Saya hampir kehabisan uang tunai di pasar.

I almost ran out of cash at the market.

Breakdown of Saya hampir kehabisan uang tunai di pasar.

• saya: I
• di: at
• pasar: the market
• hampir: almost
• kehabisan: to run out of
• uang tunai: the cash

Questions & Answers about Saya hampir kehabisan uang tunai di pasar.

What does the word “hampir” do here, and where does it go in the sentence?

• hampir means “almost/nearly.” It comes before the verb/adjective/phrase it modifies.
• In this sentence, hampir modifies kehabisan, giving “almost ran out (of).”
• You could also say Di pasar, saya hampir kehabisan uang tunai (fronting the place for emphasis), but hampir still comes before kehabisan.
• Synonym: nyaris (slightly more formal/intense): Saya nyaris kehabisan uang tunai di pasar.

What exactly does “kehabisan” mean, and how is it different from “habis” and “menghabiskan”?

• kehabisan (ke-…-an on the root habis) = to run out of something (often unintended/uncontrolled loss). Example: Saya kehabisan uang (I ran out of money).
• habis = finished/gone/used up (adjective/stative). Example: Uang saya habis (My money is gone).
• menghabiskan = to spend/use up (deliberate action). Example: Saya menghabiskan uang (I spent/used up the money).
• Your sentence uses kehabisan because you’re describing almost running out as a situation you experienced.

Is “kehabisan” a verb that takes an object?

• Functionally, yes: it’s followed directly by the thing you’re out of.
• Pattern: Subject + kehabisan + noun (resource). Examples:
  • Dia kehabisan bensin. (He ran out of gas.)
  • Kami kehabisan waktu. (We ran out of time.)
  • Saya hampir kehabisan uang tunai. (I almost ran out of cash.)

Is the sentence in past or present tense? How do I show the time more clearly?

• Indonesian doesn’t mark tense by verb changes; context or time words do the job.
• For past: add a time adverb.
  • Tadi di pasar, saya hampir kehabisan uang tunai. (Earlier at the market…)
  • Kemarin di pasar, saya hampir kehabisan uang tunai. (Yesterday…)
• For “just now”: Barusan di pasar, saya hampir kehabisan uang tunai.
• For future/hypothetical context, you’d rely on context or words like nanti (later).

Can I move “di pasar” to the beginning or middle?

• Yes, word order is flexible for emphasis.
  • Neutral: Saya hampir kehabisan uang tunai di pasar.
  • Place emphasis on location: Di pasar, saya hampir kehabisan uang tunai.
• Meaning stays the same.

Which preposition do I use: “di,” “ke,” or “dari” with “pasar”?

• di pasar = at the market (location).
• ke pasar = to the market (movement toward).
• dari pasar = from the market (movement away).
• Your sentence is about where the near-miss happened, so di is correct.

How do I spell “di” correctly here?

• As a preposition meaning “at/in/on,” di is written separately: di pasar.
• Don’t write dipasar. That would look like the passive prefix di- (which attaches to verbs), not the preposition.

Do I need an article like “the” or “a” for “pasar”? How do I say “that market”?

• Indonesian has no articles. pasar can mean “the market” or “a market,” decided by context.
• To specify, add a demonstrative:
  • di pasar itu = at that market
  • di pasar ini = at this market
  • With a name: di Pasar Senen

What’s the difference between “uang” and “uang tunai”? Are there synonyms?

• uang = money (general).
• uang tunai = cash (physical money). Your sentence is “cash-specific.”
• Synonyms: bayar tunai (pay in cash), kontan (cash, formal-ish). In casual speech, people often just say cash in code-switching, but uang tunai is the standard Indonesian.

Can I use “tunai” by itself, like “Saya hampir kehabisan tunai”?

• Usually, use uang tunai for “cash.” tunai often functions as a modifier (adjective/adverb) rather than a standalone noun.
• Natural:
  • Saya hampir kehabisan uang tunai.
  • Saya bayar tunai.
• Less natural: Saya hampir kehabisan tunai.

Can I say the same thing using “habis” instead of “kehabisan”?

• Yes, but the structure changes:
  • Uang tunai saya hampir habis di pasar. (My cash was almost gone at the market.)
• Both are fine. kehabisan frames you as the experiencer of running out; habis describes the resource itself as nearly depleted.

What’s the difference between “hampir kehabisan” and “hampir tidak punya (uang tunai)”?

• hampir kehabisan = you nearly used up what you had (focus on depletion/event).
• hampir tidak punya uang tunai = you almost didn’t have any cash (focus on absence/quantity).
• They can overlap in meaning, but:
  • Saya hampir kehabisan uang tunai di pasar. suggests you started with some cash and nearly finished it.
  • Saya hampir tidak punya uang tunai di pasar. suggests you basically had none to begin with.

How do “kehabisan uang” and “kekurangan uang” differ?

• kehabisan uang = (suddenly) run out of money (zero left).
• kekurangan uang = be short of money/insufficient funds (not enough, but not necessarily zero).
• Example: Saya kekurangan uang untuk membayar. (I’m short on money to pay.)

Is “saya” the best pronoun here? What about “aku” or “gue”?

• saya = polite/neutral; safe in most situations.
• aku = informal/intimate; among friends.
• gue/gua (Jakarta slang) = very casual.
• Your sentence with different registers:
  • Saya hampir kehabisan uang tunai di pasar.
  • Aku hampir kehabisan uang tunai di pasar.
  • Gue hampir kehabisan uang cash di pasar. (casual + code-switch)

Are there more colloquial ways to say this?

• Uang (cash) gue hampir abis di pasar. (colloquial; abis = informal for habis)
• Dompet saya hampir kosong di pasar. (My wallet was almost empty.)
• Tinggal sedikit lagi uang tunai saya di pasar. (I had only a little cash left.)

Can “kehabisan” be used with other things besides money?

• Yes. Common collocations:
  • kehabisan bensin (run out of gas)
  • kehabisan waktu (run out of time)
  • kehabisan baterai (run out of battery)
  • kehabisan napas (out of breath)
  • kehabisan stok (out of stock)

What does “hampir saja” do, and can I use it here?

• hampir saja adds emphasis to “almost,” like “so close to.”
• You can say: Saya hampir saja kehabisan uang tunai di pasar. It feels a bit more dramatic than plain hampir.

Does “di pasar” mean a traditional market specifically?

• pasar often implies a traditional market in everyday speech. If you mean a supermarket/mall, specify:
  • di supermarket
  • di mal
  • di pasar tradisional (to be explicit about a traditional market)