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Questions & Answers about Ibu mencium anaknya.
Why is the subject Ibu at the beginning? Does Indonesian usually use subject + verb + object like English?
Yes. In a simple statement, Indonesian very often uses subject + verb + object.
So in Ibu mencium anaknya:
- Ibu = the subject
- mencium = the verb
- anaknya = the object
That is why the sentence means that Ibu is the one doing the action, not anaknya.
What exactly does Ibu mean here? Is it mother or Mrs.?
Ibu can mean different things depending on context:
- mother / mom
- Mrs. / ma’am
- a respectful way to address an adult woman
In this sentence, if the meaning shown to the learner is something like Mother kisses her child, then Ibu is being understood as mother.
Because Indonesian often leaves out articles like the or a, Ibu by itself can simply function as Mother in context.
Why is the verb mencium, not just cium?