Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Dia menanyakan jadwal rapat kepada guru di perpustakaan. - He/She asks the teacher about the meeting schedule at the library.

Dia = he/she (gender-neutral). Very common in speech and writing.
Ia = also he/she, but more formal/literary and usually used as a subject, not after prepositions.
Beliau = respectful he/she (for teachers, elders, officials).
Capitalized Dia in the middle of a sentence is typically reserved for God; here it’s capitalized only because it starts the sentence.

Why use menanyakan instead of bertanya?

bertanya is intransitive: pattern is bertanya kepada [person] (tentang [topic]).
menanyakan is transitive: pattern is menanyakan [thing/topic] kepada [person].
Both are correct and mean the same here:
- Dia bertanya kepada guru tentang jadwal rapat.
- Dia menanyakan jadwal rapat kepada guru.

How is menanyakan formed? Why not "mentanyakan"?

Root: tanya. Prefix meN-
- root + suffix -kan.
With roots beginning with t, the t drops and the prefix becomes men-: meN- + tanya → menanya-. Add -kan → menanyakan.
mentanyakan is incorrect.

What’s the difference between menanyakan and menanyai?

menanyakan: the object is the thing asked about. Example: Dia menanyakan jadwal rapat kepada guru.
menanyai: the object is the person being questioned (often more intensive). Example: Dia menanyai guru itu (tentang jadwal rapat).

Can I use meminta here?

meminta = to request/ask for something to be given.
- Dia meminta jadwal rapat kepada guru = He asked the teacher to give him the schedule (a copy).
menanyakan = to ask about/seek information (e.g., “When is it?”).

Do I need tentang? As in menanyakan tentang jadwal rapat?

With menanyakan, tentang is usually unnecessary because the topic is already the direct object.
menanyakan tentang… is common in speech but some consider it redundant in formal writing.

Is kepada the only option for “to [a person]”? What about ke, pada, or sama?

Formal/standard for recipients: kepada → menanyakan … kepada guru.
Informal: ke or sama are very common → Dia nanya jadwal rapat ke/sama guru.
pada is often used too (e.g., bertanya pada guru), though many style guides prefer kepada for people.

What does di perpustakaan modify—the act of asking or the teacher?

Ambiguous as written:
- Place of the act: “He asked … in the library.”
- Describes the teacher: “… to the teacher who is in the library.”
To clarify:
- Location of act: Di perpustakaan, dia menanyakan jadwal rapat kepada guru.
- Teacher’s location: … kepada guru yang (sedang) berada di perpustakaan.

Can I say Dia menanyakan kepada guru jadwal rapat?

Yes. Word order is flexible:
- menanyakan jadwal rapat kepada guru (more common)
- menanyakan kepada guru jadwal rapat (also fine)

Do I need an article like “a/the” before guru? How do I show specificity?

Indonesian has no articles.
Indefinite “a teacher”: seorang guru.
Specific/known: guru itu or gurunya (can mean “the teacher” or “his/her teacher,” context decides).

What does the suffix -nya do in gurunya or jadwal rapatnya?

Marks possession: gurunya = his/her teacher.
Or marks definiteness: jadwal rapatnya = the meeting schedule (the known one). Context determines which.

How does jadwal rapat work grammatically?

Noun + noun compound: jadwal (schedule) + rapat (meeting) → “meeting schedule.”
Head-first structure (Indonesian): “schedule of meeting,” not “schedule for the meeting.”
Related term: agenda rapat = meeting agenda (list of topics), not the time schedule.

Any false friends with rapat?

Yes. rapat also means “tight/close/compact” as an adjective (e.g., pintu rapat = tightly closed door). Here it is a noun meaning “meeting.”

Why di and not ke before perpustakaan?

Is di written together with the noun (e.g., “diperpustakaan”)?

No. As a preposition, di is separate: di perpustakaan.
When attached (di-), it’s a passive verb prefix, e.g., ditanyakan = was asked.

What’s a natural colloquial version of the whole sentence?

How would I say it politely to a teacher?

What’s a passive version?

Jadwal rapat ditanyakan (oleh dia) kepada guru di perpustakaan.
More natural with enclitic: Jadwal rapat ditanyakannya kepada guru di perpustakaan. (-nya = by him/her)