Anjing saya bermain di sekitar rumah.

My dog plays around the house.

Breakdown of Anjing saya bermain di sekitar rumah.

• rumah: the house
• anjing: the dog
• bermain: to play
• di sekitar: around

Questions & Answers about Anjing saya bermain di sekitar rumah.

What is the literal word-by-word translation of Anjing saya bermain di sekitar rumah?

Anjing = dog
saya = my
bermain = to play / is playing
di = at / in / on
sekitar = around
rumah = house
Putting it together: My dog is playing around the house.

What is the sentence structure and word order here?

This follows a Subject–Verb–Adverbial (S–V–Adv) order:
Subject: Anjing saya
Verb: bermain
Adverbial phrase (location): di sekitar rumah

How is possession expressed in Anjing saya, and why does the possessor come second?

In Indonesian, possession is shown by placing the possessor after the noun:
Noun + Possessor = “dog my” → Anjing saya (“my dog”).
Reversing them (e.g. saya anjing) would be incorrect and change the meaning.

What does the prefix ber- do in bermain and how does it differ from the bare form main?

• ber- marks an intransitive verb: bermain = “to play.”
• In casual speech, Indonesians often drop ber- and just say main as a verb (e.g. Saya main bola).
• bermain is the standard form, while main is more colloquial.

Why is di in di sekitar separate from sekitar, and how do we know it’s a preposition and not a verbal prefix?

• Here di is the preposition “at/in/on,” so it’s written separately: di sekitar = “around.”
• As a passive-voice prefix on verbs, di attaches directly (no space), e.g. dilihat (“seen”).

What does sekitar mean in this context, and can it be used elsewhere?

• In this sentence, sekitar = “around” or “in the vicinity of.”
• It can also mean “approximately” with numbers (e.g. sekitar sepuluh = “about ten”).

Can I make saya more colloquial in Anjing saya?

Yes. Replace saya with the suffix -ku on the noun:
Anjingku bermain di sekitar rumah.
This is informal and very common in everyday speech.

How do I express plural “dogs” here?

Use reduplication: anjing-anjing = “dogs.”
Example: Anjing-anjing saya bermain di sekitar rumah.
Note: Indonesian often omits plural marking if context is clear.

Why isn’t there saya after rumah? What if I say di sekitar rumah saya?

• Omitting saya on rumah is fine when it’s clear it’s your house.
• Adding saya (di sekitar rumah saya) is also correct and simply emphasises “my house.”

Are di sekitar rumah and di sekeliling rumah interchangeable?

They’re near-synonyms:

• di sekitar rumah focuses on the general area/vicinity.
• di sekeliling rumah stresses “all around the perimeter.”
  In most contexts, you can use either without confusion.