Saya membeli sepeda tahun lalu.

I bought a bicycle last year.

Breakdown of Saya membeli sepeda tahun lalu.

• sebuah: a
• saya: I
• sepeda: the bicycle
• membeli: to buy
• tahun lalu: last year

Questions & Answers about Saya membeli sepeda tahun lalu.

What does Saya mean, and can I use aku instead?

Saya means “I” or “me” and is the neutral/formal first-person pronoun in Indonesian. You can use aku to mean “I” in more informal or familiar contexts (with friends, family, etc.), but saya is always safe in polite or unknown settings.

Why is the verb membeli not just beli? What does the me- prefix do?

Beli is the root meaning “buy.” Indonesian uses the prefix me- (which becomes mem- before certain consonants) to form an active transitive verb. So mem-beli (= membeli) means “to buy (something).” Without the prefix, beli can act like a noun/adjective or informal shorthand but isn’t the full active verb.

Why is there no word for “a” or “the” before sepeda?

Indonesian does not have articles like “a” or “the.” You simply say sepeda for “bicycle,” and context tells you whether it’s definite or indefinite. If you need emphasis, you can add words like itu (“that”) or sebuah (“a certain”), but they’re optional.

What does sepeda mean, and where does it come from?

Sepeda means “bicycle.” It comes from Dutch spede (from speed), reflecting historical borrowing.

What does tahun lalu mean literally, and how does it function?

Literally tahun = “year,” lalu = “past/ago.” Together tahun lalu means “last year” or “a year ago.” It’s a time adverbial indicating when the action took place.

Could I place tahun lalu at the beginning? For example, Tahun lalu saya membeli sepeda?

Yes. Indonesian word order is flexible for adverbials. Both Saya membeli sepeda tahun lalu and Tahun lalu saya membeli sepeda are correct and mean “I bought a bicycle last year.”

Do I need a special verb tense to show past actions, like adding -ed in English?

No. Indonesian verbs don’t change form for tense. Time is shown by context or time markers like kemarin (“yesterday”), tahun lalu (“last year”), or by aspect words such as sudah (“already”). In Saya membeli sepeda tahun lalu, tahun lalu alone makes it clear the action is in the past.

How would I say the sentence in the passive voice?

To make it passive, switch mem- to di-: “Sepeda saya dibeli tahun lalu.” This means “The bicycle was bought by me last year.” You can add oleh saya (“by me”) for clarity: Sepeda dibeli oleh saya tahun lalu.