Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Ibu saya memasak sarapan pagi ini. - My mother is cooking breakfast this morning.

Ibu saya literally means “my mother.” Indonesian often marks possession by placing the noun (Ibu) before the possessor expressed with a pronoun after (saya). You can also say Ibuku (“Ibu” + suffix -ku for “my”), which is more colloquial or affectionate. Both mean “my mother,” but Ibu saya is more neutral or formal.

How is the verb memasak constructed, and why isn’t it just masak?

Memasak is the active verb “to cook.” It’s formed by adding the prefix me- to the root masak. The prefix signals an active, transitive verb (someone cooks something). In casual speech you might hear just masak, but memasak is the standard formal form.

The sentence uses memasak without changing its form for past tense. How do we know it’s past tense?

Indonesian verbs do not conjugate for tense. Time is indicated by context or by adding time adverbials. Here pagi ini (“this morning”) tells us the action happened in the past. To emphasize that it’s completed, you could add sudah: Ibu saya sudah memasak sarapan pagi ini.

What does sarapan pagi mean, and can we just say sarapan?

Sarapan pagi literally means “morning breakfast.” However, sarapan alone already implies breakfast eaten in the morning, so you can often just say sarapan. Adding pagi emphasizes that it’s specifically in the morning or distinguishes it from a small snack later.

Why is pagi ini at the end of the sentence? Can we move it to the front?

Indonesian word order is relatively flexible. You can place time expressions at the beginning or end. Both versions are correct: • Neutral: Ibu saya memasak sarapan pagi ini
• Emphasis on time: Pagi ini ibu saya memasak sarapan

There’s no “a” or “the” before sarapan. Does Indonesian have articles?

Indonesian does not have definite or indefinite articles like “the” or “a/an.” Nouns are unmarked for definiteness or number, and context clarifies meaning. If you really need “a,” you can add a classifier, e.g., sebuah sarapan for “a breakfast.”

Can we drop the word saya and say Ibu memasak sarapan pagi ini?

Yes. Subject pronouns (and possessive pronouns) can often be omitted when context is clear. Ibu memasak sarapan pagi ini still means “(My) mother cooked breakfast this morning.” But dropping saya removes the explicit “my,” so it sounds like “the mother.”

How would you turn this into a passive sentence?

In passive voice you say: Sarapan pagi ini dimasak oleh ibu saya.
Here sarapan pagi ini is the subject, dimasak is the passive verb form (from memasak → dimasak), and oleh ibu saya marks the agent “by my mother.”

Could we use makan pagi instead of sarapan pagi?

Yes, makan pagi literally means “eat morning” and is understood as “to have breakfast.” However, sarapan is the standard noun for breakfast. Native speakers generally prefer sarapan, but makan pagi is grammatically correct and clear.