Question 1

Why is bukan used here instead of tidak?

Accepted Answer

In Indonesian:  
• bukan is used to negate nouns or pronouns. In this sentence, guru (teacher) is a noun, so we use bukan.  
• tidak is used to negate verbs and adjectives. If the sentence was "His wife does not teach," we would say Istri dia tidak mengajar, because mengajar (to teach) is a verb.

Question 2

What does dia refer to in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

dia can mean either “he” or “she.” You determine whether it’s masculine or feminine based on context. In this sentence, it refers to “his,” because we’re talking about someone’s wife.

Question 3

Why do we say istri dia instead of istrinya?

Accepted Answer

• Istri dia literally means “his wife,” using dia to refer to “he/she.”  
• Istrinya can also mean “his/her wife,” but adding -nya can imply possession in a different way. Sometimes -nya is used more generally (like “the wife”), or it can refer to a previously mentioned person. Using dia makes it explicitly clear we’re talking about his wife.

Question 4

What is the function of di in di sekolah itu?

Accepted Answer

di is a preposition that means “at” or “in” when referring to a location. Here, di sekolah itu means “at that school,” indicating the place where the wife is not working as a teacher.

Istri dia bukan guru di sekolah itu.

Breakdown of Istri dia bukan guru di sekolah itu.

Questions & Answers about Istri dia bukan guru di sekolah itu.

Master Indonesian — from Istri dia bukan guru di sekolah itu to fluency