Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Hobi kami adalah bersepeda di taman setiap pagi. - Our hobby is cycling in the park every morning.

kami = we/our (excluding the listener). The sentence means the speaker’s group has this hobby, but not the person addressed.
kita = we/our (including the listener). If you want to include the person you’re talking to, say: Hobi kita adalah bersepeda…

Do we need adalah here, or can we leave it out?

You can leave it out. Indonesian often omits a “to be” verb. Both are correct:

More formal/neutral: Hobi kami adalah bersepeda di taman setiap pagi.
Very natural in speech: Hobi kami bersepeda di taman setiap pagi.

Is using adalah before a verb like bersepeda correct?

Yes in real usage. Strictly, adalah links a subject to a noun phrase, but activities like bersepeda often function as a “gerund” (cycling) in Indonesian, so …adalah bersepeda is common and accepted. If you want to be very formal, you can say: Hobi kami adalah kegiatan bersepeda… or just drop adalah.

What does the prefix ber- in bersepeda do? Are there alternatives?

sepeda = bicycle; bersepeda = to cycle/ride a bicycle (intransitive).
Natural alternatives:
- naik sepeda (very common)
- sepedaan (colloquial)
- mengayuh sepeda (to pedal a bicycle; focuses on the action)
Avoid forms like “menyepeda” (not used).

Why is it di taman and not ke taman?

di = at/in (location): bersepeda di taman = cycling in the park.
ke = to/toward (direction): bersepeda ke taman = cycling to the park (the park is the destination).

Can I change the word order?

Yes. Common, natural variants:

Kami bersepeda di taman setiap pagi. (original)
Setiap pagi kami bersepeda di taman. (emphasizes the routine)
Kami setiap pagi bersepeda di taman.
Kami bersepeda setiap pagi di taman. Indonesian is flexible; time and place phrases can move for emphasis.

Do I need an article like “the” for taman? How do I make it specific?

Indonesian has no articles. di taman can be “in a/the park” by context. To be specific, say:

di taman itu (in that park)
di taman dekat rumah (in the park near our house)
di Taman Menteng (using a name) Using sebuah taman (“a park”) is possible but usually unnecessary here.

What’s the difference between setiap pagi, tiap pagi, and pagi-pagi?

setiap pagi = every morning (neutral).
tiap pagi = every morning (a bit more casual).
tiap-tiap pagi = very formal/literary; rare.
pagi-pagi = early in the morning (adds the “early” nuance).

Should there be a preposition before setiap pagi? Is di setiap pagi okay?

Normally, no preposition: setiap pagi.
pada setiap pagi is grammatical but formal and clunky.
di setiap pagi is generally avoided for time expressions. You may see di pagi hari in media, but many style guides prefer pada pagi hari or simply pagi hari.

How do I express habit or frequency differently?

Biasanya, kami bersepeda di taman. (We usually cycle in the park.)
Kami sering bersepeda di taman. (We often cycle in the park.)
Kami bersepeda di taman setiap hari/pagi. (We cycle there every day/morning.) Avoid combining sering with setiap pagi in the same clause; it’s redundant or conflicting.

If we have more than one hobby, how do we say it?

Hobi kami adalah bersepeda dan berenang.
Hobi kami meliputi bersepeda, membaca, dan memasak. You don’t need to pluralize with hobi-hobi; duplication is usually unnecessary for borrowed nouns like hobi.

How else can I show possession? Can I use -ku, -mu, -nya?

Yes:

hobiku = my hobby
hobimu = your hobby (singular)
hobinya = his/her/their hobby (context decides)
hobi kami = our hobby (excluding you)
hobi kita = our hobby (including you) Note: -ku/-mu/-nya attach without a space; full pronouns (kami/kita) follow with a space.

How do I say “We are cycling in the park right now”?

Use sedang for the progressive:

Kami sedang bersepeda di taman (sekarang). The original sentence uses setiap pagi to express a habit, so no sedang there.

Is ditaman one word?

No. As a preposition meaning “at/in,” di is written separately: di taman. The attached di- (no space) is a passive verb prefix, e.g., ditulis (written), dibuat (made).

Can I replace adalah with ialah or merupakan?

ialah is formal and typically links to a noun/pronoun. Hobi kami ialah bersepeda does occur but sounds more formal; many speakers simply drop the copula.
merupakan (“constitutes/is”) takes a noun: say Hobi kami merupakan kegiatan bersepeda, not merupakan bersepeda.

What are some natural informal alternatives to this sentence?

Kami hobi bersepeda di taman tiap pagi.
Kami sepedaan di taman tiap pagi.
Tiap pagi kami sepedaan di taman. (sepedaan is casual/colloquial.)

What does taman mean compared to kebun or lapangan?

taman: park/decorative garden (public or landscaped space)
kebun: garden/orchard/yard for growing plants
lapangan: open field/ground (often for sports) So di taman fits a city park scenario.

Any quick pronunciation tips for key words?

Each vowel is clear and short:

hobi: ho-bee (o as in “hot”)
kami: kah-mee (a as in “father”)
taman: tah-man (both a as in “father”)
setiap: suh-TEE-ap (the first e is like a schwa)
pagi: pah-gee (g is hard, as in “go”)