Bahwa
This conjunction is similar to “that” in English. It’s commonly used to introduce a clause or to convey an explanation, a fact, or a statement. For instance:
- “Dia bilang bahwa dia akan datang besok.” (He said that he will come tomorrow.)
- “Saya percaya bahwa pendidikan penting.” (I believe that education is important.)
- “Saya yakin bahwa mereka akan menang dalam pertandingan itu.” (I am certain that they will win the match.)
- “Dia berkata bahwa dia sedang sakit.” (She said that she is feeling unwell.)
In spoken Indonesian, “bahwa” can be replaced with “kalau”.
For example :
- “Dia bilang kalo dia mau datang besok.” (He said that he will come tomorrow.)
- “Saya percaya kalau pendidikan penting.” (I believe that education is important.)
- “Saya yakin kalau mereka bakal menang di pertandingan itu.” (I am certain that they will win the match.)
- “Dia bilang kalau dia lagi sakit.” (She said that she is feeling unwell.)
Here are some verbs in Indonesian that are commonly used to convey an explanation, a fact, or a statement (these verbs are formal):
- Mengatakan bahwa – Said that
- Menyatakan bahwa – Stated that
- Menjelaskan bahwa – Explained that
- Membenarkan bahwa – Justified that
- Menegaskan bahwa – Asserted that
- Menyampaikan bahwa – Conveyed that
- Meyakinkan bahwa – Convinced that
- Mengklaim bahwa – Claimed that
- Memastikan bahwa – Ensured that
- Menggarisbawahi bahwa – Emphasized that
- Menunjukkan bahwa – Showed that
- Membuktikan bahwa – Proved that
- Mengakui bahwa – Acknowledged that
Kalau
This conjunction translates to “if” or “when” in English. It’s used to introduce conditional clauses, indicating a condition or a possibility. There are some variations : “jika”, “bila” and “apabila”. You CANNOT replace “kalau” with “bahwa”. For example:
- “Kalau kamu lapar, kita bisa makan bersama.” (If you’re hungry, we can eat together.)
- “Kalau cuaca bagus, kita akan pergi ke pantai.” (When the weather is good, we will go to the beach.)
- “Kalau dia menangin kompetisi, dia bakal dapat hadiah besar.” (If he wins the competition, he will get a big prize.)
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