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Questions & Answers about Saya punya dua kucing.
What does punya mean in Saya punya dua kucing?
punya is a verb meaning “to have” or “to own.” It functions like the English have in I have two cats, indicating possession.
Why is there no article like a or the before dua kucing?
Indonesian does not use definite (the) or indefinite (a/an) articles. Nouns stand alone, and context tells you if you mean something specific or general. dua kucing simply means “two cats” without extra articles.
Does punya change form depending on who is speaking or when the action happens?
No. Indonesian verbs, including punya, do not conjugate for person or tense. You always use punya for “have/had/will have.” To indicate time, you add time words like kemarin (yesterday), sekarang (now), or nanti (later).
Can I use ada instead of punya to say I have two cats?
Not really. ada means “there is/are” (existence) rather than possession. You could say Ada dua kucing di rumah saya (“There are two cats at my house”). But to express ownership—“I own/have two cats”—you use punya.
Do I need a classifier like ekor after the number when talking about animals?
No, classifiers are optional in informal Indonesian. You can simply say dua kucing. If you want to be more precise or formal, you can say dua ekor kucing, where ekor is a measure word for animals.
Why do we say dua kucing and not kucing dua?
Indonesian follows a Number–Noun word order, so the numeral comes before the noun. Saying kucing dua would sound incorrect or poetic; standard is dua kucing.
Is there a more formal way to say punya?
Yes. Formal or written Indonesian often uses mempunyai or memiliki instead of punya. So in a formal context you could say Saya memiliki dua kucing.
How would I say “I had two cats” or “I will have two cats”?
You still use punya, but add a time adverb or context:
- “I had two cats”: Dulu saya punya dua kucing or Saya pernah punya dua kucing.
- “I will have two cats”: Nanti saya akan punya dua kucing.
How do I ask “Do you have two cats?” in Indonesian?
There are a few ways:
- With apakah: Apakah kamu punya dua kucing?
- Informally: Kamu punya dua kucing? or even just Punya dua kucing?
Can I drop saya and just say punya dua kucing?
In informal speech, yes, if the listener knows you’re the subject. For example, among friends you might say Punya dua kucing with a pointing gesture or clear context. However, including saya or aku is usually clearer.