Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Dia suka warna biru untuk pakaian kerja. - He/She likes the color blue for work clothes.

Dia is the third‐person singular pronoun in Indonesian. It means “he,” “she,” or “it,” depending on context. Unlike English, Indonesian pronouns are gender‐neutral, so you can’t tell the person’s gender from Dia alone.

How do we know warna biru means “the color blue” and not “blue color”?

In Indonesian, adjectives come after the noun they modify. Warna is “color” and biru is “blue,” so warna biru literally reads “color blue.” In English we naturally reverse that to “blue color” or more smoothly “the color blue.”

What is the role of untuk here?

Untuk is a preposition meaning “for” or “to be used for.” In this sentence, it links warna biru (“the color blue”) to pakaian kerja (“work clothes”) and indicates purpose: “for work clothes.”

Can we say “Dia suka biru untuk pakaian kerja” and drop warna?

You could, but it sounds odd to native speakers. Including warna (“color”) clarifies that you’re talking about a color preference rather than something more abstract. So Dia suka warna biru… is more natural.

Why is it pakaian kerja instead of “kerja pakaian”?

Like adjectives, noun modifiers follow the head noun in Indonesian. Pakaian (“clothes”) comes first, and kerja (“work”) follows to form the compound “work clothes.”

Could we attach a possessive suffix and say pakaian kerjanya?

Yes. Pakaian kerjanya would mean “his/her work clothes.” In the original sentence there is no suffix, so it simply refers to work clothes in general.

How can we tell that kerja is acting as an adjective (modifier) and not as a verb in pakaian kerja?

In Indonesian, verbs usually carry affixes like me- or di- when they function as actions. When a bare root like kerja follows a noun without affixes, it serves as a modifier—equivalent to the English noun “work” in the compound “work clothes.”