Saya membeli ayam di pasar.

I buy chicken at the market.

Breakdown of Saya membeli ayam di pasar.

• saya: I
• di: at
• pasar: the market
• membeli: to buy
• ayam: the chicken

Questions & Answers about Saya membeli ayam di pasar.

Does this sentence show past tense? How do I mark past, present, or future in Indonesian?

Indonesian verbs don’t change for tense. Time is shown with time words or aspect markers.

• Past/completed: tadi (earlier today), kemarin (yesterday), sudah/telah (already)
  • Saya membeli ayam di pasar tadi.
  • Kemarin saya beli ayam di pasar.
  • Saya sudah membeli ayam di pasar.
• Present/habitual: often just the bare verb or add sedang (in the middle of)
  • Saya sedang membeli ayam di pasar. (right now)
• Future: akan, nanti, or a time word
  • Besok saya akan membeli ayam di pasar.

Why is it membeli and not beli? Are both correct? What does the prefix meN- do?

• beli is the base verb; membeli is the active transitive form with the meN- prefix (here realized as mem-), common in neutral/formal Indonesian.
• In everyday speech, people often say the base form: Saya beli ayam di pasar.
• The prefix meN- makes active verbs (often transitive). It changes shape depending on the first letter of the root:
  • mem- before b/p/f/v (p often drops): beli → membeli, pakai → memakai
  • men- before t/d/c/j/z (t often drops): tulis → menulis
  • meng- before k/g/h/a/e/i/o/u (k often drops): kirim → mengirim
  • meny- before s (s drops): sapu → menyapu

Do I need words for a/the before ayam or pasar?

No. Indonesian has no articles. Ayam and pasar are neutral by default (a/the depends on context). To make things definite or specific:

• Add itu: ayam itu (that/the chicken), pasar itu (that/the market)
• Use -nya as a definite marker in many contexts: ayamnya, pasarnya (often understood as the chicken/the market, or his/her/its depending on context)

How do I say a chicken, one chicken, or the chicken?

• One/a chicken (animal): seekor ayam or satu ekor ayam (classifier ekor is used for animals)
• The chicken: ayam itu or ayamnya

Does ayam mean chicken meat or a live chicken here?

It can mean either; context decides. At a market, ayam could be a whole chicken or chicken meat. To be explicit:

• Chicken meat: daging ayam
• Live chicken: ayam hidup
• Slaughtered/processed whole chicken: ayam potong Example: Saya membeli daging ayam di pasar.

How do I show quantity or weight?

• Counting animals: use ekor
  • dua ekor ayam, tiga ekor ayam
• Weight/amount:
  • setengah kilo daging ayam, sekilo ayam
• Parts/cuts:
  • dua potong dada ayam, sepuluh sayap

Why use di here? What’s the difference between di, ke, and dari?

• di = at/in/on (location): Saya membeli ayam di pasar.
• ke = to (movement toward): Saya pergi ke pasar.
• dari = from (movement from/origin): Saya pulang dari pasar. Don’t say membeli … ke pasar; use di pasar for where the buying happens.

Why is di written separately in di pasar, but sometimes I see it attached (like dibeli)?

• di as a preposition (at/in/on) is written separately: di pasar, di rumah.
• di- as a passive prefix attaches to verbs: dibeli (is/was bought). Example: Ayam itu dibeli di pasar.

Can I change the word order, like Di pasar, saya membeli ayam?

Yes. Fronting the place adds emphasis or sets the scene:

• Di pasar, saya membeli ayam. (At the market, I bought chicken.) Default order is also fine: Saya membeli ayam di pasar.

Can I drop saya, or use aku/gue instead?

• Dropping the subject is common if context is clear: Beli ayam di pasar.
• Pronoun choices:
  • saya = polite/neutral
  • aku = informal
  • gue/gua = very colloquial (Jakarta) Examples: Aku beli ayam di pasar. / Gue beli ayam di pasar.

How do I say this in the passive?

Two common ways:

• Formal passive: Ayam itu dibeli (oleh) saya di pasar. (oleh = by; often omitted)
• Colloquial object-fronting (very common): Ayam itu saya beli di pasar.

How do I make ayam plural?

Plural isn’t required unless you need to emphasize it. Ways to show plurality:

• Reduplication: ayam-ayam
• Quantifiers: beberapa ayam (some), banyak ayam (many)
• Numbers with ekor: dua ekor ayam, lima ekor ayam

Any quick pronunciation tips for these words?

• saya: sa-ya (y like in yes; vowels like in father and sofa)
• ayam: a-yam (two syllables)
• pasar: pa-sar (r is tapped/trilled lightly) Indonesian has clear, even syllables; don’t over-stress any one syllable.

Where do time words like kemarin or tadi go?

They can go at the start or the end:

• Kemarin saya beli ayam di pasar.
• Saya beli ayam di pasar kemarin.
• Tadi saya beli ayam di pasar. / Saya beli ayam di pasar tadi pagi.

Is it okay to omit the object after membeli if it’s obvious?

Not usually. membeli is transitive and sounds incomplete without an object. If you don’t want to name it, use a vaguer verb:

• Better: Saya belanja di pasar. (I shopped at the market.)
• Or add a vague object: Saya membeli sesuatu di pasar.

How would I say I went to the market to buy chicken?

• Neutral/formal: Saya pergi ke pasar untuk membeli ayam.
• Colloquial: Saya ke pasar buat beli ayam.

What are some natural variations locals might say?

• Short/colloquial: Saya beli ayam di pasar.
• With aspect: Saya sudah beli ayam di pasar.
• Without subject (context known): Beli ayam di pasar tadi.
• With place fronted: Di pasar tadi, saya beli ayam.