Breakdown of Saya pernah makan kue manis di warung kecil.
sebuah
a
saya
I
makan
to eat
di
at
kecil
small
warung
the stall
manis
sweet
kue
the cake
pernah
once
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Questions & Answers about Saya pernah makan kue manis di warung kecil.
What does pernah mean in this sentence and why is it used?
pernah literally means “ever” or “once” and is used to indicate that you have had the experience of doing something at least one time in the past. It’s not a tense marker but a perfective aspect word showing past experience. Here it tells us “I once ate …”
Why is the verb makan not conjugated for tense like in English?
Indonesian verbs don’t change form for tense. Instead, time reference is shown by adverbs or time words (e.g., pernah, sudah, besok, kemarin). So makan remains the same regardless of past, present, or future—you rely on context or those adverbs.
Why isn’t there an article like “a” or “the” before kue manis or warung kecil?
Indonesian doesn’t have indefinite or definite articles. Nouns stand alone without “a,” “an,” or “the.” If specificity is needed, you can add words like itu (that) or sebuah (a), but they’re optional:
Saya pernah makan sebuah kue manis di warung kecil.
Why does the adjective manis come after the noun kue?
In Indonesian, adjectives normally follow the noun they modify. So you say kue manis (“sweet cake”), literally “cake sweet,” whereas English places the adjective before the noun.
What exactly is a warung, and why not use kedai or restoran?
A warung is a small, often family-run food stall or café—casual and inexpensive. Kedai is similar but slightly more formal or implies a small shop, and restoran is a restaurant, usually larger and more formal.
Why is the preposition di used before warung kecil and not ke?
di indicates location (“at” or “in”), so makan di warung means “eat at a stall.” ke would indicate movement toward a place (“to”), so saya pergi ke warung means “I go to the stall.” Because you’re describing where you ate, you use di.
Can you omit saya and just say Pernah makan kue manis di warung kecil?
Yes, Indonesian often allows dropping the subject when it’s clear from context, especially in casual speech. Pernah makan kue manis di warung kecil is understandable, but adding saya makes it explicit and slightly more formal.
How would I add emphasis or make the warung “that small stall” more specific?
You can insert yang plus an adjective clause:
Saya pernah makan kue manis di warung yang kecil.
That literally means “at the stall that’s small,” adding a bit more emphasis on the stall’s smallness.
Could I change the word order to say the place first, like Di warung kecil saya pernah makan kue manis?
Yes, Indonesian allows flexible word order for emphasis or style. Starting with di warung kecil shifts the focus to the location. It still conveys “It was at the small stall that I once ate sweet cake.”