Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Saya menonton film dokumenter di televisi setiap malam. - I watch documentary films on television every night.

It’s capitalized simply because it’s the first word of the sentence. Saya is the standard, polite word for “I” in Indonesian. In informal or close‐friend situations you can use aku (which you would only capitalize if it starts a sentence).

What is the structure of the verb menonton, and what is its root form?

The root verb is tonton (“to watch”). By adding the active prefix meN- (with the phonological change t→n), you get menonton, which makes it a transitive verb meaning “to watch something.”

Why doesn’t film dokumenter have an article like “a” or “the”?

Indonesian doesn’t use articles. film dokumenter can mean “a documentary film,” “the documentary film,” or “documentary films” (in general) depending on context. If you need to specify, add a demonstrative: film dokumenter ini (“this documentary film”) or film dokumenter itu (“that documentary film”).

Why is di used before televisi but not before film dokumenter?

di is the preposition for location, so di televisi means “on television.” You don’t use di for the object you’re watching—film dokumenter is the direct object of menonton, so it stands alone without di.

Why is setiap malam placed at the end of the sentence, and could I say malam-malam instead?

setiap malam (“every night”) is a time expression and usually comes after the verb (or at the very start, for emphasis). malam-malam exists colloquially to stress late‐night activities, but it doesn’t precisely mean “every night.” For “every night,” use setiap malam; you can’t drop setiap or just say malam here.

In film dokumenter, which noun is the head noun and which is the modifier, and why does word order matter?

Indonesian places the modifier after the head noun. So film is the head noun and dokumenter tells you what kind of film it is. Reversing them (dokumenter film) would sound unnatural.

Could I abbreviate televisi to TV, and would I still use di?

Yes. TV is a perfectly normal abbreviation in speech and writing. You would still say di TV (“on TV”). It’s just a shorter, more casual form of di televisi.

Is there any nuance between using saya menonton versus aku nonton?

Yes. saya menonton is more formal or neutral and uses the full verb menonton. aku nonton is informal—aku for “I” in casual speech, and nonton is the colloquial shortcut for menonton. Both mean essentially “I watch,” but the register (level of formality) changes.