important transition. Closely related actions can be grouped with commas and dan (“and”).

Leaving the time frame completely unclear

• Unclear by itself: Saya bertemu Rina di kantor.
• Clear past narrative: Tadi pagi saya bertemu Rina di kantor.
• Why: The first sentence can mean “I meet Rina” or “I met Rina,” depending on context. Add a time expression when the surrounding conversation does not establish the time.

Usage Notes

Lalu and kemudian are both widely usable. Lalu often feels brisk and conversational, while kemudian can give written narration a slightly more measured progression. This is a tendency, not a strict formal-versus-informal rule.

Selanjutnya is natural in presentations, reports, instructions, and accounts divided into stages. In a lively personal anecdote, too many instances of selanjutnya may sound more like a report than a spontaneous story.

Indonesian often omits a subject when it is obvious from context, but learners should be careful in longer narratives. Repeating saya, dia, or a person’s name can prevent ambiguity when several people are involved. Clarity is more important than avoiding repetition.

In casual speech, speakers may use short chunks, pauses, and discourse words alongside sequence markers. A careful written account normally benefits from complete clauses and a clear time frame, even though its verbs still do not carry tense endings.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

A well-shaped story does not merely place events in chronological order. It distinguishes foreground—the main actions that move the story forward—from background, the setting or ongoing situation around them. You can build background with time phrases and sedang, then introduce a foreground event with tiba-tiba, lalu, or a new clause:

Waktu itu saya sedang berjalan pulang. Tiba-tiba, seseorang memanggil nama saya.
“At that time I was walking home. Suddenly, someone called my name.”

Sequence markers can also signal logical development, not only clock time. In an explanation, selanjutnya may introduce the next point, while pada akhirnya can summarize the conclusion reached after a longer process. The reader interprets the relation from the whole passage.

Avoid assuming that sudah equals the English simple past. It marks an action or state as already realized or complete relative to the context. A past-time expression alone may be enough: Kemarin saya makan di sana is a complete past narrative sentence. Add sudah when “already” or completion matters: Ketika dia datang, saya sudah makan (“When he arrived, I had already eaten”). Telah can perform a similar completion-marking role and is especially common in formal writing.

More advanced narratives also vary pacing. Several short clauses with lalu can make action feel rapid, while a longer ketika clause slows the story to provide context. Choosing a connector is therefore partly a matter of style: it tells the reader not just when an event happened, but how to process it as part of the story.

Practice Tips

1. Build a four-step account. Describe yesterday using pertama, one of kemudian/lalu, selanjutnya, and akhirnya. On the second draft, remove any marker that is unnecessary and check whether the order remains clear.
2. Retell from a timeline. Write five events as brief notes, then connect them with sebelum, setelah, and ketika. This forces you to express relationships rather than simply repeat “then.”
3. Listen for time clues. In an Indonesian story or vlog, note every word that establishes time or completion. Pay attention to how often context—not a change to the verb—does the work that English tense forms would do.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Temporal Connectors — introduces ketika, sebelum, setelah, sambil, and other time relationships used inside a narrative.