sebelum

Sebelum is an Indonesian word that functions as both a preposition and a conjunction, meaning "before" or "prior to." It introduces actions or events that occur earlier than another reference point in time, and it can connect clauses or accompany a time phrase.

In usage, sebelum frequently appears to indicate sequence or precedence. It can link two clauses, as in "Saya minum obat sebelum tidur" (I take medicine before sleeping), or introduce a time phrase, as in "sebelum jam delapan" (before eight o’clock). It is versatile in formal and informal language and is common in everyday speech as well as written Indonesian. Seorang peneliti, misalnya, harus membaca instruksi sebelum memulai eksperimen.

Etymology traces to the prefix se- combined with belum, the word for "not yet." The compound conveys the sense of something that happens earlier than a reference point, not merely a past event. This formation is typical of many Indonesian time expressions and reflects the language’s approach to ordering events without explicit tense inflections.

Related forms and expressions include sebelumnya (previously), before this or that, and sebelum itu (before that). Selebihnya, sebelum can pair with various verbs or noun phrases to express temporal precedence, such as sebelum pagi (before morning) or sebelum melakukan sesuatu (before doing something). Overall, sebelum is a core element in Indonesian temporal syntax, providing a concise way to specify precedence and sequence.