Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Saya menyapa tetangga kami di depan rumah. - I greet our neighbor in front of the house.

kami = “we/our” excluding the listener. tetangga kami means “our neighbor(s), not including you (listener).”
kita = “we/our” including the listener. tetangga kita means “our neighbor(s), including you.” Choose based on whether you’re including the person you’re talking to in the group.

Is tetangga kami singular or plural?

Indonesian doesn’t mark number by default. tetangga kami can mean “our neighbor” or “our neighbors,” depending on context. To be explicit:

Singular: seorang tetangga kami, salah satu tetangga kami
Plural: para tetangga kami (more formal), tetangga-tetangga kami, or use a quantifier: banyak tetangga kami

Does menyapa need a preposition like kepada?

No. menyapa takes a direct object. Say menyapa seseorang, not menyapa kepada seseorang. If you use kepada, use a different verb like memberi salam kepada or mengucapkan selamat kepada.

What’s the nuance of menyapa compared with other “greet” verbs?

menyapa: to greet/say hi (typically verbally or by acknowledgement).
menyalami: to shake hands.
bertegur sapa: to exchange greetings (mutual/reciprocal).
mengucapkan salam/selamat pagi: to utter a greeting. Example: Saya bertemu tetangga kami dan menyapanya = “I met our neighbor and greeted them.”

How do I show past, present, or future? The sentence looks tenseless.

Indonesian doesn’t inflect for tense. Add time/aspect words:

Past: tadi, barusan, kemarin (e.g., Tadi saya menyapa…)
Ongoing: sedang (e.g., Saya sedang menyapa…)
Completed: sudah/telah (e.g., Saya sudah menyapa…)
Future: akan/time adverb (e.g., Nanti saya akan menyapa…)

In di depan rumah, whose house is it?

Alone, di depan rumah is context-dependent (“in front of the house”). To be explicit:

Your/our house: di depan rumah saya/kami
Their house: di depan rumahnya
The neighbor’s house: di depan rumah tetangga kami

Can I move the location phrase around?

Yes. Common options:

Saya menyapa tetangga kami di depan rumah. (neutral)
Di depan rumah, saya menyapa tetangga kami. (focus on place) If you say Saya menyapa di depan rumah tetangga kami, it now means “in front of our neighbor’s house.” Word order changes what the location modifies.

Is di depan written as one word or two? And how is that different from the prefix di-?

Location preposition di is separate: di depan, di rumah.
Passive prefix di- is attached to verbs: disapa (“is/was greeted”). So: di depan (two words), but disapa (one word).

Is menyapa transitive, and what are the passive/alternate forms?

Yes, menyapa is transitive.

Active: Saya menyapa tetangga kami di depan rumah.
Passive (di-): Tetangga kami disapa (oleh) saya di depan rumah.
Short passive: Tetangga kami saya sapa di depan rumah.
With pronominal prefix: Kusapa tetangga kami di depan rumah. (more literary/informal depending on register)

If I want “the neighbor who was in front of the house,” do I need yang?

Yes. Use a relative clause with yang:

Saya menyapa tetangga kami yang (ada/berada) di depan rumah. Without yang, di depan rumah typically modifies the verb phrase (“greeted… in front of the house”), not the noun.

Can I use di hadapan instead of di depan?

di depan = in front of (neutral, physical location). Most common for places.
di hadapan = in front of, often “in the presence of” (more formal or for people/audience).
di muka exists but is less common or more formal/old-fashioned in many contexts. For a house, di depan rumah is the natural choice.

Any pronunciation tips for words here?

menyapa: ny like the “ny” in “canyon” (one sound).
tetangga: ng like “sing,” and the double gg is a hard g.
depan: the e is a schwa (like the a in “about”).
rumah: pronounce the final h softly; u like “put.” Indonesian stress is light; keep syllables even and clear.

How formal is saya here? Could I use aku or colloquial forms?

saya: neutral/formal; safe in most contexts.
aku: informal/intimate.
Colloquial (Jakarta): gue nyapa tetangga gue di depan rumah. Note also the colloquial drop of the prefix: nyapa for menyapa in casual speech.

Why are there no articles like “a/the”? How do I say “a neighbor”?

Indonesian has no articles. Definiteness is inferred from context. To say “a neighbor,” use:

seorang tetangga (for people)
or salah satu tetangga kami = “one of our neighbors.” Otherwise tetangga kami can be definite or indefinite depending on context.