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Breakdown of Rumah sakit itu ada di timur kota.
itu
that
di
in
kota
the city
rumah sakit
the hospital
timur
the east
ada
to be
Questions & Answers about Rumah sakit itu ada di timur kota.
What does rumah sakit literally mean, and why is it written as two separate words?
Literally, rumah means “house” and sakit means “sick,” so together they form the compound noun “hospital.” In Indonesian, many compounds consist of two (or more) standalone nouns without hyphens. They remain separate words even though they function as a single concept.
What is the role of itu in this sentence?
Itu is a demonstrative pronoun meaning “that.” In Indonesian, demonstratives (ini for “this,” itu for “that”) always follow the noun they modify. Here, rumah sakit itu specifies “that hospital” (as opposed to another one).
Why is ada used here, and what does it convey?
Ada translates roughly to “there is” or “exists.” When combined with a location marker (di), ada di expresses that something is located at or in a place. So ada di timur kota means “is located east of the city.”
Why doesn’t Indonesian use articles like “the” or “a” in this sentence?
Indonesian has no definite or indefinite articles. Context, numerals (e.g., satu for “one”), or demonstratives (like itu) indicate specificity. Learners simply omit “the” or “a” and rely on these other cues.
Why do we use di timur kota instead of ke timur kota?
Di marks a static location (“in” or “at”), whereas ke indicates movement or direction toward something (“to”). Since we’re describing where the hospital is located (not saying it’s moving there), we use di timur kota (“in the east of the city”).
What’s the difference between timur kota and kota timur?
• Timur kota = “the east of the city” (direction + place).
• Kota timur = “eastern city” (an adjective-noun phrase describing a city that lies in the east).
The word order changes the relationship: direction vs. descriptive adjective.
Can ada be omitted in this sentence?
Yes. Colloquially, you can say Rumah sakit itu di timur kota and still mean “That hospital is east of the city.” Omitting ada makes the sentence more concise but slightly more telegraphic.
How would you explicitly say “on the east side of the city”?
You can insert sebelah, which means “side of”:
Rumah sakit itu ada di sebelah timur kota.
This emphasizes “on the east side” of the city.
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