Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Kami bertemu di kedai kopi setelah rapat. - We meet at the coffee shop after the meeting.

kami = we (excluding the person you’re talking to)
kita = we (including the person you’re talking to) So Kami bertemu di kedai kopi setelah rapat implies the listener was not part of that “we.” If the listener was included, say Kita bertemu di kedai kopi setelah rapat.

Do I need sudah to show it happened in the past?

No. Indonesian verbs don’t change for tense. Context words like setelah (after) already suggest past time. You can add:

sudah to stress completion: Kami sudah bertemu...
tadi to mark earlier today: Tadi kami bertemu... Both are optional.

Should I say bertemu or bertemu dengan?

bertemu can stand alone: Kami bertemu di kedai kopi.
With a person, both are fine: Kami bertemu (dengan) Pak Budi di kedai kopi. More options:
menemui (to go meet/visit someone): Kami menemui Pak Budi di kantornya.
ketemu (informal): Kami ketemu Pak Budi... Avoid confusing with menemukan (to find): Kami menemukan Pak Budi means “we found Mr Budi.”

Why is it di and not ke?

di = at/in/on (location, static): di kedai kopi
ke = to/toward (movement): Kami pergi ke kedai kopi. In the sentence, the meeting took place at a location, so di is correct.

Does di mean “at” or “in”?

Both. di covers “at/in/on” depending on context. If you want to be specific:

Inside: di dalam kedai kopi
In front of: di depan kedai kopi

Is kedai kopi the most natural phrase? What about kafe or warung kopi?

All are fine, with nuance:

kedai kopi: neutral, “coffee shop”
warung kopi: small/local/traditional vibe
kafe: modern/Western-style café Usage varies by region and branding, but your sentence is perfectly natural.

Is setelah different from sesudah or habis/usai?

They all mean “after,” with register differences:

setelah / sesudah: standard, interchangeable
usai / seusai: more formal/literary
habis / abis / sehabis: colloquial Examples: Setelah rapat..., Sesudah rapat..., Seusai rapat..., Habis rapat...

How do I say “after the meeting” vs “after a meeting” more explicitly?

Indonesian has no articles, so add markers if needed:

Indefinite: setelah sebuah rapat (after a meeting)
Definite/specific: setelah rapat itu or setelah rapatnya
Possessive: setelah rapat kami (after our meeting)

Can I move the time/place phrases around?

Yes. All are natural, with small emphasis differences:

Kami bertemu di kedai kopi setelah rapat.
Setelah rapat, kami bertemu di kedai kopi. (time emphasis)
Di kedai kopi, kami bertemu setelah rapat. (place emphasis) Use a comma when fronting a phrase.

When should I prefer kita instead of kami in this sentence?

Use kita if the listener was part of the meeting/plan: Kita bertemu di kedai kopi setelah rapat. Use kami to exclude the listener.

How do I make it clearly past, future, or very recent?

Past (earlier today): Tadi kami bertemu di kedai kopi...
Completed past: Kami sudah bertemu di kedai kopi...
Very recent: Kami baru saja bertemu di kedai kopi...
Future: Kami akan bertemu di kedai kopi setelah rapat nanti.

Any spelling rule for di here?

Yes. Preposition di (at/in) is written separately: di kedai kopi. The passive prefix di- attaches to verbs: dibuka, ditutup. If it means “at/in,” write it separate.

Does bertemu imply a planned meeting or a chance encounter?

Neutral. For a planned meet-up: Kami janjian bertemu di kedai kopi... For a chance encounter: Kebetulan kami bertemu di kedai kopi / Kami tidak sengaja bertemu di kedai kopi.

Do I need to say selesai after rapat?

Not required. Setelah rapat already implies “after the meeting (ended).” Setelah rapat selesai adds emphasis to completion.

How do I negate the sentence?

Simple negation: Kami tidak bertemu di kedai kopi setelah rapat.
Colloquial: Kami nggak ketemu di kedai kopi abis rapat.
“Didn’t end up meeting”: Kami tidak jadi bertemu di kedai kopi setelah rapat.