How to Express Continuous and Habitual Actions in Indonesian

Understanding Continuous and Habitual Actions in Indonesian

In Indonesian, expressing continuous and habitual actions differs from English. Unlike English, Indonesian does not have verb conjugations to indicate tense. Instead, context and specific words or phrases are used to show whether an action is ongoing (continuous) or regularly repeated (habitual).

Expressing Continuous Actions

To indicate that an action is happening right now or is ongoing, Indonesian often uses the word sedang before the verb. This is similar to the English present continuous tense ("I am eating").

The structure is generally: Subject + sedang + verb + (object). The word sedang signals that the action is in progress at the moment of speaking.

Expressing Habitual Actions

Habitual actions, or actions that happen regularly or repeatedly, are usually expressed in Indonesian without any special markers. The simple verb form is used, and the habitual meaning is understood from context or time expressions.

Sometimes, words like biasanya (usually), sering (often), or selalu (always) are added to emphasize the habitual nature of the action.

Summary of Key Points

• Use sedang before verbs to express continuous actions happening now.
• Simple verb forms express habitual actions without tense changes.
• Add adverbs like biasanya, sering, or selalu to highlight habitual actions.
• Context and time expressions help clarify the meaning of actions.