Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Di ujung jalan kampung, ada warung ikan murah. - At the end of the village road, there is a cheap fish stall.

di here is a preposition meaning “at/in/on” for locations. It is always written as a separate word: di ujung, di rumah, di pasar. The passive prefix di- attaches directly to a verb with no space: diambil (taken), dibeli (bought), ditutup (closed). Quick test: if there’s a space after di, it’s the preposition. If it’s attached with no space, it’s the passive prefix.

Is the comma after Di ujung jalan kampung required?

No. Indonesian doesn’t require a comma after an initial prepositional phrase. Writers often add a comma after a long fronted phrase to show a pause or improve clarity, but you can also write: Di ujung jalan kampung ada warung ikan murah. Both are acceptable.

How does ada work here?

ada is an existential verb meaning “there is/are.” The sentence structure is very natural:

Location first: Di ujung jalan kampung, ada warung ikan murah.
Or “there is … at …”: Ada warung ikan murah di ujung jalan kampung. Both orders are fine. Without ada, the phrase would just be a noun phrase (“a cheap fish stall at the end of the village road”), not a full sentence.

Do I need something like sebuah or satu to mean “a/one” warung?

Not necessarily. Indonesian usually leaves number unmarked unless it matters. Ada warung ikan murah could be “there is a/there are cheap fish stall(s).”

To force singular: Ada satu/sebuah warung ikan murah.
To show plurality: Ada beberapa/banyak warung ikan murah. Reduplication can also mark plural in the right context: warung-warung.

What exactly does warung mean, and how is it different from toko or restoran?

warung: a small, informal stall or eatery; often family-run, inexpensive, sometimes semi-permanent. Ex: warung makan, warung kopi.
toko: a shop/store selling goods (groceries, hardware, etc.). Ex: toko ikan (shop selling fish—usually raw).
restoran/rumah makan: a more formal restaurant/sit-down eatery. Context matters: a place that sells cooked fish dishes is more naturally a warung; a place that sells raw fish is more naturally a toko or a vendor (penjual/lapak ikan).

Is warung ikan natural, and what kind of place does it suggest?

It’s understandable and can be natural, but the nuance depends on context:

warung ikan suggests a small eatery specializing in fish dishes (cooked food).
For a raw fish seller, you’d more often hear toko ikan, penjual ikan, or lapak ikan. In real life you’ll also see specific names like warung seafood, warung pecel lele, or warung ikan bakar.

Does warung ikan murah mean “a cheap fish stall” or “a stall selling cheap fish”?

By default it means “a cheap fish stall” (i.e., the stall itself is cheap/inexpensive). The structure is [head] + (head) + ikan (type) + murah (adjective). Here, murah modifies the whole warung ikan unit. To say “a stall that sells cheap fish,” make it explicit:

warung yang menjual ikan murah
warung dengan ikan murah (less common/colloquial)

Why is murah at the end? Where do adjectives go in Indonesian?

Adjectives typically come after the noun they modify:

warung murah (a cheap stall)
ikan segar (fresh fish)
jalan panjang (a long road) Intensifiers go before or after the adjective:
sangat murah / murah sekali (very cheap)

Could murah be modifying ikan instead?

Yes, but you need to make the structure clear:

ikan murah = cheap fish
To say the stall sells cheap fish: warung yang menjual ikan murah. Note that warung ikan yang murah still means “a fish stall that is cheap,” because yang murah modifies the noun phrase warung ikan.

What does jalan kampung mean, and how is it different from jalan di kampung?

jalan kampung is a compound meaning “village road” or a small/local road typical of a village area (a type/class of road).
jalan di kampung means “a road in the village” (any road located in a village). The first feels more like a set phrase/type; the second stresses location.

How is Di ujung jalan kampung structured?

It’s “at the end of the village road,” built as [preposition] + [head noun] + [modifiers]:

di (at) + ujung (end/tip) + jalan (road) + kampung (village/neighborhood). Indonesian places the “possessor” or specifying nouns after the head: ujung jalan kampung = “the end of [the village road].” Compare: atas meja kayu (on top of the wooden table).

Can I use akhir instead of ujung?

Sometimes, but there’s a nuance:

ujung is the usual word for the physical end/tip of something (roads, tables, pens).
akhir often refers to the end in a sequence or time (“the end/finish”), though di akhir jalan is heard; di ujung jalan is more idiomatic for space. Literary style sometimes uses penghujung with time: di penghujung tahun (at the end of the year). Di penghujung jalan can appear in elevated prose but is less everyday.

Could I use pada instead of di here?

Use di for concrete locations. pada is more formal/abstract (with time expressions, recipients, or pronouns), e.g., pada akhir (at the end, formal), pada mereka (to them). For places, prefer di: di ujung jalan kampung is natural; pada ujung jalan kampung sounds off.

How do I make the reference definite, like “the end of the village road” or “the cheap fish stall”?

Use itu (that/the) after the noun phrase:

Di ujung jalan kampung itu, ada warung ikan murah. = at the end of that village road…
If both are definite: Di ujung jalan kampung itu, ada warung ikan murah itu. You can also front the noun with di ujung jalan kampung yang itu to emphasize “that one,” but itu at the end is the default.

How do I say there are several cheap fish stalls?

Di ujung jalan kampung, ada beberapa warung ikan murah.
Di ujung jalan kampung, ada banyak warung ikan murah. In casual speech/writing you may also see reduplication for emphasis on plurality: warung-warung ikan murah (often with ada it’s not necessary unless you want to stress “many”).

How do I ask or negate this sentence?

Yes/no question (neutral): Apakah di ujung jalan kampung ada warung ikan murah?
Colloquial question (with rising intonation): Di ujung jalan kampung ada warung ikan murah?
Negative: Di ujung jalan kampung tidak ada warung ikan murah. (There isn’t a cheap fish stall at the end of the village road.)

What’s the nuance of kampung versus desa?

kampung: colloquial/vernacular “village; neighborhood; hometown area.” In cities it can mean a densely packed, modest neighborhood. Derived words like kampungan can mean “unsophisticated” (pejorative).
desa: the official/administrative term for a village. Both can be used, but jalan desa feels more formal/administrative; jalan kampung feels more everyday and descriptive.