Indonesian · BIPA 1 (A1) · Chapter 40
Saya mengirim pesan kepadamuI am sending you a message
Phoning and messaging. Vocabulary: menelepon, pesan, mengirim, menerima, membalas, kabar, suara, ponsel, sinyal, kepada. Key grammar: the recipient marker "kepada". When you SEND something (a message, a letter) to a person, the recipient is marked with "kepada": "Saya mengirim pesan kepada Budi" (I send a message to Budi); "kepada kamu" can shorten to "kepadamu" (to you). Note: "menelepon" takes the person directly ("Saya menelepon kamu" = I call you), but "mengirim" takes a THING as its object and the recipient needs "kepada". English speakers copy "send YOU a message" (two objects) and say "mengirim kamu pesan" ✗ → the correct form is "mengirim pesan kepadamu" ✓.
Dialogue
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mengirim kamu pesan? mengirim pesan kepadamu— mengirim kamu pesan? or mengirim pesan kepadamu
- MikeBudi, nanti saya akan mengirim kamu pesan.Budi, later I will send you a message. (slip: recipient needs "kepada" → mengirim pesan kepadamu)
- BudiHampir benar! Tapi "mengirim" butuh "kepada" untuk penerima: "mengirim pesan kepadamu".Almost right! But "mengirim" needs "kepada" for the recipient: "mengirim pesan kepadamu".
- MikeOh, benda dulu, lalu orang. Saya akan mengirim pesan kepadamu nanti malam.Oh, the thing first, then the person. I will send a message to you tonight.
- BudiNah, sempurna! Tapi kalau menelepon, langsung saja: "Saya menelepon kamu", tanpa "kepada".There, perfect! But if you phone, go direct: "Saya menelepon kamu", without "kepada".
- MikeMengerti. Menelepon langsung ke orang, mengirim pakai "kepada".Got it. "menelepon" straight to the person, "mengirim" uses "kepada".
- BudiTepat sekali! Kalau begitu, saya tunggu pesanmu. Jangan lupa balas, ya!Exactly right! In that case, I will wait for your message. Do not forget to reply!
Dialogue
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Menelepon karena sinyal buruk— Calling because of a bad signal
- SariMike, aku mengirim pesan kepadamu tadi, tapi kamu tidak membalas.Mike, I sent you a message earlier, but you did not reply.
- MikeMaaf! Sinyal di kantor buruk, jadi aku tidak menerima pesanmu.Sorry! The signal at the office was bad, so I did not receive your message.
- SariTidak apa-apa. Lain kali, telepon saja aku kalau penting.It is all right. Next time, just call me if it is important.
- MikeBaik. Sekarang aku menelepon kamu supaya kita bisa bicara langsung.OK. Now I am calling you so we can talk directly.
- SariBagus, suaramu jelas sekarang. Ada kabar apa?Good, your voice is clear now. What is the news?
- MikeKabar baik! Aku dapat pekerjaan. Nanti aku kirim detailnya kepadamu lewat pesan.Good news! I got the job. I will send the details to you by message later.
Vocabulary
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- menelepon
verbto phone, call
- pesan
nounmessage
- mengirim
verbto send
- menerima
verbto receive
- membalas
verbto reply
- kabar
nounnews, word
- suara
nounvoice, sound
- ponsel
nounmobile phone
- sinyal
nounsignal
- kepada
prepositionto (a person)
Grammar
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The recipient "kepada" (+ "kepadamu")
Explanation
When you send something — a message, a letter, a gift — to a person, the recipient is marked with "kepada": "Saya mengirim pesan kepada Budi" (I send a message to Budi), "Dia menulis surat kepada ibunya" (she writes a letter to her mother). The direct object is the THING sent (message, letter), and the person who receives it comes after "kepada". The enclitics you already know for possession (-mu, -ku, -nya) attach here too: "kepada kamu" → "kepadamu" (to you), "kepada saya" → "kepadaku" (to me, informal). Compare with "menelepon", which takes the person DIRECTLY without "kepada": "Saya menelepon kamu" ✓ (I call you), not "menelepon kepada kamu". Common mistake: English uses two objects, "send YOU a message", so learners say "mengirim kamu pesan" ✗ → the correct form is "mengirim pesan kepadamu" ✓ or "mengirim pesan kepada kamu" ✓.
Examples
- Saya mengirim pesan kepadamu tadi pagi.I sent you a message this morning.
- Dia menelepon saya, tapi sinyalnya buruk.She called me, but the signal was bad.
- Tolong balas pesan kepada Sari, ya.Please reply with a message to Sari.
- Kami menerima kabar baik dari kantor.We received good news from the office.
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