Saya memesan jus jeruk dingin di kantin sekolah.

Breakdown of Saya memesan jus jeruk dingin di kantin sekolah.

saya
I
di
at
memesan
to order
dingin
cold
jus jeruk
the orange juice
kantin sekolah
the school canteen
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Questions & Answers about Saya memesan jus jeruk dingin di kantin sekolah.

What is the role of saya in this sentence?
Saya is the first-person singular pronoun (“I”) and functions as the subject. In Indonesian, the subject normally comes before the verb, just like in this English translation: “I ordered cold orange juice at the school canteen.”
What does memesan mean, and how is it formed?

Memesan means “to order.”

  • The root is pesan (“order,” “message”).
  • The prefix me- marks an active, transitive verb.
  • Because the root starts with p, me- assimilates to mem-, giving memesan.
Why is the phrase jus jeruk dingin ordered as noun–noun–adjective?

Indonesian noun phrases are “head-initial”:

  1. The head noun comes first: jus (“juice”).
  2. A noun adjunct specifies the type: jeruk (“orange”).
  3. An adjective follows to describe it: dingin (“cold”).
    So jus jeruk dingin literally “juice orange cold,” i.e. “cold orange juice.”
Could you say dingin jus jeruk or jus dingin jeruk instead?
No. Placing dingin before jus or inserting it between jus and jeruk breaks the standard noun–noun–adjective order and would sound ungrammatical or awkward.
What does di indicate in di kantin sekolah?
Di is a locative preposition meaning “in,” “at,” or “on.” Here it marks the location where the ordering happens: di kantin sekolah = “at the school canteen.”
What’s the difference between di kantin sekolah and ke kantin sekolah?
  • di kantin sekolah = at/in the school canteen (location).
  • ke kantin sekolah = to the school canteen (movement toward).
    For example:
    • “Saya belajar di kantin sekolah.” (“I study at the school canteen.”)
    • “Saya pergi ke kantin sekolah.” (“I go to the school canteen.”)
Why are there no words for “the” or “a” before kantin sekolah?
Indonesian does not use definite or indefinite articles like “the” or “a.” Definiteness is understood from context or added with words like itu (“that”) or sebuah (“a/some”), but is optional in everyday speech.
Is memesan present tense, past tense, or something else?

Indonesian verbs do not change form for tense. Time is inferred from:

  • Context
  • Time markers (e.g. sudah for “already,” akan for “will”)
    So Saya memesan can mean “I order,” “I am ordering,” or “I ordered,” depending on additional context or adverbs.
Can you drop saya and just say Memesan jus jeruk dingin di kantin sekolah?
You can omit the subject informally if it’s clear who you’re talking about, but in standard or formal Indonesian you typically include saya. Without it, the sentence feels incomplete or like a note rather than a full statement.