Saya berjalan di halaman belakang sekarang.

I walk in the backyard now.

Breakdown of Saya berjalan di halaman belakang sekarang.

• saya: I
• di: in
• sekarang: now
• halaman belakang: the backyard
• berjalan: to walk

Questions & Answers about Saya berjalan di halaman belakang sekarang.

What does berjalan mean in this sentence?

Berjalan is an intransitive verb meaning “to walk.” It’s built from the root jalan (“road” or “walk”) plus the prefix ber-, which often turns a noun or root into an intransitive action verb. Here it simply means “walking.”

What’s the difference between jalan and berjalan? Could I say Saya jalan di halaman belakang sekarang instead?

• Jalan by itself can be a noun (“road”) or a colloquial verb (“walk”).
• Berjalan is the more formal/intransitive verb “to walk.”
• You can say Saya jalan di halaman belakang sekarang in casual speech, but it sounds more informal. In writing or polite contexts, berjalan is preferred.

What does the preposition di indicate in di halaman belakang?

The particle di marks location, similar to English “in,” “on,” or “at.” So di halaman belakang means “in the backyard” (literally “at backyard”). Without di, the phrase would lack a clear locative marker.

Why is it halaman belakang and not belakang halaman?

In Indonesian, adjectives or modifiers typically follow the noun they describe. Here halaman means “yard,” and belakang (“back” or “rear”) describes which yard. So the noun-adjective order is halaman belakang (“backyard”).

Can I drop di and just say halaman belakang sekarang?

No. Indonesian usually requires di before a location noun to mark where an action takes place. Without di, halaman belakang sekarang would read like two nouns/phrases stuck together and lose the meaning “in the backyard.”

Where can the adverb sekarang be placed? Does it have to be at the end?

Sekarang (“now”) is flexible:

• At the end (common): Saya berjalan di halaman belakang sekarang.
• After the subject: Saya sekarang berjalan di halaman belakang.
• At the beginning (for emphasis): Sekarang saya berjalan di halaman belakang.
  Moving it slightly changes emphasis but not the basic meaning.

What’s the difference between sekarang, sedang, and lagi?

• Sekarang is an adverb of time: “now.” It locates the action in the present.
• Sedang is an aspect marker placed before the verb to show the action is ongoing (continuous aspect).
• Lagi is colloquial and also marks an ongoing action, often interchangeable with sedang in speech.
  Example:
  • Saya berjalan di halaman belakang sekarang. (I walk now / I’m walking now.)
  • Saya sedang berjalan di halaman belakang. (I am walking in the backyard.)
  • Saya lagi berjalan di halaman belakang. (I’m walking in the backyard, colloquial.)

If I want to emphasize that the walking is happening right now, where do I put sedang?

You place sedang immediately before the verb:
“Saya sedang berjalan di halaman belakang.”
You can still add sekarang for extra emphasis:
“Saya sedang berjalan di halaman belakang sekarang.”
But note that sedang already implies the action is in progress, so adding sekarang is a bit redundant.

Why is saya used here? Can I use aku instead?

Saya is the standard, polite pronoun for “I” in formal or neutral contexts.
Aku is informal and used among friends or when speaking casually. You could say:
“Aku berjalan di halaman belakang sekarang,”
but that shifts the register to a more casual tone.

Could I say di belakang rumah instead of di halaman belakang? What’s the nuance?

• Di halaman belakang literally means “in the backyard” (the yard space at the back of a house).
• Di belakang rumah means “behind the house,” which could be outside the backyard proper (maybe past a fence or other structure).
  Use halaman belakang when you mean the maintained yard area; use belakang rumah when you mean the general area immediately behind the house.