Saya membaca koran tadi pagi.

I read a newspaper earlier this morning.

Breakdown of Saya membaca koran tadi pagi.

• sebuah: a
• saya: I
• membaca: to read
• koran: the newspaper
• tadi pagi: earlier this morning

Questions & Answers about Saya membaca koran tadi pagi.

What does the sentence “Saya membaca koran tadi pagi” mean in English?

It means “I read the newspaper this morning.” The sentence breaks down as follows: saya means “I,” membaca means “read,” koran means “newspaper,” and tadi pagi means “this morning” or “earlier this morning.”

What does the word saya refer to, and are there alternatives in Indonesian?

Saya is the first-person singular pronoun meaning “I” or “me.” While it is universally understood and is relatively formal or neutral, in informal settings locals might also use aku.

Why doesn’t the verb membaca change form to indicate past tense?

Indonesian verbs do not conjugate for tense. Instead, time is expressed with temporal phrases. In this sentence, tadi pagi signals that the action happened in the past, so membaca remains the same regardless of when the action takes place.

What does koran mean, and how is it used in Indonesian?

Koran means “newspaper.” It specifically refers to a periodical publication containing news and is distinct from a magazine. There is no need for an article like “the” in Indonesian because articles are generally not used.

What does the phrase tadi pagi indicate about the timing of the action?

Tadi pagi translates to “this morning” or “earlier this morning.” It indicates that the reading of the newspaper occurred in the morning on the current day, but at a point that has already passed.

How is the verb membaca constructed in this sentence?

The verb membaca is built from the root word baca (meaning “read”) with the prefix mem- attached. This prefix is commonly used in Indonesian to form transitive verbs that denote an action being performed by the subject.