After understanding part of speech in Javanese and learning how words are ordered to make a good structure in the language, it is vital we comprehend how sentences are categorized. We call this silah-silahing ukara or types of sentences that fall into the following groups.

1. Ukara kandha (direct speech) 

As the name suggests, ukara kandha occurs when we quote what somebody said exactly word by word. 

For examples:

1. Bapak ngendika, "Sesuk aku menyang Jogja." / Daddy said, "I'm leaving for Jogja tomorrow."
2. Waluyo takon,  "Awakmu kok seneng nggambar?" / Waluyo asked, "How on earth are you fond of drawing?

2. Ukara crita (indirect speech) 

Contrary to the previous type, ukara crita reports what somebody said without repeating the words directly. 

For examples:

1. Bedjo ngomong nang aku wingi dekne ga mlebu sekolah. / Bedjo told me that he was absent from school yesterday.
2. Bu Murni ngendika yen bocah-bocah kudu melu upacara. / Mrs. Murni said that students have to join the ceremony. 

3. Ukara tindak (active voice) 

It is a type of sentence in which the subject is doing the work. 

For examples:

1. Ibu dhahar sekul. / Mother is eating some rice. 
2. Sapuan nggarap PR. / Sapuan is doing his homework. 

4. Ukara tandha (passive voice)

In ukara tandha, the subject of the sentence remains passive and simply allows the object to be emphasized.  

For examples:

1. Ketane dipangan Edi. / The glutinous rice is eaten by Edi.  
2. Marpuah ditimbali eyange. / Marpuah is summoned by her grandma.

5. Ukara pakon (imperative)

In this type of sentence, one is telling others to do something. 

For examples:

1. Menesuk mreneo jam 9. / Come here at 9 tomorrow morning.
2. Nulisa layang marang adimu. / Write a letter to your brother.

6. Ukara panjaluk (request)

We use ukara panjaluk to request politely that someone does something for us.

For examples:

1. Tolong silihana aku duwit. / Would you please lend me some money?
2. Tolong gambarna gedhang. / Please draw me a picture of banana. 

Word is a primary component of a sentence. Without any words, a sentence cannot be produced so we won’t be able to speak or write it. In this sense, silah-silahing tembung serves a significant role to help us compose a good sentence. In Javanese, the part of speech goes as follows.

Tembung Aran (Noun) such as buku (book), suket (grass), omah (house), kelasa (mat), etc.

For instance: Mimi wes nggelar kelasa ing latar. / Mimi has spread out a mat in the yard.    

Tembung Kriya (Verb) such as maca (read), ngombe (drink), mlaku (walk), jiwit (pinch), ambung (kiss), mangkat (depart), etc.  

For instance: Isuk mau Mulyono mlaku nang sawah. / Mulyono walked to the field this morning. 

Tembung Ganti (Pronoun) such as aku (I), kowe (you), deweke (he/she), etc.

For instance: Kowe opo ngerti omah kancamu kuwi? / Do you know where your friend lives? 

Tembung Wilangan (Numeral) such as siji (one), sanga (nine), akeh (many/much), setengah (half), saithik (a little), etc.

For instance: Sekolah iku nduwe siswa akeh. / That school has many students.

Tembung Sipat (Adjective) such as apik (good), angel (difficult), mangkel (irritated), seneng (happy), etc.  

For instance: Soal matematika iki pancen angel. / This math is really difficult to solve.  

Tembung Katrangan (Adverb) such as kene (here), lor (north), nisor (below), pinggir (edge), kiwa (left-hand), etc.  

For instance: Candra arep turu kene. / Candra will be sleeping here.

Tembung Pangguwuh (Exclamation) such as wah (wow), aduh (oh my), tulung (please), etc. 

For instance: Aduh, bukuku ketinggalan nang omah! / Oh my, I’ve left my book at home.  

Tembung Sandhangan (Attribute) such as Sang (The...), Raden (social status), Kyai, etc.

For instance: Pak Waluyo Sang Pahlawan mpun rawuh. / Mr. Waluyo the hero has arrived.  

Tembung Panyambung (Conjunction) such as sarta (as well as), lan (and), mulane (therefore), etc.

For instance: Bagas lan Dimas sinau basa Jawa ing jero kelas. / Bagas and Dimas are studying Javanese in the classroom.

Tembung Pangarep (Preposition) such as sing (that), saka (from), menyang (to), ing (on/in), etc.

For instances: 

- Wingi Kastolan tuku sepeda saka kancane. / Kastolan bought a bike from his friend yesterday.  

- Siti mulih menyang Jakarta menesuk. / Siti is going to Jakarta tomorrow. 

Understanding types of word in Javanese will make you more capable of composing a good sentence as well as make you more confident in arranging various words into a more meaningful sentence. I suppose you can make one now right?

Ayahane tembung, or known as lungguhing tembung, indicates how words are arranged in a sentence based on its function. In other words, parsing a sentence based on its ayahane tembung means to distinguish which one is the jejer, the wasesa, the lesan, and the katrangan. In English, jejer equals the subject, wasesa the predicate, lesan the object, and katrangan the adverb.

Let us observe the following examples.

1. Dimas tuku gulo esuk mau. / Dimas bought some sugar this morning.
2. Gendon maca buku ing jero kelas. / Gendon is reading a book in the classroom.
3. Pak Marwan ngrantos Pak Lurah wonten pendopo. / Mr. Marwan is waiting for the village head in the hall.

In the first example, the sentence is in the past as indicated by adverb of time esuk mau that means this morning. In the second sentence, it is clear that a boy named Gendon is in the classroom reading a book. Like the previous examples, the last sentence is also a complete sentence consisting of a jejer, wasesa, lesan, and katrangan.

What differs the third from the previous two is the use of krama inggil to show some respect or veneration to the people mentioned. Both Mr. Marwan who is a teacher and the village head are considered important in terms of social status so they deserve the highest degree of politeness called krama inggil.  

While esuk mau belongs to adverb of time, ing jero kelas and wonten pendopo are included in adverb of place. In addition, there are also adverb of cause (katrangan sebab), adverb of purpose (katrangan ancas), and adverb of condition (katrangan kahanan). I will discuss these adverbs later in the following post.

The structure of a sentence in Javanese normally follows the standard pattern of sentences in Indonesian as well as in English. So the syntax is quite simple and clear-cut. It commonly starts with a subject, followed by a predicate, and ends with an object where necessary. It is important to note that Javanese knows no tense like that found in English. 

Composing a sentence in Javanese is therefore relatively easy since there is no change of verbs that requires strong memory and concentration. The effort may be in amassing vocabularies in order to produce creative and authentic sentences. Let's see some examples below.

1. Aku mangan gedang. / I eat a banana.

2. Bapa sare wonten ndalem. / Daddy is sleeping in the house.

3. Saiki aku lesu. / I am hungry now.

4. Bedjo wingi tuku lengo. / Bedjo bought some oil yesterday.

5. Konco-konco arep menyang Jogja menesuk. / My friends are leaving for Jogja tomorrow.

6. Sugeng seneng nggambar. / Sugeng loves drawing.

The examples above indicate the use of common construction of Javanese sentences. As for adverb of time, it can occur before (as in sentence number 3; saiki means now) or after the subject (example number 4; wingi means yesterday. Alternatively, it can also come at the end of a sentence (example number 5; menesuk means tomorrow). 

How about adverb of place? It normally comes at the end of the sentence as seen in the second sentence: wonten ndalem (in the house). If you have any questions, drop a comment so that I can respond later.