Saya menutup lemari sebelum tidur.

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Breakdown of Saya menutup lemari sebelum tidur.

• sebelum: before
• tidur: to sleep
• lemari: the cupboard

Questions & Answers about Saya menutup lemari sebelum tidur.

What does the verb menutup mean and how is it formed from the root word tutup?

menutup means “to close” (something). It’s formed by adding the active prefix me- to the root tutup. Because tutup starts with t, the prefix me- triggers nasal assimilation: t → n, yielding menutup.

Why can’t we just say tutup instead of menutup?

In standard Indonesian, you need the me- prefix to make tutup into an active verb (“to close”). By itself, tutup is either a noun (“cover”) or an informal command (“Close it!”). For a proper transitive verb in a neutral sentence, you use menutup.

How do we know if menutup refers to a past or present action?

Indonesian verbs are not inflected for tense. Time is inferred from context or time words. In Saya menutup lemari sebelum tidur, the phrase sebelum tidur (“before sleeping”) implies that the closing happened before you went to sleep—that is, in the past relative to bedtime. To stress past, you could add sudah: Saya sudah menutup lemari sebelum tidur.

What does lemari mean and is there a difference between “cupboard” and “wardrobe” in Indonesian?