Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Rumah nenek kami di pinggir jalan kampung. - Our grandmother’s house is on the edge of the village road.

Indonesian doesn’t need a separate “to be” verb in locative sentences. A noun phrase followed by a prepositional phrase is complete: Rumah nenek kami di… means “[subject] at [location].” You can optionally add a verb like berada, terletak, or ada for “to be located,” but it isn’t required.

How does possession work in Rumah nenek kami? Why no “of” or “’s”?

Indonesian marks possession by putting the possessed noun first, then the possessor: rumah (house) + nenek kami (our grandmother). So Rumah nenek kami literally reads “house [of] our grandmother.” No “of” or “’s” is needed—juxtaposition does the job.

What’s the difference between kami and kita, and would Rumah nenek kita be acceptable?

Kami = we/our (excluding the listener). Kita = we/our (including the listener). Rumah nenek kita implies the listener shares that grandmother (e.g., speaking to a sibling). If the listener is not part of the family, use kami.

Why not use adalah here?

Adalah links two noun phrases (e.g., “X is Y”). Before a location phrase starting with di, Indonesian doesn’t use adalah. If you want an explicit verb of location, use berada or terletak.

Do I need an article like “a/the” or a classifier like sebuah?

Indonesian has no articles. Definiteness is inferred from context or shown with words like itu (“that”). Sebuah (“a/one [classifier]”) is for introducing an indefinite singular item; it’s not used when the possessor already makes the noun definite, as in Rumah nenek kami.

What exactly does di pinggir jalan kampung mean structurally?

di = at/on/in (location preposition)
pinggir = edge/side
jalan kampung = a compound meaning “village road” (head-first: jalan is modified by kampung) Together: “at the edge/side of a village road,” i.e., by the roadside.

Should I add another di: di pinggir jalan di kampung? Is there a difference?

Both are grammatical but slightly different:

di pinggir jalan kampung treats jalan kampung as one unit (“a village road”).
di pinggir jalan di kampung = “at the side of a road in the village” (any road located in a village).
In many contexts the meaning overlaps; the first feels tighter and more idiomatic for “village road.”

What’s the difference between pinggir, tepi, and samping/sebelah?

pinggir / tepi ≈ “edge/side/border.” Both work in many cases; pinggir jalan is a very common collocation; tepi jalan also sounds natural.
samping / sebelah ≈ “beside/next to.” Di samping jalan means next to the road, not necessarily on the road’s edge.

What does kampung mean here, and how is it different from desa?

Kampung can mean a traditional neighborhood or village (including urban “kampung” areas). Desa is an administrative “village” (rural). Jalan kampung typically suggests a small, local road. If you mean a main road, you’d say jalan raya.

Can I use ada, berada, or terletak instead of the bare di?

Yes:

ada = is/exists/there is; common and conversational: Rumah nenek kami ada di…
berada = to be located; neutral to formal.
terletak = is located (inanimate subjects); formal/descriptive.
All are acceptable; the bare di is the most concise.

Why is di written separately here, but sometimes attached (like dibangun)?

When di is a preposition (location), it’s written separately: di pinggir, di rumah. When di- is the passive verb prefix, it’s attached: dibangun (“built”), ditulis (“written”). Spacing distinguishes the two.

Can I add itu: Rumah nenek kami itu di…? What does it do?

Yes. Clause-final itu marks topicalization/definiteness (“that/that one”). Rumah nenek kami itu… feels like “As for our grandmother’s house, (it’s) …” or “that particular house…,” often referring back to something already known.

Can I drop kami and just say rumah nenek?

You can, but rumah nenek is ambiguous—merely “grandma’s house” with no specified owner. Context might imply “my/our,” but rumah nenek kami is explicit and clearer to learners.

Is Nenek ever capitalized?

Capitalize kinship terms when they function as a name or form of address: Saya ke rumah Nenek (talking about/ to your grandma as “Grandma”). In rumah nenek kami, it’s a common noun, so lower-case nenek is standard.

How do I pronounce pinggir and kampung?

pinggir: the gg is a hard g after ng; think “PING-geer” (two syllables).
kampung: “kam-poong,” with u like “oo” in “food,” and final ng as in “sung.”
Indonesian stress is light, usually on the penultimate syllable.