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Breakdown of Dia menyewa kamar dekat kantor selama seminggu.
sebuah
a
dia
he/she
kantor
the office
dekat
near
kamar
the room
selama
for
menyewa
to rent
seminggu
a week
Questions & Answers about Dia menyewa kamar dekat kantor selama seminggu.
Does Dia mean “he” or “she”? Are there gendered pronouns in Indonesian?
Indonesian pronouns are gender-neutral. Dia can mean either he or she; context tells you which. You may also see:
- ia: more common in writing; typically subject-only (e.g., Ia menyewa…, but not Saya melihat ia).
- beliau: respectful “he/she” for elders or important figures.
- -nya: enclitic for possession or anaphora (e.g., kantornya = his/her office or the previously mentioned office).
How do we know whether menyewa is past, present, or future?
Verbs don’t change for tense in Indonesian; time/aspect is shown with particles or time words:
- Completed: Dia sudah/telah menyewa… (has rented / rented).
- In progress: Dia sedang menyewa… (is renting).
- Future/intended: Dia akan menyewa… (will rent), or add a time word like besok (tomorrow), minggu depan (next week).
- The original sentence relies on context or added time words to locate the action in time.
Why menyewa and not just sewa?
- sewa is the root “rent.” With the active prefix meN-, it becomes menyewa (“to rent”).
- In everyday speech, many speakers drop the prefix: Dia sewa kamar… is common and acceptable.
- Related forms you’ll see:
- menyewakan = to rent out/let (as the owner).
- disewa = to be rented (passive).
- penyewa = renter/tenant.
Does kamar mean “a room” or “the room”? How do I show definiteness?
Indonesian has no articles. kamar can mean either “a room” or “the room,” depending on context. To be explicit:
- “one room”: sebuah kamar or satu kamar.
- “that/the (specific) room”: kamar itu.
- Specify type if needed: kamar hotel (hotel room), kamar kost (boarding-house room), kamar tidur (bedroom).
Should it be di dekat kantor instead of dekat kantor? What’s the difference?
All of these are acceptable:
- dekat kantor (very common, concise).
- di dekat kantor (equally common; explicitly locative).
- dekat dengan kantor (a bit more formal). They all mean “near the office,” with no real change in meaning in everyday use.
Can I say dekat dari kantor?
In standard Indonesian, prefer dekat dengan kantor or di dekat kantor. dekat dari is widely heard in some regions but is considered nonstandard in careful speech/writing.
Why is there no yang before dekat kantor after kamar?
You can optionally insert yang if you treat it as a relative clause: kamar yang dekat (dengan) kantor = “the room that is near the office.” In short noun + prepositional-phrase sequences, Indonesian often omits yang: kamar dekat kantor is idiomatic and natural.
What does selama seminggu add? Could I just say seminggu?
selama means “for/during (a span of time).” selama seminggu clearly marks the duration. You can also say seminggu by itself; both are natural:
- Dia menyewa kamar dekat kantor selama seminggu.
- Dia menyewa kamar dekat kantor seminggu. Using selama can be a bit clearer, especially for learners.
What’s the difference between seminggu, satu minggu, sepekan, and semingguan?
- seminggu: for one week (most idiomatic).
- satu minggu: literally “one week,” a bit more emphatic or contrastive.
- sepekan: for one week; more formal/literary/journalistic.
- semingguan: about/around a week; approximate. Note: lowercase minggu = week; capitalized Minggu = Sunday.
Can I change the order of the place and time phrases?
Yes, Indonesian allows flexible adverb order. All of these are fine:
- Dia menyewa kamar dekat kantor selama seminggu. (original)
- Selama seminggu, dia menyewa kamar dekat kantor.
- Dia menyewa kamar selama seminggu di dekat kantor. Tip: keep dekat kantor close to kamar if you want it clearly to modify “room.”
How do I say “near his/her office,” not just any office?
Use possession with -nya:
- Dia menyewa kamar dekat kantornya. Here -nya can mean “his/her” or “the previously mentioned.” If you need to be explicit:
- dekat kantor dia / dekat kantornya dia (colloquial but clear).
- With a name: dekat kantor Budi.
If I specifically mean a hotel room, how do I say it?
Use a modifier:
- Dia menyewa kamar hotel dekat kantor selama seminggu. Or:
- Dia menyewa kamar di hotel yang dekat (dengan) kantor.
Could I use tinggal or menginap instead of menyewa?
- menyewa = to rent (focus on the rental transaction).
- menginap = to stay overnight (focus on staying, often at a hotel/relative’s place).
- tinggal = to live/stay (more general, often longer-term). Examples:
- Dia menginap di hotel dekat kantor selama seminggu. (He stayed for a week.)
- Dia tinggal di kamar dekat kantor selama seminggu. (He stayed/lived there for a week; rental is not necessarily implied.)
How do I negate the sentence?
Use tidak to negate the verb:
- Dia tidak menyewa kamar dekat kantor selama seminggu. To negate the duration specifically (contrastive), you can use bukan for the phrase and then give the correction:
- Dia menyewa kamar dekat kantor bukan selama seminggu, tetapi selama dua minggu.
Is there a passive version?
Yes. For example:
- Kamar dekat kantor itu disewa selama seminggu. (That room near the office was rented for a week.)
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