Language/Javanese/Grammar/Subject-Verb-Object

Javanese → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Sentence Structure → Subject-Verb-Object

Introduction

Welcome to the "Subject-Verb-Object" lesson of the "Complete 0 to A1 Javanese Course"! In this lesson, you will learn the basic structure of Javanese sentences, which follows the Subject-Verb-Object pattern. You will also learn how to form simple sentences and build your Javanese vocabulary.

Javanese is an Austronesian language spoken by about 100 million people in Indonesia, mainly on the island of Java. It is the second most spoken language in Indonesia after Indonesian, the national language of the country, and has a rich cultural heritage with a long history of literature, art, and music.

Basic Sentence Structure

Javanese follows the Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) order in basic declarative sentences, which means the subject comes before the verb, and the object comes after the verb. For example:

• Ngoko awakku mangan nasi. (I eat rice in Ngoko register)

The above sentence can be broken down into three parts:

1. Ngoko awakku (I)
2. mangan (eat)
3. nasi (rice)

The basic sentence structure is:

• Subject + Verb + Object

Subject

The subject in Javanese can be a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase that refers to the person, animal, thing or concept that performs the action of the verb in the sentence. In Javanese, subjects are often omitted when they are clear from the context or if the speaker wants to put emphasis on the object. For example:

• Kowe (you) wis takon metu? (Have you already asked to go out?)

Verb

The verb in Javanese can be simple or complex, and it indicates the action or state that the subject performs or undergoes in the sentence. The verb also agrees with the subject in terms of person, gender, and number. In Javanese, verbs are not inflected for tense, but tense can be indicated by the use of time adverbial markers, such as "tuku" (already bought) for past tense and "arep tuku" (will buy) for future tense.

Object

The object in Javanese can be a noun, pronoun or noun phrase that receives the action of the verb in the sentence. In Javanese, direct objects are usually placed after the verb, while indirect objects can be marked with the preposition "kanggo" (for) or "karo" (with).

Here's an example of a sentence with direct and indirect objects:

• Aku (I) arep ngirimung kado (want to send a gift) bodheku (my grandpa) karo juragan barbershop (to the barbershop owner for fixing his hair).

The direct object is "kado" (gift), which receives the action of the verb "ngirimung" (send), while the indirect objects are "bodheku" (my grandpa) and "juragan barbershop" (the barbershop owner), which indicate the recipient and the purpose of the gift, respectively.

Examples

Let's take a look at some examples of basic sentences in Javanese, along with their English translations:

Javanese	English
Aku (I) seneng (happy) banget (really) nang (when) bertemu (meet) karo (with) Kamu(you).	I'm so happy when I meet you.
Kamu (you) wis (already) mangan (eat) rujak (fruit salad) belum (not yet)?	Have you eaten the fruit salad yet?
Bapakku (my father) kae (take) tukaran (the change) sing (that) ora (not) angel (right) saka (from) petugas (the officer) bank (bank).	My father took the wrong change from the bank officer.
Aku (I) suka (like) nebak (guess).	I like guessing.
Budhiku (my aunt) pengin (want) pesen (order) nasi goreng (fried rice).	My aunt wants to order fried rice.

Exercises

Practice forming basic sentences in Javanese by making new sentences with the following subjects, verbs, and objects:

• Subj: awakmu (your brother) Verb: mlaku (walk) Object: sekolah (to school)
• Subj: aku (I) Verb: nonton (watch) Object: film (movie)
• Subj: Sampeyan(sir/ma'am) Verb: ngantos (wait) Object: temané (his/her friend)
• Subj: ora ana (not have) Verb: sjaji (prepare) Object: KTP(Kartu Tanda Penduduk - Identity Card)

Check your answers in the table below:

Javanese	English
Awakmu mlaku sekolah.	Your brother walks to school.
Aku nonton film.	I watch a movie.
Sampeyan ngantos temané.	You wait for his/her friend.
ktp ku ora ana sing sjaji.	I don't have my prepared identity card.

Table of Contents - Javanese Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Greetings and Introductions

• Basic Greetings
• Introducing Yourself

  ---

Sentence Structure

• Subject-Verb-Object
• Questions and Negations

  ---

Numbers and Time

• Numbers 1-10
• Telling Time

  ---

Nouns and Pronouns

• Personal Pronouns
• Possessive Pronouns

  ---

Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Relationship Terms

  ---

Verbs and Tenses

• Present Tense
• Past Tense

  ---

Food and Drinks

• Common Foods
• Drinks and Beverages

  ---

Adjectives and Adverbs

• Descriptive Adjectives
• Adverbs of Manner

  ---

Travel and Transportation

• Modes of Transportation
• Travel Vocabulary

  ---

Prepositions and Conjunctions

• Basic Prepositions
• Common Conjunctions

  ---

Javanese Customs and Etiquette

• Politeness Levels
• Social Etiquette

Related Lessons

• Pronouns
• 0 to A1 Course
• Adverbs of Manner
• Conditional Mood
• Plurals
• Descriptive Adjectives
• How to Use Be
• Adjectives
• Give your Opinion
• Future Tense