sudah ... belum?

Have You Yet Question

Level 2

Use sudah ... belum? to ask "Have you [done X] yet?" or "Has [X] happened yet?" It focuses on whether an action is finished or a state has been reached.

How It Works

In Indonesian, questions about the past often focus on aspect (completion) rather than tense (time). The sudah ... belum? frame is the standard way to check if an action is finished.

1. Structure
The most common conversational structure is:
[Subject] + sudah + [Predicate] + belum?
Example: Kamu sudah makan belum? (Have you eaten yet?)

2. Standalone Responses
One of the most useful features of this pattern is that Sudah (Already/Yes) and Belum (Not yet) function as complete, grammatically correct sentences on their own. You do not need to repeat the entire verb phrase to answer.

3. Cultural Nuance
Indonesian culture often views actions as "not yet" happened rather than "no." When someone asks you a sudah ... belum? question, answering with belum is usually more polite than tidak (no), as it implies the action might still happen in the future. For example, if asked if you are married (Sudah menikah belum?), answering belum is the standard social response even if you have no immediate plans to marry.

4. Register

  • Casual: In daily speech, sudah often becomes udah and belum becomes belom.
  • Formal: In formal writing or speech, the suffix -kah is often attached to the first word: Sudahkah Anda makan?
  • Alternative Formal: You may also see Apakah [Subject] sudah [Predicate] atau belum?

5. Completion vs. Experience
Do not confuse this with pernah. Use sudah ... belum? for specific contexts or expected routines (like eating lunch or arriving at work). Use pernah to ask if someone has ever done something in their entire life.

Examples (5)

  1. Kamu sudah mandi belum?

    Have you showered yet?

    Word by Word: You already shower not-yet?

    A very common daily question. Notice how 'belum' acts like a question tag at the end.

  2. Filmnya sudah mulai belum?

    Has the movie started yet?

    Word by Word: Movie-the already start not-yet?

    Used here with a non-human subject to check the status of an event.

  3. Pak Budi sudah datang belum?

    Has Mr. Budi arrived yet?

    Word by Word: Mr. Budi already come not-yet?

    A common way to check if someone has arrived at a location like an office.

  4. A: Sudah makan belum? B: Belum.

    A: Have you eaten yet? B: Not yet.

    Word by Word: A: Already eat not-yet? B: Not-yet.

    This is a standard greeting in Indonesia, similar to 'How are you?' Answering 'belum' is the natural response if you haven't eaten.

  5. Pekerjaan itu sudah selesai belum?

    Is that work finished yet?

    Word by Word: Work that already finished not-yet?

    Used with an adjective/state (selesai) to check if a task is complete.

Common Mistakes

  • Answering with 'tidak' (no) instead of 'belum' (not yet).

    A: Sudah makan belum? B: Tidak.
    A: Sudah makan belum? B: Belum.

    Belum directly answers that the action has not happened yet. Tidak alone is not the ordinary aspectual answer and can instead suggest refusal in context. It does not inherently mean a permanent refusal to ever eat.

  • Incorrect word order by placing 'belum' at the start.

    Belum kamu sudah makan?
    Kamu sudah makan belum?

    In this question frame, 'belum' must appear at the end of the sentence or as part of the 'sudah... atau belum' structure.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

sudah ... belum?Level 2Have You Yet Question

Learn This First

To understand 'sudah ... belum?', you first need to know how 'sudah' marks completed actions and how 'belum' marks actions that haven't happened yet. This question pattern combines these two concepts to ask for a status update on an expected event.

Words in This Pattern