Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Kami mengadakan pesta kecil di rumah malam ini. - We are having a small party at home tonight.

mengadakan comes from the root adakan (related to ada, “exist”) plus the active prefix meng-, so it literally means “to cause something to exist.” In practice it’s used as “to hold,” “to organize,” or “to host” an event.

How do you say “small party”—why is it pesta kecil and not kecil pesta?

In Indonesian, adjectives follow the nouns they modify. So you say pesta kecil (literally “party small”), not kecil pesta. The pattern is always:
• Noun + Adjective

What does di mean in di rumah, and how can you tell it’s a preposition here, not the passive voice marker?

Here di is the preposition “at/in.” You know it’s not the passive prefix because it stands alone (there’s a space) before a noun. In passive verbs you’d see di- attached directly to a verb root, for example ditulis (“is written”).

How do you express “tonight”? Is malam ini really “tonight,” or is there a nuance?

Yes, malam ini literally means “night this,” which we translate as “tonight.” Time expressions in Indonesian often put ini after the time word. For example:
• hari ini = “today”
• tahun ini = “this year”

What’s the difference between kami and kita?

Both mean “we/us,” but:
• kami excludes the person you’re talking to (“we, but not you”)
• kita includes the listener (“we, including you”)

Why is kami explicitly used here? Can you drop the subject in Indonesian?

You can drop subjects in Indonesian if context is clear. They used kami to clarify that the speaker and their group are hosting the party (and not including the listener). Without kami, the sentence is still grammatical, but less specific about who’s organizing.

Could you say di rumah kami instead of di rumah? What changes?

Yes. di rumah kami means “at our house.” Adding kami after rumah specifies whose house it is. Without it, you only say “at home” or “at the house” without owner specification.

Is word order for time and place flexible? Could you move malam ini or di rumah elsewhere?

Yes. Indonesian tends to allow adverbials (time and place) at the beginning or end. For example:
• Malam ini kami mengadakan pesta kecil di rumah.
• Di rumah kami mengadakan pesta kecil malam ini.
All versions are understood, though native speakers often put time first, then subject, verb, object, and place last.

How do you express “a small party”? Why isn’t there an article like “a” in the sentence?

Indonesian doesn’t have articles like “a” or “the.” Indefiniteness is implied. If you want to emphasize “a,” you can add sebuah before pesta:
• Kami mengadakan sebuah pesta kecil di rumah malam ini.