Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Saya mencetak agenda rapat di kantor setiap malam. - I print the meeting agenda at the office every night.

The root is cetak, meaning “print.” The prefix me- (more precisely meN-) turns it into an active transitive verb that takes an object: cetak → mencetak “to print (something).” The specific form of the prefix depends on the first sound of the root, which leads us to assimilation rules.

Why does the prefix appear as men- in mencetak, and why isn’t the initial c dropped?

Prefix me- has allomorphs based on the root’s initial consonant. For a root beginning with c (treated like t in Indonesian phonology), me- becomes men-, and the c remains. So me- + cetak → men- + cetak → mencetak.

How do you know that agenda rapat is the object, and why is there no preposition marking it?

Indonesian typically follows Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) order. Here Saya (subject) + mencetak (verb) + agenda rapat (object). Transitive verbs like mencetak don’t require an object marker; word order alone signals the object.

Why is di kantor used here instead of ke kantor?

Di marks a static location (“at/in”), while ke indicates direction or destination (“to/toward”). Since the action happens at the office, we use di kantor.

Where do time expressions like setiap malam go in an Indonesian sentence?

The neutral pattern is SVO-Location-Time, so setiap malam (“every night”) comes at the end. For emphasis you can also front it:
Setiap malam, saya mencetak agenda rapat di kantor.

In the phrase agenda rapat, which word is the head and which is the modifier? How does this compare to English?

In Indonesian noun compounds, the head noun comes first (agenda) and the modifier follows (rapat, “meeting”). English reverses this order (“meeting agenda”), but Indonesian keeps the main noun up front.

Can you rearrange the sentence without changing its core meaning?

Yes. You can move setiap malam or di kantor to the front without altering the meaning:

Setiap malam, saya mencetak agenda rapat di kantor.
Di kantor, saya mencetak agenda rapat setiap malam.

What does setiap mean, and how is it used with time words?

Setiap means “every” or “each.” It precedes time expressions (hari, minggu, malam, etc.) to convey habitual actions: setiap hari, setiap minggu, setiap malam.

How would you express printing multiple copies of the agenda?

Indonesian nouns don’t mark plural. To specify quantity, place a numeral or quantifier before the noun, for example:
Saya mencetak tiga salinan agenda rapat setiap malam. (“I print three copies of the meeting agenda every night.”)
Or for an unspecified few: Saya mencetak beberapa salinan agenda rapat.