Dia tidak di kantor hari ini karena libur.
He/She is not at the office today because it is a holiday.
Questions & Answers about Dia tidak di kantor hari ini karena libur.
Does dia mean he or she?
Yes. Dia can mean either he or she. Indonesian third-person singular pronouns do not usually show gender.
So:
- Dia = he / she
- You only know which one from context
In more formal writing, you may also see ia, but dia is very common and natural in everyday Indonesian.
Why is there no word for is in this sentence?
Indonesian often leaves out the verb to be when talking about:
- location
- identity
- qualities
- states
So Dia tidak di kantor hari ini literally looks like:
- He/She not at the office today
But in natural English, you translate it as:
- He/She is not at the office today
This is very normal in Indonesian. You do not need a separate word for is here.
Why does the sentence use tidak instead of bukan?