Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Siswa menulis cerita pendek di kantin sekolah. - The student writes a short story in the school canteen.

The prefix meN- is an active transitive verb prefix. It attaches to the root tulis to form menulis (“to write”). Because of nasal assimilation rules, the initial t in tulis changes to n, yielding menulis.

Why is pendek placed after cerita rather than before?

In Indonesian, adjectives follow the nouns they describe. So cerita pendek literally means “story short,” i.e. “short story.”

How would you indicate that there are multiple siswa?

Indonesian nouns normally stay the same for singular and plural. siswa can mean “student” or “students.” To emphasize plural you can use:
• para siswa (a group of students)
• siswa-siswa (reduplicated form)

Does menulis tell you if the action is past, present, or future?

No. Indonesian verbs do not change form for tense. menulis can refer to past, present, or future. Time is shown by context or by adding time words like kemarin (yesterday), sekarang (now), or akan (will).

What does di mean in di kantin sekolah?

The preposition di means “in” or “at” when used with locations. So di kantin sekolah = “in/at the school cafeteria.”

How is kantin sekolah built as a phrase?

It’s a noun-noun compound: kantin (cafeteria) + sekolah (school) = “school cafeteria.”

Could di kantin sekolah come at the beginning of the sentence?

Yes. Indonesian allows flexible placement of adverbial phrases. You could say:
Di kantin sekolah, siswa menulis cerita pendek.

Why are there no words for “a” or “the” before siswa, cerita, or kantin?

Indonesian has no articles like English. Nouns appear without a/the. Definiteness or indefiniteness is understood from context or added explicitly with words like sebuah (a) or itu (the/that).