Dia belajar tanpa musik di perpustakaan.

She/He studies without music in the library.

Breakdown of Dia belajar tanpa musik di perpustakaan.

• dia: he/she
• di: in
• belajar: to study
• musik: the music
• perpustakaan: the library
• tanpa: without

Questions & Answers about Dia belajar tanpa musik di perpustakaan.

Does “Dia” mean “he” or “she”? Are there gendered pronouns in Indonesian?

“Dia” is a gender-neutral third-person singular pronoun; it can mean “he” or “she.” Alternatives:

• Ia: more formal/literary, mostly as a subject (e.g., Ia belajar…).
• Beliau: respectful/honorific “he/she” (for elders, respected figures).
• Mereka: “they” (plural).

Can I drop “Dia” in conversation?

Yes. Indonesian often drops the subject if context is clear. You could say Belajar tanpa musik di perpustakaan. In formal writing or when context isn’t clear, keep Dia.

Why use “belajar” and not “mempelajari”?

• Belajar = to learn/study (intransitive; no object). That’s what the sentence does.
• Mempelajari = to study something (transitive; needs an object): Dia mempelajari biologi di perpustakaan.
• Related words: mengajar (to teach), pelajar (student), pelajaran (lesson). Root: ajar.

What does “tanpa” do? Is it the same as “tidak”?

• Tanpa = “without” (a preposition): tanpa musik = “without music.”
• Tidak negates verbs/adjectives: tidak belajar (not study), tidak ribut (not noisy). You can’t say tidak musik to mean “without music.”
• Stronger: tanpa musik sama sekali (without any music at all).
• Another option: tidak sambil mendengarkan musik (not while listening to music).

Is the word order fixed? Could I say “Dia belajar di perpustakaan tanpa musik” instead?

Both Dia belajar tanpa musik di perpustakaan and Dia belajar di perpustakaan tanpa musik are natural and mean the same. Indonesian allows flexible placement of adverbials (manner, place, time). Pick the order you find most natural or that emphasizes what you want.

Could it mean “He studies in a library that has no music”?

Normally, no. Here tanpa musik modifies the action “studies,” not the noun “library.” To describe the library, use a modifier:

• di perpustakaan yang tidak memutar musik
• di perpustakaan yang sunyi/tenang
• Attributive (rarer/odd): di perpustakaan tanpa musik to mean “in a music-free library.”

How do I say “with music” (the opposite of “tanpa musik”)?

• Simple: dengan musik (with music): Dia belajar dengan musik.
• More explicit activity: sambil mendengarkan musik (while listening to music).

What’s the difference between “di” and “ke”?

• Di = at/in (location): di perpustakaan (at/in the library).
• Ke = to/toward (movement): ke perpustakaan (to the library).
• For “from,” use dari: dari perpustakaan.

Why is “di” separate here, but sometimes attached (like “dibaca”)?

• di (separate) is a preposition for location: di perpustakaan.
• di- (attached) is a passive prefix on verbs: dibaca (is/was read). So writing diperpustakaan here would be wrong.

Does “di perpustakaan” mean “at” or “in” the library? How to say “inside the library”?

Di can be “at” or “in,” depending on context. To emphasize “inside,” say di dalam perpustakaan.

How do I make “the library” explicit (not just “a library”)?

Indonesian has no articles, so use determiners/possessives:

• di perpustakaan itu/tersebut (at that/the aforementioned library)
• di perpustakaannya (at his/her/the specific library, depending on context)

Any pronunciation tips for these words?

• Dia: dee-ah (two syllables).
• Belajar: bə-LA-jar; j as in “jar”; tap the r.
• Tanpa: TAN-pa (both a’s like “father”).
• Musik: MOO-sik; final k often sounds like an unreleased stop/glottal in casual speech.
• Perpustakaan: per-pus-ta-ka-an (five syllables); smooth the schwa-like per.

Is there a more casual way to say this?

Yes, colloquial options include:

• Dia belajar di perpus tanpa musik. (perpus = short for perpustakaan)
• Dia belajar di perpustakaan nggak pakai musik. (Jakarta-style: “not using music” = without music)

How do I say “He is currently studying…” vs “He studies (habitually)”?

• Progressive/current: add sedang: Dia sedang belajar tanpa musik di perpustakaan.
• Habitual: add a time adverb: Dia biasanya belajar tanpa musik di perpustakaan, Dia belajar tanpa musik di perpustakaan setiap hari.