Saya membawa koper ke bandara.

I bring a suitcase to the airport.

Breakdown of Saya membawa koper ke bandara.

• sebuah: a
• saya: I
• ke: to
• membawa: to bring
• bandara: the airport
• koper: the suitcase

Questions & Answers about Saya membawa koper ke bandara.

What is the function of the prefix mem- in membawa, and what is the root word?

The root word is bawa, which means “to bring” or “to carry.” The prefix mem- is one of the Indonesian active-verb prefixes (meN-) that attaches to certain roots to form a transitive verb. Here’s what happens:

• b
  • mem- → membawa (the b is retained)
    This prefix marks the word as an active verb that takes a direct object.

How do you indicate past, present, or future time in this sentence, since Indonesian verbs don’t change form for tense?

Indonesian uses time adverbs or context rather than verb inflection. For example:

• Kemarin saya membawa koper ke bandara. (Yesterday I brought a suitcase to the airport.)
• Sekarang saya membawa koper ke bandara. (Now I’m bringing a suitcase to the airport.)
• Nanti saya membawa koper ke bandara. (Later I will bring a suitcase to the airport.)

Could the personal pronoun saya be omitted? What’s the difference between saya and aku?

Yes, you can drop saya because Indonesian often leaves out pronouns when the subject is clear from context:

• Membawa koper ke bandara. (Bringing a suitcase to the airport.)
  As for the two pronouns:
• saya is formal or neutral, used in polite conversation or writing.
• aku is informal, used among friends, family, or in casual settings.

What does the preposition ke mean here, and how is it different from di?

• ke means “to” or “towards.” It indicates direction or destination.
• di means “at,” “in,” or “on.” It indicates location or position.
  So in your sentence, ke bandara means “to the airport,” while di bandara would mean “at the airport.”

What is koper, and where does this word come from?

koper means “suitcase” or “luggage.” It’s a loanword from the Dutch koffer. In everyday Indonesian you’ll hear koper almost exclusively for a suitcase you wheel or carry.

Can we replace bandara with bandar udara? Is there a formality difference?

Yes. bandar udara is the full term (“airport”), and bandara is just a shortened form. Both are correct; bandar udara can sound slightly more formal or technical, while bandara is the common everyday term.

Is the word order Subject–Verb–Object in Indonesian, as shown in this sentence?

Yes. The typical Indonesian order is SVO: Subject (Saya) + Verb (membawa) + Object (koper) + any adverbial or prepositional phrase (ke bandara). You can sometimes rearrange for emphasis, but SVO is the default.

How can we change this sentence into passive voice?

Use the passive di- prefix and (optionally) oleh to mark the agent:

• Koper dibawa oleh saya ke bandara.
  You can also drop oleh saya if the agent is obvious:
• Koper dibawa ke bandara.