Breakdown of Saya menyalakan AC di kamar sebelum tidur.
saya
I
di
in
kamar
the room
menyalakan
to turn on
sebelum
before
tidur
to sleep
AC
the AC
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Questions & Answers about Saya menyalakan AC di kamar sebelum tidur.
What does Saya mean in this sentence?
Saya means “I,” the first-person singular pronoun in Indonesian.
What does menyalakan mean?
Menyalakan means “to turn on” or “to switch on,” used when you cause a device or light to start operating.
How is the verb menyalakan formed?
It’s built from the prefix meN- (marks an active verb), the root nyala (“to be on” or “light”), and the suffix -kan (makes it causative). Together they mean “to make something be on.”
Why do we say menyalakan AC instead of another verb?
In Indonesian, menyalakan is the common verb for activating electrical appliances (TV, lamp, AC). You could also use menghidupkan, but menyalakan AC is more idiomatic.
What is the function of di in di kamar?
Di is a preposition meaning “in” or “at” when indicating location. So di kamar translates as “in the room.”
Could we use kamar tidur instead of kamar?
Yes. Kamar means “room” in general, whereas kamar tidur specifically means “bedroom.” Either works if the context is clear.
Why isn’t there any tense marking on menyalakan?
Indonesian verbs aren’t inflected for tense. Time is shown by context or time words. Here, sebelum tidur (“before sleeping”) tells you when the action happens.
Why is sebelum tidur used without a subject?
After conjunctions like sebelum (“before”), you can drop the subject if it’s the same as in the main clause. So sebelum tidur implies “before I sleep.”
Can we omit Saya and still be understood?
Yes. Indonesian often drops subject pronouns when they’re obvious. Saying Menyalakan AC di kamar sebelum tidur still unambiguously means “I turn on the AC in the room before sleeping.”