Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Pemandu meminjamkan kamera cadangannya supaya saya bisa memotret lampion yang digantung di hutan. - The guide lends me his spare camera so I can photograph the lanterns hung in the forest.

meminjam = “to borrow” (you take something temporarily)
meminjamkan = “to lend” (you give something temporarily)
In Indonesian you form “lend” by adding the suffix -kan to the root pinjam.

Why is there no kepada saya after meminjamkan?

When the indirect object is clear from context or appears elsewhere in the sentence, you can omit kepada. Here, “saya” shows up in the purpose clause (supaya saya bisa…), so the listener knows who receives the camera. If you want explicitness, you can say meminjamkan kamera cadangannya kepada saya, but it’s optional.

What does cadangannya mean, and how is it formed?

cadangan = “spare” or “reserve”
The suffix -nya attaches to indicate possession or definiteness (“his/her/the guide’s”).
So kamera cadangannya = “the guide’s spare camera.”

Why is supaya used here? Can we use agar or untuk instead?

supaya = “so that” (introduces a purpose clause with its own subject)
agar = also “so that,” slightly more formal; interchangeable with supaya here.
untuk + verb = “in order to,” but typically the subject of the main and subordinate clauses must be the same.
Since the purpose clause has saya as subject, supaya/agar is most natural.

What is the function of yang in lampion yang digantung di hutan? Can it be dropped?

yang marks a relative clause, like “that” or “which.” It connects lampion to digantung di hutan (“hung in the forest”). Indonesian requires yang for relative clauses, so you cannot drop it.

Explain the passive form digantung.

digantung is the di- passive of menggantung (“to hang”). It means “(being) hung.” The doer of the action is omitted or unknown. Indonesian commonly uses di- + verb root for passive constructions.

Why is there di in di hutan? Is it the same as the passive di-?

No. In di hutan, di is a locative preposition meaning “in” or “at” when placed before a place noun. In digantung, di- is the passive verb prefix. They look the same but serve different functions.

Can you change the clause order, for example by starting with the purpose clause?

Yes. Indonesian allows flexible word order with purpose clauses.
For instance:
Supaya saya bisa memotret lampion yang digantung di hutan, pemandu meminjamkan kamera cadangannya.