Breakdown of Sandalku basah; tolong lap dengan tisu lalu jemur di pinggir jendela.
adalah
to be
sebuah
a
di
at
dengan
with
Questions & Answers about Sandalku basah; tolong lap dengan tisu lalu jemur di pinggir jendela.
Why is there no be-verb before basah in Sandalku basah?
Indonesian doesn’t need a be-verb with adjective predicates. An adjective can directly describe the subject:
- Sandalku basah. (My sandals are wet.) Using adalah here is wrong; adalah links two nouns (e.g., Dia adalah guru).
What does the suffix -ku in sandalku mean, and how do I write it?
-ku is an enclitic meaning my. It attaches to the noun with no space or hyphen: sandalku (my sandal/sandals). Alternatives:
- sandal saya (neutral/formal)
- sandalku (a bit more intimate/compact) Don’t write sandal ku or sandal-ku.
Is sandalku singular or plural?
Indonesian doesn’t mark plurals by default, so sandalku can mean my sandal or my sandals (usually the pair). To be explicit:
- kedua sandal saya (both my sandals)
- sepasang sandal saya (my pair of sandals)
- sandal-sandal saya (my sandals, reduplication for plural)
I often hear sendal. Is sandalku or sendalku correct?
Standard spelling is sandal (KBBI). Sendal is common in casual speech, but in writing use sandal. So sandalku is the standard form.
Why is there a semicolon after Sandalku basah?