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Questions & Answers about Kami sarapan di taman.
What does kami mean, and how is it different from kita?
Both mean we, but:
- kami = we (excluding the person you’re talking to).
- kita = we (including the person you’re talking to).
So Kami sarapan di taman means you’re not including the listener; Kita sarapan di taman would include them.
Is the sentence past, present, or habitual? Indonesian doesn’t mark tense—so what does it mean?
Without markers, it’s context-dependent. It can mean:
- Habitual: We have breakfast in the park (as a routine).
- Present: We are having breakfast in the park (right now).
- Past: We had breakfast in the park (if context makes that clear).
Add markers to be explicit:
- Present progressive: Kami sedang/lagi sarapan di taman.
- Past (earlier today): Tadi kami sarapan di taman.
- Completed: Kami sudah sarapan di taman.
- Future: Besok kami akan sarapan di taman.
- Habitual: Biasanya kami sarapan di taman.
Is sarapan a verb or a noun?
Both.
- As a verb: Kami sarapan di taman (We have breakfast in the park).
- As a noun: Kami menyiapkan sarapan (We prepare breakfast).
Avoid saying makan sarapan (eat breakfast); just use sarapan. An alternative to the verb is makan pagi (see next).
Can I say makan pagi instead of sarapan?
Yes: Kami makan pagi di taman is fine and understood everywhere. Nuance:
- sarapan is the most common everyday word.
- makan pagi is fully acceptable, sometimes a bit more neutral/formal.
- sarapan pagi is common in speech but technically redundant.
Is bersarapan correct?
Yes, bersarapan exists and is grammatical: Kami bersarapan di taman. It sounds more formal/literary. In everyday speech, sarapan (without ber-) is more common. You can also say bersarapan dengan kopi or sarapan dengan kopi.
Can I drop the subject and just say “Sarapan di taman”?
Yes. Indonesian often drops subjects if context is clear. Sarapan di taman could mean We/I/They have breakfast in the park, depending on context. Keep kami if you need to make “we (not you)” explicit.
Why is it di and not ke? What’s the difference?
- di marks a static location (at/in): Kami sarapan di taman (We have breakfast in the park).
- ke marks movement to: Kami pergi ke taman untuk sarapan (We go to the park to have breakfast).
Does taman mean “park” or “garden”?
Both, depending on context:
- Public/ornamental areas: taman (e.g., taman kota = city park, taman rumah = a home’s ornamental garden).
- Vegetable/fruit gardens or plantations: kebun (e.g., kebun sayur, kebun teh). “Playground” is taman bermain.
How do I say “in the park” vs “in a park” when there are no articles?
Indonesian has no definite/indefinite articles; di taman can mean either. To be specific:
- The park (known/specific): di taman itu / di taman tersebut / di taman ini.
- A park (unspecified): di sebuah taman.
- A particular one by name/type: di Taman Suropati, di taman kota.
Where do time words go? Can I move them around?
Common placements:
- At the start (neutral/emphatic): Pagi ini kami sarapan di taman.
- At the end: Kami sarapan di taman pagi ini.
- After the subject: Kami kemarin sarapan di taman. All are natural; fronting often adds emphasis.
Do I need a space in di taman? I’ve seen di- stuck to words elsewhere.
Yes, space it: di taman. Here di is a preposition, so it’s written separately. When di- is a passive prefix, it attaches to the verb with no space (e.g., ditangkap, was arrested). So ditaman is wrong in this sentence.
How can I emphasize the location “in the park”?
Front the location:
- Di taman kami sarapan. (In the park is where we have breakfast.) You can also contrast: Kami sarapan di taman, bukan di rumah.
Can sarapan take a direct object, like the food we eat?
Yes, both are common:
- Direct: Kami sarapan nasi goreng.
- With a preposition: Kami sarapan dengan/pakai nasi goreng. All sound natural.
How do I negate it? What’s the difference between tidak and belum here?
- Simple negation: Kami tidak sarapan di taman (We don’t/didn’t have breakfast in the park—context decides time).
- Not yet: Kami belum sarapan di taman (We haven’t had breakfast in the park yet). Use tidak with verbs/adjectives; don’t use bukan here.
Should I ever use pada instead of di for places?
No. For physical locations use di. Pada is used in formal style for times and certain abstract relations:
- Time: pada pukul delapan (at eight o’clock)
- Abstract: tekanan pada pipa (pressure on the pipe) So keep di taman for places.
Any quick pronunciation tips?
- kami: KAH-mee (a as in father; i as in see)
- sarapan: sah-RAH-pahn (stress typically on the penultimate syllable: RA)
- di: dee
- taman: TAH-mahn Indonesian vowels are pure and consistent; consonants are generally as spelled.