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Kami mengisi survei di perpustakaan.

Kami mengisi survei di perpustakaan.
We fill out a survey in the library.
FromLesson 26inHardcore Indonesian
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Questions & Answers about Kami mengisi survei di perpustakaan.

What’s the difference between kami and kita here?
  • kami = we (excluding the person you’re talking to)
  • kita = we (including the person you’re talking to)

So Kami mengisi survei di perpustakaan means “We (not you) are/were filling out a survey at the library.” If the listener is included, use Kita mengisi survei di perpustakaan.

Does mengisi mean “fill in” or “fill out”? Is it the right verb for surveys?
  • mengisi covers both “fill in” and “fill out,” and more generally “to fill (something).”
    • Examples: mengisi formulir/kuesioner (fill out a form/questionnaire), mengisi botol dengan air (fill a bottle with water).
  • For surveys, you’ll hear both:
    • mengisi survei (common in everyday speech)
    • mengikuti survei (to take/participate in a survey)
    • If you mean the actual form, kuesioner or angket is more precise: mengisi kuesioner/angket.
How do I show past, present, or future? The sentence looks “tenseless.”

Indonesian doesn’t inflect verbs for tense. Use time/aspect words:

  • Ongoing: Kami sedang mengisi survei di perpustakaan. (We are filling out…)
  • Completed: Kami sudah mengisi survei di perpustakaan. / Tadi/Kemarin kami mengisi…
  • Future: Kami akan mengisi survei di perpustakaan. / Besok kami…
Where do time words go?

Flexible placement:

  • Start: Kemarin kami mengisi survei di perpustakaan.
  • After subject: Kami kemarin mengisi survei di perpustakaan.
  • End: Kami mengisi survei di perpustakaan kemarin. All are acceptable; fronting sets the scene.
Is di here the same as the passive prefix di-? Why the space?

No. Two different things:

  • di (separate) = preposition “at/in,” as in di perpustakaan.
  • di- (attached) = passive prefix, as in diisi (is/was filled), dibaca (is/was read). Quick check: if it’s followed by a noun phrase and spaced, it’s the preposition.
What’s the difference between di, ke, and dari?
  • di = at/in (location): di perpustakaan
  • ke = to/toward (destination): ke perpustakaan
  • dari = from (origin): dari perpustakaan
Should I say di dalam perpustakaan instead of di perpustakaan?
Use di perpustakaan for “at/in the library” in general. Use di dalam perpustakaan to emphasize “inside the library” (as opposed to outside). Example: Kami mengisi survei di luar perpustakaan (outside).
How do I say “We filled out the survey at the library” (completed action)?
  • Kami sudah mengisi survei di perpustakaan.
  • Tadi kami mengisi survei di perpustakaan.
  • Kemarin kami mengisi survei di perpustakaan. “Sudah” is neutral; “tadi/kemarin” add a specific time.
How do I negate this sentence?

Use tidak to negate the verb:

  • Kami tidak mengisi survei di perpustakaan. To negate the location (contrast):
  • Kami mengisi survei bukan di perpustakaan, tapi di rumah. Remember: bukan negates nouns/phrases; tidak negates verbs/adjectives.
Can I put the location first for emphasis?

Yes:

  • Di perpustakaan, kami mengisi survei. This is common to set the scene. The comma is optional but helpful in writing.
How do I express “a/the survey” or more than one survey?

Indonesian has no articles:

  • “a/one survey”: sebuah survei or satu survei (use when you need to specify one)
  • “the survey”: survei itu (that/the mentioned survey)
  • Plural: use quantifiers, e.g., beberapa survei (several), banyak survei (many). Reduplication (survei-survei) is possible but less common for this word. Don’t use para (that’s only for people).
How do I make a passive version?
  • Survei itu diisi di perpustakaan (oleh kami). = “The survey was filled out at the library (by us).” The oleh-phrase is optional. Another natural option is “short passive”:
  • Survei itu kami isi di perpustakaan.
What’s the breakdown and common short form of perpustakaan?
  • Morphology: per- + pustaka + -an → place related to books → “library.”
  • Syllables: per-pus-ta-ka-an (five syllables). The -aan ending is normal in words with -an after a stem ending in -a.
  • Informal short form: perpus (e.g., di perpus).
Can I drop kami? Is Mengisi survei di perpustakaan okay?
In casual conversation, subjects are often dropped if context is clear, so Mengisi survei di perpustakaan can appear as a note or reply. In neutral/clear writing, keep the subject: Kami mengisi…
How do I say “fill it” with the object pronoun?

Attach -nya to the verb:

  • Kami mengisinya di perpustakaan. = “We filled it (in) at the library.” You can also front the object: Survei itu kami isi di perpustakaan.

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