Breakdown of Lukisan itu dipajang di ruang tamu.
itu
that
di
in
ruang tamu
the living room
lukisan
the painting
dipajang
to be displayed
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Questions & Answers about Lukisan itu dipajang di ruang tamu.
What is dipajang in this sentence?
dipajang is the passive form of the verb memajang (to display). The prefix di- marks passive voice, so dipajang means “is displayed” or “was displayed,” depending on context.
Why is there a di- at the beginning of dipajang and another di before ruang tamu? Aren’t they the same?
They look identical but serve two different functions:
- In dipajang, di- is the passive verb prefix, attaching directly to pajang.
- In di ruang tamu, di is a preposition meaning “in” or “at,” and it always stands separately before a noun or noun phrase.
Why is itu used after lukisan?
itu is a demonstrative pronoun meaning “that.” When placed after a noun—as in lukisan itu—it specifies “that painting.” In English we’d say “that painting,” so Indonesian puts itu immediately after the noun.
Could you use lukisan ini instead of lukisan itu?
Yes. lukisan ini means “this painting” (something close to the speaker), while lukisan itu is “that painting” (something farther away or already mentioned). The rest of the sentence stays the same.
Why isn’t there a word for “the” or “a” in this sentence?
Indonesian does not use articles like “the” or “a.” Definiteness is often shown by context, word order, or demonstratives like itu (that) and ini (this).
How would you express the same idea in the active voice?
You’d bring the actor (subject) to the front, use memajang, and keep the same object and location. For example:
“Mereka memajang lukisan itu di ruang tamu.”
(They displayed/are displaying that painting in the living room.)
What is the difference between lukisan and gambar?
- lukisan specifically means “painting” (usually done with paint on canvas or paper).
- gambar is more general: it can be a drawing, picture, image, or illustration. So every lukisan is a gambar, but not every gambar is a lukisan.
Is the word order Lukisan itu dipajang di ruang tamu fixed, or can it change?
This Passive-Verb-Location order is the most natural in Indonesian:
Subject (what’s displayed) → passive verb → location.
You could move the location to the front for emphasis:
“Di ruang tamu, lukisan itu dipajang.”
But moving lukisan itu or dipajang elsewhere sounds unusual or changes the focus.