Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Dia membeli kopi panas di warung.

Dia means he, she, or even they (informally) depending on context. It’s a neutral third-person pronoun and does not indicate gender. If you need to be formal and hint at respect for a male elder, you might use beliau instead.

Why is it membeli and not just beli?

Membeli is the active, transitive form of beli (“to buy”). Indonesian uses prefixes like me- (which becomes mem- before b, p, f, v, etc.) to mark verbs that take a direct object. So beli (base verb) → mem- + beli → membeli.

How do we know this sentence is in the past tense (“bought”)?

Indonesian verbs don’t change form for tense. Time is usually shown with context or adverbs: e.g., kemarin (“yesterday”), tadi (“earlier”), or by the situation. As written, you’d interpret dia membeli… as “he/she bought…,” but you could also say Dia membeli kopi panas kemarin di warung to make it explicitly past.

Why is panas after kopi instead of before, as in English “hot coffee”?

In Indonesian, adjectives generally follow the noun they modify. So kopi panas is literally “coffee hot,” and that’s the normal order.

Why isn’t there an article like “a” or “the” before kopi?

Indonesian does not have definite or indefinite articles. Whether kopi panas means “a hot coffee,” “the hot coffee,” or “hot coffee” in general is inferred from context.

What does di warung mean exactly?

Di is a preposition meaning at, in, or on when indicating location. Warung is a small local shop or food stall. So di warung ≈ “at the warung” or “at a small food stall.”

Could you use ke warung instead of di warung?

Ke warung means “to the warung” (direction), while di warung describes where the buying takes place (“at the warung”). If you said Dia pergi ke warung, that’s “He/she went to the stall.” But to say “bought at,” you need di.

Is the subject pronoun dia always required?

Not always. Indonesian allows pro-drop: if the person is clear from context, you can omit dia and simply say Membeli kopi panas di warung. It’s common in casual speech.

How would you express “hot coffees” (plural)?

Often no change is needed: kopi panas can cover plural or uncountable sense. If you want to emphasize multiple cups, you could say beberapa kopi panas (“several hot coffees”) or dua gelas kopi panas (“two glasses of hot coffee”).

Can this sentence be put into the passive voice?

Yes. Passive: Kopi panas dibeli oleh dia di warung.

dibeli is be-
- beli (passive marker)
oleh dia marks the agent (“by him/her”)
Word order shifts: object becomes subject, and the original subject follows oleh.