Questions & Answers about Saya mengirim file ke kantor sekarang.
Do I need the word “sedang” to express “am sending”?
- Indonesian doesn’t mark tense; time/aspect words do that. Sekarang means “now” and is enough.
- Saya mengirim file ke kantor sekarang is natural.
- Saya sedang mengirim file ke kantor emphasizes the action is in progress right now. Both are fine; you don’t need both together unless for extra emphasis.
What’s the difference between mengirim, mengirimkan, ngirim, and mengirimi?
- mengirim: basic “to send.” Neutral and common.
- mengirimkan: often slightly more formal; can highlight the thing being sent or a beneficiary. Frequently interchangeable with mengirim.
- ngirim: colloquial form of mengirim (drop the prefix); common in casual speech.
- mengirimi: the -i form focuses on the recipient as the direct object: Saya mengirimi Andi file (“I sent Andi a file”). With a place like kantor, mengirimi kantor file is grammatical but uncommon; better use ke kantor or name a person/department.
Should I use ke, kepada, or untuk?
- ke = to (a place): ke kantor.
- kepada = to (a person/party as recipient): kepada manajer, kepada Ibu Sari. Not used with places like kantor.
- untuk = for (benefit/purpose): mengirim file untuk kantor = sending a file for the office (not necessarily to the office).
- You can combine: mengirim file ke kantor untuk HR.