Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Perpustakaan di sore hari sangat tenang. - The library is very quiet in the afternoon.

In Indonesian, there is no definite article like “the.” A bare noun like perpustakaan can mean “a library,” “the library,” or “libraries” in general. Context tells you whether it’s definite or indefinite.

What does di sore hari mean, and why use di here?

Di is a preposition that marks place or time. Di sore hari literally means “at/in the late afternoon.” You could also say pada sore hari with much the same meaning, but di is more colloquial.

Can you drop hari and just say di sore?

Not usually. Sore by itself is understood, but the full phrase sore hari (“late afternoon”) is much more common in time expressions. Di sore sounds incomplete.

Why isn’t there a verb like “is” or adalah in the sentence?

Indonesian does not require a copula (“to be”) in simple adjective-predicate sentences. You can insert adalah for emphasis or formality—Perpustakaan di sore hari adalah sangat tenang—but most speakers omit it.

What part of speech is tenang, and how is it used here?

Tenang is an adjective meaning “calm,” “quiet,” or “peaceful.” Here it describes the state of the library. Adjectives in Indonesian can directly follow nouns or time expressions without extra markers.

What’s the difference between sangat and amat for “very”?

Both mean “very.” Sangat is the most common and neutral intensifier. Amat is more literary or old-fashioned. You’ll hear sangat tenang in everyday speech; amat tenang sounds more formal or poetic.

Can I move di sore hari to the end: Perpustakaan sangat tenang di sore hari?

Yes, that’s perfectly acceptable. Indonesian allows flexible word order. Putting di sore hari at the end emphasizes the time: “The library is very quiet in the late afternoon.”

Are there synonyms for tenang that I could use?

Yes. You could say sepi (“quiet, lacking people/noise”) or sunyi (“silent, hushed”). Each has a slightly different nuance:

Perpustakaan di sore hari sangat sepi. (very empty/quiet)
Perpustakaan di sore hari sangat sunyi. (very silent)

Is perpustakaan always a building, or can it mean something else?

Primarily it means “library” as a place or institution. In some contexts, it can refer to a collection of books (e.g., perpustakaan pribadi = “personal library”), but the building sense is the default.