Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Saya belajar bahasa Indonesia di sekolah kota.

Let’s break it down word by word: • Saya means I or me.
• Belajar means to study or to learn.
• Bahasa Indonesia means the Indonesian language (with bahasa translating to “language”).
• Di is a preposition meaning at or in (indicating location).
• Sekolah kota literally translates to school city, but it means city school (a school located in the city).
Altogether, the sentence means: I study the Indonesian language at a city school.

How is the sentence structured in Indonesian, and how does that compare to English sentence structure?

The sentence follows a straightforward order: Subject (Saya) + Verb (belajar) + Object (bahasa Indonesia) + Location phrase (di sekolah kota). This is similar to the basic English structure (S-V-O), but keep in mind a few differences: • In Indonesian, adjectives or descriptive nouns (like kota modifying sekolah) follow the noun.
• There are no articles (like “a” or “the”) in Indonesian, which means such words are omitted in sentences.

Why is the preposition di used before sekolah kota, and what does it indicate?