Result and Consequence in Indonesian

Overview

Expressing results and consequences is essential for building logical arguments and telling stories. Indonesian has several connectors for this purpose: jadi (so/therefore) for casual use, oleh karena itu (therefore) for formal contexts, akibatnya (as a result), and sehingga (so that/resulting in).

These connectors link a cause to its effect, allowing you to explain why things happened and what followed. They are especially important in academic writing, news reporting, and any situation where you need to present logical reasoning.

How It Works

Result Connectors

Indonesian	English	Register
jadi	so/therefore	casual
maka	then/therefore	formal
oleh karena itu	therefore	formal
karena itu	because of that	neutral
akibatnya	as a result	neutral-formal
sehingga	so that/resulting in	neutral
dengan demikian	thus/thereby	formal
oleh sebab itu	for that reason	formal

Patterns

Pattern	Example	English
Cause, jadi + result	Hujan, jadi saya di rumah.	It rained, so I stayed home.
Cause. Oleh karena itu, + result	Hujan. Oleh karena itu, saya di rumah.	It rained. Therefore, I stayed home.
Cause + sehingga + result	Capek sehingga istirahat cepat.	Tired so rested early.

Examples in Context

Indonesian	English	Note
Hujan, jadi saya di rumah.	It rained, so I stayed home.	Casual result
Oleh karena itu harus tunggu.	Therefore we had to wait.	Formal connector
Akibatnya, rencana berubah.	As a result, the plan changed.	Consequence
Capek sekali sehingga istirahat cepat.	Very tired so rested early.	Result clause
Jadi, apa kesimpulannya?	So, what is the conclusion?	Discourse marker
Karena itu, dia tidak datang.	Because of that, he didn't come.	Neutral connector
Dengan demikian, masalah selesai.	Thus, the problem is resolved.	Very formal
Maka dari itu, perlu perubahan.	Therefore, change is needed.	Formal
Dia sakit sehingga tidak masuk kerja.	He was sick so didn't come to work.	Result
Oleh sebab itu, kita harus hati-hati.	For that reason, we must be careful.	Formal

Common Mistakes

Overusing jadi in formal writing

• Wrong: Using jadi in academic essays
• Right: Use oleh karena itu, dengan demikian, or maka in formal writing
• Why: Jadi is casual. Formal writing requires formal connectors.

Confusing sehingga and karena

• Wrong: Saya di rumah sehingga hujan. (I'm home so-that rain)
• Right: Hujan sehingga saya di rumah. (Rain resulting-in I'm at home) or Saya di rumah karena hujan. (I'm home because-of rain)
• Why: Sehingga introduces results (what followed), karena introduces causes (why).

Starting every sentence with jadi

• Wrong: Jadi saya pergi. Jadi saya makan. Jadi saya pulang.
• Right: Vary your connectors: Lalu saya pergi. Kemudian saya makan. Akhirnya saya pulang.
• Why: Overusing any single connector sounds repetitive. Mix jadi with other sequence and result words.

Usage Notes

Jadi is one of the most versatile words in Indonesian. Beyond meaning "so/therefore," it can mean "to become" (Dia jadi dokter — She became a doctor) or serve as a discourse marker (Jadi, begini ceritanya... — So, this is how it goes...). In formal Indonesian, oleh karena itu and dengan demikian are standard in academic and official writing.

Practice Tips

1. Practice expressing cause and effect: Karena hujan, jadi saya di rumah. Karena sakit, oleh karena itu tidak masuk kerja.
2. Read Indonesian news articles and identify the result connectors used. Note how formal writing uses oleh karena itu and dengan demikian rather than jadi.

Related Concepts

• Basic Conjunctions — foundational connectors including karena and jadi