Breakdown of Payung murah ini saya beli di kantin sekolah.
ini
this
saya
I
di
in
sekolah
the school
payung
the umbrella
murah
cheap
beli
to buy
kantin
the canteen
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Questions & Answers about Payung murah ini saya beli di kantin sekolah.
Why is the demonstrative ini placed at the end of the noun phrase instead of at the beginning like in English?
In Indonesian, demonstratives like ini (this) and itu (that) follow the noun (and any adjectives) they modify. So Payung murah ini literally means “umbrella cheap this” (i.e., “this cheap umbrella”), not “this cheap umbrella” with ini at the start.
Could I say Payung ini murah? If so, what’s the difference?
Yes. Payung ini murah means “this umbrella is cheap.” Here ini refers to the umbrella, and murah is a predicate adjective. In Payung murah ini, murah directly modifies payung (“cheap umbrella”), and ini indicates which cheap umbrella you’re talking about.
Why does saya (I) come after Payung murah ini? Isn’t the subject supposed to go first?
Indonesian has flexible word order. Placing the object/noun phrase (Payung murah ini) first is a way of topicalizing or emphasizing it. A neutral SVO order would be Saya membeli payung murah ini di kantin sekolah (“I bought this cheap umbrella at the school canteen”).
What is the difference between beli and membeli? Is saya beli informal?
Both mean “to buy.” Membeli is the standard, affixed form often used in formal or written language. Beli (without mem-) is common in spoken, everyday Indonesian. So Saya membeli… and Saya beli… are both correct, but the former is slightly more formal.
What does di in di kantin sekolah indicate?
Di is the preposition used to mark a location, equivalent to “in/at.” So di kantin sekolah means “at the school canteen.” (For direction “to,” you would use ke.)
Why isn’t it sekolah kantin instead of kantin sekolah?
In Indonesian noun compounds describing possession or function, the head noun comes first (kantin), followed by the modifier (sekolah). So kantin sekolah is “canteen of the school” = “school canteen.”
Why are there no articles like “a” or “the” in that sentence?
Indonesian does not use articles. Definiteness or specificity is often implied by context or marked by demonstratives (ini, itu) rather than separate words like “a” or “the.”
Which part of the sentence is the direct object of the verb beli?
The whole phrase Payung murah ini (“this cheap umbrella”) is the object of beli (“to buy”).
Are all adjectives placed after the noun in Indonesian?
In general, yes. Adjectives follow the noun they modify, unlike in English. So rumah besar = “big house,” anak kecil = “small child.”
Can you show the neutral word order for this sentence?
A neutral SVO order is: Saya membeli payung murah ini di kantin sekolah (“I bought this cheap umbrella at the school canteen”).