selama
For or During with Selama
Selama is the primary way to talk about how long something lasts. It can be used with time measurements (for 2 hours) or to connect two events (as long as you are here).
How It Works
In Indonesian, selama serves two main grammatical functions and appears in several common fixed expressions:
1. As a Preposition (Duration): It precedes a noun phrase, usually a time measurement or an event. Unlike English which uses 'for' for numbers and 'during' for events, Indonesian uses selama for both.
Example: selama tiga hari (for three days); selama liburan (during the holiday).
2. As a Conjunction (Simultaneous States): It connects two clauses to show that one thing happens for the entire duration of another. In this context, it often translates to 'as long as'.
Example: Selama dia di sini... (As long as he is here...).
3. Idiomatic Expressions:
- Selama ini: This fixed phrase means 'all this time' or 'up until now'. It is used to describe a state that has persisted from the past until the present moment.
- Selama-lamanya: The reduplicated form can mean 'forever' or 'for all time', but it is also a standard term in legal and formal contexts meaning 'at the most' or 'maximum' (e.g., selama-lamanya tujuh hari).
Key Distinctions:
- Generally, do not use untuk for duration. Untuk is for purpose, not time. However, the fixed phrase untuk selama-lamanya (forever/eternally) is a common exception used for emphasis.
- Unlike ketika (when), which marks a specific moment, selama marks the whole period.
- Unlike sementara (while/whereas), which often contrasts two different actions, selama usually emphasizes duration. It can also introduce a condition: Selama kamu belajar rajin, kamu akan sukses means that diligent study is the condition for success.
Examples (5)
- Saya tinggal di Jakarta selama lima tahun.
I lived in Jakarta for five years.
Word by Word: I live in Jakarta for five year.
Here, 'selama' is used with a time measurement (five years) to show the total duration of the stay.
- Selama rapat, kita tidak boleh menggunakan ponsel.
During the meeting, we are not allowed to use cell phones.
Word by Word: During meeting, we not may use cell phone.
'Selama' marks the entire duration of the event (the meeting).
- Selama kamu belajar rajin, kamu akan sukses.
As long as you study hard, you will be successful.
Word by Word: As long as you study diligent, you will success.
In this sentence, 'selama' acts as a conjunction connecting the condition of studying hard to the result of success.
- Selama ini, saya tidak tahu bahwa dia sakit.
All this time, I didn't know that he was sick.
Word by Word: During this, I not know that he sick.
The fixed expression 'selama ini' means 'all this time' or 'up until now'.
- Aku akan mencintaimu selama-lamanya.
I will love you forever.
Word by Word: I will love-you forever.
The reduplicated form 'selama-lamanya' means 'forever' or 'for the longest possible time'.
Common Mistakes
Using untuk when you mean how long something lasted.
Saya belajar untuk dua jam.Saya belajar selama dua jam.English speakers often translate 'for' literally as 'untuk'. To say how long something lasted, 'selama' is the usual word. Untuk dua jam can mean 'for a set period of two hours,' so it is not wrong, but it points to a planned or allotted time rather than the time spent.
Confusing 'selama' with 'selamat'.
Selamat tiga hari.Selama tiga hari.'Selamat' is used for greetings (like 'Selamat pagi') or to mean 'safe'. 'Selama' is the word for duration.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To use 'selama' effectively, learners need to be comfortable with Indonesian's system of expressing time without tense, as well as basic numbers for quantifying duration. It is also helpful to understand other temporal markers to correctly distinguish between a specific point in time and a continuous duration.
- Basic counting numbers
Selama is frequently used with cardinal numbers to specify the exact duration of time (e.g., 'selama tiga hari').
Level 1 - Time without tense inflection
Understanding how time is expressed without tense inflection is necessary to correctly place 'selama' within a sentence.
Level 1 - ketikaWhen Clause with Ketika
Both 'selama' and 'ketika' are temporal markers; understanding 'ketika' (point in time) helps distinguish the durative nature of 'selama' (span of time).
Level 2
Related Patterns
- sementaraWhile or Whereas with Sementara
Both can mean 'while', but 'sementara' is often used for contrasting simultaneous actions, whereas 'selama' focuses on the time span.
Level 4 - untukFor with Untuk
Learners often confuse these because both can translate to 'for' in English, but 'untuk' is for purpose and 'selama' is for time, except in the fixed phrase 'untuk selama-lamanya'.
Level 1 - sampaiUp to or Until with Sampai
'Sampai' marks the end point of a duration, whereas 'selama' marks the length of the duration itself.
Level 1 - sejakSince with Sejak
'Sejak' marks the starting point of a duration ('since'), while 'selama' marks the total time elapsed.
Level 3 - sambil + VerbSimultaneous Activity with Sambil
Both describe simultaneous events, but 'sambil' is used when one person does two things at once, whereas 'selama' focuses on the time period.
Level 2
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice selama in Bubblegum
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