Lemari di kamar saya cukup besar untuk menyimpan banyak camilan.

Questions & Answers about Lemari di kamar saya cukup besar untuk menyimpan banyak camilan.

Why is it kamar saya and not saya kamar for my room?

In Indonesian, possession usually works as:

noun + possessor

So:

  • kamar saya = my room
  • buku dia = his/her book
  • rumah mereka = their house

This is the opposite of English, which usually puts the possessor first.

So di kamar saya literally follows Indonesian word order: in room my.

What does di mean here, and is it the same as the di- in passive verbs?

Here, di is a preposition meaning in / at / on, depending on context.

So:

  • di kamar saya = in my room

This is different from the passive prefix di-, which is attached directly to a verb:

  • disimpan = stored / is stored
  • dibuka = opened / is opened

A useful spelling clue:

  • di kamar → separate, because di is a preposition
  • disimpan → attached, because di- is a verb prefix
Does lemari mean closet, cabinet, or wardrobe?

Lemari is a general word for a storage unit like a cabinet, cupboard, wardrobe, or sometimes even a closet, depending on context.

Examples:

  • lemari pakaian = wardrobe / clothes cabinet
  • lemari buku = bookcase / bookshelf cabinet
  • lemari dapur = kitchen cabinet

So in this sentence, lemari is best understood as some kind of storage furniture in the room.

Why is the adjective after the noun in lemari ... cukup besar?

In Indonesian, adjectives usually come after the noun they describe.

So:

  • lemari besar = big cabinet
  • rumah kecil = small house
  • mobil baru = new car

That is why the sentence says lemari ... besar, not besar lemari.

Here, cukup besar means quite big or big enough, depending on context.

How does cukup ... untuk ... work in this sentence?

This is a very common pattern in Indonesian.

cukup + adjective + untuk + verb
= ... enough to ...

So:

  • cukup besar untuk menyimpan banyak camilan = big enough to store lots of snacks

More examples:

  • cukup kuat untuk mengangkat ini = strong enough to lift this
  • cukup luas untuk keluarga besar = spacious enough for a big family

In your sentence, cukup besar describes the cabinet, and untuk menyimpan banyak camilan explains what it is big enough for.

Why is it menyimpan and not just simpan?

Menyimpan is the meN- verb form from simpan.

  • simpan = the root word, related to store / keep
  • menyimpan = to store / to keep

In many normal sentences, Indonesian uses the meN- form for active verbs.

So after untuk (to / in order to), it is very natural to use:

  • untuk menyimpan = to store

You may also sometimes hear untuk simpan in casual speech, but untuk menyimpan is the more standard form.

Why does simpan become menyimpan, not mensimpan?

This happens because of how the meN- prefix changes depending on the first sound of the root.

For roots beginning with s, the s often disappears and the prefix becomes meny-.

So:

  • simpanmenyimpan
  • sapumenyapu
  • sewamenyewa

This is a common sound change in Indonesian verb formation.

What does banyak camilan mean exactly? Why isn’t there a plural marker?

Banyak camilan means many snacks or a lot of snacks.

Indonesian often does not mark plural nouns the way English does. The idea of plurality can already be clear from words like:

  • banyak = many / a lot of
  • beberapa = several
  • semua = all

So:

  • banyak camilan = many snacks

You do not need to say camilan-camilan here. In fact, banyak camilan sounds more natural.

What is camilan? Is it the same as snack?

Yes, camilan means snack or snacks.

It comes from camil, which relates to nibbling or eating light food between meals.

You might also see:

  • makanan ringan = light food / snacks
  • camilan = snacks, often a very natural everyday word

So banyak camilan is a very natural way to say lots of snacks.

Could I say untuk menaruh banyak camilan instead of untuk menyimpan banyak camilan?

Yes, but the nuance is a little different.

  • menyimpan = to store, keep, put away
  • menaruh = to put/place

In this sentence, menyimpan fits better because the idea is that the cabinet is used to store snacks, not just place them there momentarily.

So:

  • cukup besar untuk menyimpan banyak camilan = more natural here

If you said menaruh, it would sound more like physically putting the snacks there, rather than keeping them there.

Why isn’t there a word like adalah in the sentence?

Indonesian often leaves out the equivalent of to be in sentences with nouns, adjectives, or prepositional phrases.

So instead of saying something like:

  • The cabinet is quite big

Indonesian can simply say:

  • Lemari ... cukup besar

No adalah is needed.

In fact, using adalah here would usually sound unnatural. Adalah is used more in formal definitions or emphasis, not in ordinary adjective sentences like this one.

Can cukup besar mean both quite big and big enough?

Yes. Cukup can mean quite/fairly or enough, depending on context.

Compare:

  • Lemarinya cukup besar.
    = The cabinet is quite big.

  • Lemarinya cukup besar untuk menyimpan banyak camilan.
    = The cabinet is big enough to store lots of snacks.

The phrase untuk + verb makes the enough to meaning much clearer in your sentence.

Is the whole sentence in a natural Indonesian word order?

Yes, it is very natural.

The structure is:

  • Lemari = subject
  • di kamar saya = location phrase describing which cabinet
  • cukup besar = predicate/adjective phrase
  • untuk menyimpan banyak camilan = purpose/result phrase

So the sentence flows naturally as:

The cabinet in my room is big enough to store lots of snacks.

This is a good example of normal Indonesian sentence structure.

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