Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Saya membeli obat itu di apotek, lalu segera pulang untuk istirahat. - I bought that medicine at the pharmacy, then immediately went home to rest.

itu after a noun functions like “that” or “the,” making obat itu mean “that medicine” (or “the medicine”). It’s a demonstrative used to point out or specify which medicine you’re talking about.

How do we know di in di apotek is a preposition (at/in), not the passive prefix?

Here di is separate from apotek and marks location (“at the pharmacy”). In passive verbs di- attaches directly to a verb root (e.g. dibeli “was bought”). Since apotek is a noun and there’s a space—di apotek—it’s clearly the preposition “at.”

What does lalu mean, and how is it used?

lalu means “then” or “after that.” It’s a conjunction/adverb showing sequence: you did one thing and lalu did the next. You can often swap it with kemudian (“then/later”) without changing the basic meaning.

Why are lalu and segera both in the sentence? Can I drop one?

They serve different roles. lalu links your actions in sequence (“after buying, then…”). segera means “immediately,” modifying the verb pulang (“went home immediately”). You could drop lalu and just say “Saya membeli obat itu di apotek, segera pulang…” but it sounds more clipped. Dropping segera removes the “immediately” nuance.

What is the function of untuk in untuk istirahat? Can I leave it out?

untuk introduces a purpose (“in order to rest”). The phrase means “went home to rest.” In casual speech you might hear pulang istirahat (especially with beristirahat), but using untuk plus a noun (or verb) is clearer and more formal.

Why is it istirahat and not beristirahat?

istirahat by itself is a noun (“rest”) but is often used as a verb in colloquial Indonesian. beristirahat is the formal intransitive verb form (“to rest”). You could say pulang untuk beristirahat with identical meaning.

What’s the usual word order for location phrases like di apotek? Could I say Saya membeli di apotek obat itu?

Indonesian commonly follows Subject–Verb–Object–Adverbial order: Saya (S) membeli (V) obat itu (O) di apotek (A). Moving di apotek before the object—Saya membeli di apotek obat itu—is grammatically possible but less natural. It shifts emphasis to location.

How is membeli formed from beli, and what does the meN- prefix do?

beli is the root meaning “buy.” To make it an active, transitive verb you add the meN- prefix and apply the proper sound change: membeli. This prefix signals the subject is doing the buying (versus a passive form like dibeli).