Breakdown of Saya melihat beberapa lukisan baru di galeri kota.
saya
I
di
in
baru
new
kota
city
lukisan
the painting
melihat
to look at
beberapa
several
galeri
the gallery
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Questions & Answers about Saya melihat beberapa lukisan baru di galeri kota.
What does the prefix meN- in melihat indicate?
The meN- prefix marks an active transitive verb in Indonesian. When attached to the root lihat (see), it forms melihat (to see). Note the assimilation rule: meN- + l stays as mel.
How do you express past or present tense with melihat?
Indonesian verbs don’t change for tense. Saya melihat can mean “I saw,” “I see,” or “I will see,” depending on context. To specify past, add a time adverb like kemarin (yesterday) or baru saja (just now).
What is the function of beberapa?
Beberapa is a quantifier meaning “some” or “several.” It precedes a noun to indicate an indefinite plural: beberapa lukisan = “some paintings.”
Why are there no articles like “a” or “the”?
Indonesian has no definite or indefinite articles. Context and quantifiers (such as beberapa) convey definiteness and number, so you simply say lukisan for “a painting,” “the painting,” or “paintings.”
Why does baru come after lukisan?
Adjectives in Indonesian usually follow the noun they modify. Lukisan baru literally means “painting new,” i.e. “new painting.”
Why isn’t lukisan pluralized with a suffix?
Indonesian nouns are unmarked for number. Plurality can be implied by context or shown with quantifiers like beberapa, or by reduplication (e.g. lukisan-lukisan), but here beberapa makes plurality clear.
What does di do in di galeri kota?
Here, di is the locative preposition “in/at.” It marks where the action takes place: di galeri kota = “at the city gallery.”
How do galeri and kota combine in galeri kota?
They form a compound noun where galeri (gallery) is specified by kota (city). The describing noun follows the main noun: galeri kota = “city gallery.”
How can you emphasize that you just saw the paintings?
Add baru saja to indicate the action just happened:
Saya baru saja melihat beberapa lukisan baru di galeri kota.
Can you omit Saya and still understand the sentence?
Yes. Indonesian often drops the subject if it’s clear.
(Saya) melihat beberapa lukisan baru di galeri kota remains understood as “I saw some new paintings at the city gallery.”