Kami menunggu di luar perpustakaan.

we

Breakdown of Kami menunggu di luar perpustakaan.

• menunggu: to wait
• perpustakaan: the library
• di luar: outside

Questions & Answers about Kami menunggu di luar perpustakaan.

What’s the difference between kami and kita?

• Kami = we, excluding the listener.
• Kita = we, including the listener. So Kami menunggu di luar perpustakaan means the listener is not part of the group. If the listener is included, say Kita menunggu di luar perpustakaan.

Do I need sedang to express “are waiting” (present continuous)?

No. Indonesian verbs don’t change for tense or aspect. Kami menunggu… can mean “we are/were/will be waiting,” depending on context.

• To make the “right now” sense explicit, add sedang (neutral) or lagi (colloquial): Kami sedang menunggu di luar perpustakaan.

Do I need untuk to say “wait for (someone/thing)”?

No. Menunggu already means “to wait for.” Use it directly with an object:

• Kami menunggu kamu/bus di luar perpustakaan. Use menunggu untuk + verb only for “wait to (do something)”:
• Kami menunggu untuk masuk. (We’re waiting to go in.)

What’s the difference between tunggu, menunggu, and nunggu?

• tunggu: the root; commonly used as an imperative: Tunggu sebentar! (Wait a moment!)