Breakdown of Dia membaca terus di perpustakaan.
dia
he/she
di
in
membaca
to read
perpustakaan
the library
terus
continuously
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Questions & Answers about Dia membaca terus di perpustakaan.
What does the word terus mean here?
In this position, terus is an adverb meaning continuously/keep on. So membaca terus ≈ “to keep reading/read continuously.” It is not the connector meaning “then” here.
Can I place terus somewhere else in the sentence?
Yes. Common options (all acceptable, with subtle emphasis differences):
- Dia terus membaca di perpustakaan. (Very common; emphasizes the ongoing nature before the action.)
- Dia membaca terus di perpustakaan. (Also common; reads as “read continuously.”)
- Di perpustakaan, dia terus membaca. (Fronts the location for emphasis.)
Be careful with: Dia membaca di perpustakaan, terus… — with a pause/comma, terus can mean “then,” starting a new clause (“He read at the library, then …”).
Is sedang needed to say “is reading” (present progressive)?
No. Indonesian doesn’t require tense marking. Dia membaca can be present, past, or future, depending on context. If you want to highlight that it’s happening right now, you can use sedang:
- Dia sedang membaca di perpustakaan. (He/She is reading at the library right now.) Combining with terus is possible but often redundant: Dia terus membaca already implies ongoingness. If you do combine, prefer something like Dia sedang membaca terus, which sounds more natural than Dia sedang terus membaca.
What’s the difference between terus, masih, tetap, selalu, and lanjut/melanjutkan?
- terus: keep on/continuously. Dia membaca terus (keeps reading).
- masih: still (status continues). Dia masih membaca (is still reading).
- tetap: remain/persist (despite obstacles). Dia tetap membaca (keeps reading anyway).
- selalu: always (habit). Dia selalu membaca di perpustakaan (always reads at the library).
- lanjut/melanjutkan: to continue (often after a pause). Dia melanjutkan membaca (he continues reading [again]).
Intensifiers: terus-menerus/terus-terusan = continuously/over and over (slightly stronger).
Does dia mean “he” or “she”? Is there a gendered form?
Dia is gender-neutral and singular; it can mean either “he” or “she.” Alternatives:
- Ia: more formal/literary subject pronoun.
- Beliau: respectful form (for elders, officials). Plural “they” is mereka.
Can I omit the subject dia?
Yes, if the context already makes the subject clear. For example, in conversation: Membaca terus di perpustakaan. (…keeps reading at the library.) This is natural when the subject is understood, but in isolation it can feel fragmentary.
Why is it membaca instead of just baca?
Baca is the root “read.” In standard Indonesian, active verbs typically take the meN- prefix: membaca. In casual speech, people often use the bare root: Dia baca terus di perpustakaan (colloquial). In formal writing, prefer membaca.
Is there any tense here? Could this be past or future?
Indonesian verbs don’t change for tense. Time is inferred from context or added words:
- Past: tadi/kemarin (earlier/yesterday) — Dia tadi membaca terus…
- Present: sekarang/sedang — Dia sedang membaca…
- Future: nanti/akan — Dia akan membaca… Without such markers, the sentence is time-neutral.
Why is it di perpustakaan and not ke perpustakaan?
- di = at/in (location): di perpustakaan (at the library).
- ke = to/toward (motion): ke perpustakaan (to the library).
- dari = from (source): dari perpustakaan (from the library).
Could this sentence be misread with terus as “then”?
Not in this exact form. Dia membaca terus di perpustakaan clearly uses terus as an adverb modifying membaca. The “then” meaning appears when terus starts a new clause: Dia membaca di perpustakaan, terus dia pulang. (He read at the library, then he went home.)
Can I front the location for emphasis?
Yes:
- Di perpustakaan, dia membaca terus. Fronting di perpustakaan highlights the location, but the meaning remains the same.
How would I say “He is still reading at the library” or “He keeps reading at the library despite everything”?
- “Still reading”: Dia masih membaca di perpustakaan.
- “Keeps reading despite everything”: Dia tetap membaca di perpustakaan. Use masih for continuity of state, tetap for persistence in the face of obstacles.
How do I negate this idea? (“He doesn’t keep reading at the library.”)
- Simple negation of continuity: Dia tidak membaca terus di perpustakaan. (He doesn’t read continuously at the library.)
- “No longer” (stopped doing it): Dia tidak lagi membaca di perpustakaan.
- “He stops reading at the library”: Dia berhenti membaca di perpustakaan. Choose based on the nuance you want.
Any register or style notes about terus?
Terus is neutral-to-informal. For more formal or emphatic style, use terus-menerus or secara terus-menerus:
- Dia membaca secara terus-menerus di perpustakaan. In casual speech, you might also hear terus aja (just keeps on) or terus-terusan.