Breakdown of Penjual kerajinan menunggu pengunjung di galeri.
di
in
menunggu
to wait
pengunjung
the visitor
galeri
the gallery
penjual kerajinan
the craft seller
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Indonesian grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Penjual kerajinan menunggu pengunjung di galeri.
In penjual kerajinan, which noun is the head (main noun) and which one is the modifier? How do noun-noun phrases work in Indonesian?
In Indonesian the head noun comes first and the modifier follows. Here penjual (seller) is the head, and kerajinan (crafts) specifies what is being sold. So penjual kerajinan literally means “seller of crafts,” i.e. “craft seller.”
What do penjual and kerajinan mean on their own, and how are they formed?
- Penjual: “seller.” Formed from the root jual (to sell) plus the agent-forming prefix peN-, giving “one who sells.”
- Kerajinan: “craftsmanship” or “crafts.” From the adjective rajin (diligent) with the affixes ke-…-an, which often create nouns denoting a quality, result, or field of work.
Combined, penjual kerajinan means “craft seller” or “handicraft seller.”
Why is there no word for “the” or “a” before penjual kerajinan?
Indonesian doesn’t use articles like “a” or “the.” Context tells you whether something is definite or indefinite. If you want to emphasize “a craft seller” you can add seorang (for people): seorang penjual kerajinan.
How is menunggu translated into English? Does it need a preposition like “for”?
Menunggu means “to wait for.” Unlike English, Indonesian treats it as a transitive verb that directly takes its object, so no extra preposition is required. Menunggu pengunjung = “waiting for visitors.”
What does the prefix meN- do in menunggu?
The prefix meN- turns the root tunggu (wait) into an active, transitive verb. It marks the action “to wait for” rather than a passive or nominal form.
What is pengunjung, and how does it differ from kunjungan?
- Pengunjung: “visitor.” Formed with the agent-forming prefix peng-
- root kunjung (visit), so “one who visits.”
- Kunjungan: “a visit” or “the act of visiting.” Here the suffix -an nominalizes the root into an event or noun of action.
What is the function of di in di galeri, and why isn’t ke used instead?
Di is the location preposition meaning “at” or “in.” It indicates where something happens. Ke expresses movement toward a place (“to the gallery”), but since menunggu doesn’t imply motion, we use di galeri = “at the gallery.”
Why don’t any of the words change for tense or number?
Indonesian verbs and nouns are not inflected for tense or plurality. You indicate time with adverbs or auxiliary words (e.g. sudah for past, akan for future) and quantity with numerals or quantifiers (e.g. beberapa, banyak). Here it’s simply present–“(The craft seller) waits for visitors at the gallery.”