Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Lift di gedung baru sekolah sering penuh di pagi hari. - The elevator in the school’s new building is often full in the morning.

lift is a loanword from English, used in everyday Indonesian to mean elevator. Although you could technically say pengangkat, Indonesians overwhelmingly use lift.

Why isn't there an article like the or a before lift?

Indonesian has no definite or indefinite articles. Nouns stand alone. In some cases you can add itu after the noun to specify: lift itu = that lift or the lift, but it's optional.

What role does di play in di gedung baru sekolah?

Here di is a preposition meaning in or at, marking location. It attaches to a noun such as gedung but is not the passive voice marker di- prefix used on verbs.

How do I tell apart di as a preposition from di- as a passive prefix?

If di stands alone before a noun—for example di rumah, di kantor, di gedung—it is a locative preposition (in/at). If it sticks to a verb root—such as dilihat, ditulis—it is the passive verb prefix.

Why is it gedung baru sekolah rather than gedung sekolah baru?

Adjectives follow the noun they modify: gedung baru = new building. A noun used as a modifier (possession or purpose) comes afterward: gedung baru sekolah = the school’s new building. If you say gedung sekolah baru, baru modifies sekolah, implying the building of a new school.

Can I also say gedung sekolah yang baru?

Yes. yang plus an adjective is a common way to form a relative clause: gedung sekolah yang baru = the school building that is new. It is slightly more formal or explicit.

What part of speech is sering, and why does it precede penuh?

sering is an adverb of frequency meaning often. Adverbs in Indonesian typically come before the verb or adjective they modify, so sering appears before penuh.

Is penuh functioning as a verb or adjective in this sentence?

penuh is an adjective meaning full. Indonesian often uses adjectives directly as predicates without a linking verb.

Why is there no linking verb like is or adalah?

Indonesian omits the copula in predicate constructions with adjectives, nouns, or numerals. You can insert adalah for formality—Lift ... adalah sering penuh—but this sounds stilted. A more natural way to add emphasis is to insert itu after the subject: Lift ... itu sering penuh.

What does pagi hari mean, and why include hari?

pagi = morning; hari = day. Together pagi hari means in the morning, a more complete time expression. Dropping hari is possible in casual speech, as in di pagi, but pagi hari is the standard form.

Why is di pagi hari at the end, and could I move it?

Time adverbials are flexible in Indonesian. Ending the sentence with di pagi hari is common, but you can also start with it:
Di pagi hari, lift di gedung baru sekolah sering penuh.
Changing the position simply shifts the emphasis.