Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Belanja di supermarket besar itu mahal. - Shopping at that big supermarket is expensive.

Here belanja functions as a noun (a nominalized verb) meaning “shopping.” Indonesian often lets you use a bare verb stem as a noun without adding any affixes.

Can belanja also be used as a verb?

Yes. In a sentence like Saya belanja di supermarket, belanja is the active verb “to shop.” Context and word order tell you whether it’s a noun or a verb.

Why is there no explicit subject (like “I” or “we”) in the sentence?

Indonesian often omits the subject when it’s generic, obvious, or unimportant. Here the focus is on the activity (“shopping at that big supermarket”), not on who does it.

What does di indicate in di supermarket?

di is the preposition “at” or “in.” It marks location. So di supermarket = “at the supermarket.”

Why does itu come after supermarket besar instead of before?

Indonesian demonstratives (ini = this, itu = that) follow the noun phrase they modify. Supermarket besar itu literally is “that big supermarket.”

Could I insert yang before itu, as in supermarket yang besar itu?

Yes. Yang can introduce a relative or descriptive clause. Supermarket yang besar itu = “that supermarket which is big.” It’s slightly more formal or emphatic.

Why doesn’t mahal change form for plural or gender?

Indonesian adjectives are invariant—they don’t inflect for number or gender. Mahal stays the same whether you mean one expensive item or many.

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

Indonesian doesn’t have definite or indefinite articles. You rely on context or add demonstratives (ini/itu) if you need to specify “this” or “that.”

How would I say “shopping at that big supermarket is really expensive”?

You can add an intensifier before mahal, for example:

Belanja di supermarket besar itu sangat mahal. (very expensive)
Belanja di supermarket besar itu terlalu mahal. (too expensive)
Belanja di supermarket besar itu amat mahal. (truly expensive)