Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Lusa pagi, saya membawa beras untuk nenek di kampung. - The day after tomorrow morning, I will bring rice for grandmother in the village.

No. Indonesian doesn’t mark tense; the time phrase lusa pagi already makes it future.
You can add a future marker for nuance:
- Lusa pagi saya membawa beras... (neutral, perfectly fine)
- Lusa pagi saya akan membawa beras... (more formal/polite, promise/plan)
- Lusa pagi saya mau bawa beras... (intention)
- Lusa pagi saya bakal bawa beras... (colloquial prediction)

Is it okay to put the time phrase at the end, and is the comma necessary?

Both positions are fine:
- Lusa pagi, saya membawa...
- Saya membawa... lusa pagi.
In writing, a comma is recommended after a fronted time phrase, especially if it’s long.

What’s the difference between membawa, bawa, and membawakan?

membawa: standard/neutral “to bring/carry.” Example: Saya membawa beras.
bawa: bare/stem form, common in casual speech after a subject. Example: Saya bawa beras.
membawakan: benefactive “bring something for someone.” You can make the recipient the object.
- Saya membawakan nenek beras.
- Saya membawakan beras untuk nenek.
With membawa, use untuk to express “for [someone]”: membawa beras untuk nenek.

Do I need to say nenek saya to make it clear it’s my grandmother?

nenek alone is often understood as “my grandma” from context, but it’s technically ambiguous.
To be explicit: nenek saya (neutral) or nenekku (more intimate).
To mean “an elderly woman,” say seorang nenek.
When used as a name/address in writing, you can capitalize: untuk Nenek.

Does di kampung mean “to the village” or “in the village”? Could this be ambiguous?

di kampung means “in the village” (location, not movement). In your sentence it most naturally attaches to nenek: “for Grandma who is in the village.”
To remove ambiguity:
- Recipient’s location: ... untuk nenek yang di kampung.
- Destination of the trip: ... ke kampung untuk nenek. or ... ke rumah nenek di kampung.

What’s the difference between di and ke?

di = at/in (static location): di kampung (in the village).
ke = to/toward (movement/destination): ke kampung (to the village).
Don’t say ke nenek for “to Grandma”; say kepada nenek (recipient) or ke rumah nenek (to Grandma’s house).

Is untuk the best choice here? What about buat or kepada?

untuk = for/for the benefit of. Natural here: beras untuk nenek.
buat = colloquial alternative to untuk: beras buat nenek (very common in speech).
kepada = to (a recipient), usually with verbs of giving/delivering:
- mengantarkan beras kepada nenek
- membawakan beras kepada nenek
With simple membawa, kepada sounds odd; prefer untuk/buat.

Is beras the right word? How is it different from nasi, padi, and gabah?

How do I quantify the rice naturally?

Use a measure word:
- satu kilo beras / dua kilo beras
- satu liter beras (common in markets)
- sekarung beras (a sack), seplastik beras (a plastic bag)
Example: Lusa pagi, saya membawa dua kilo beras untuk nenek di kampung.

Is lusa pagi the only natural order? What about pagi lusa?

lusa pagi is the most common and neutral.
pagi lusa is also used and understood, but is less common; some speakers feel it’s a bit literary/region-specific.
Pattern note: Indonesian typically does Day/Relative day + Time-of-day (e.g., Senin pagi, besok pagi, lusa pagi).

Is besok lusa acceptable for “the day after tomorrow”?

In colloquial speech, many people say besok lusa to mean “the day after tomorrow.”
In standard/neutral usage (especially writing), prefer lusa.

Should I use saya, aku, or something else?

saya: polite/neutral, safe in most situations (your sentence uses this).
aku: casual/intimate with friends/family.
gue/gua: very informal Jakarta slang.
Pick based on relationship and formality: Lusa pagi, aku bawa beras... (casual), Lusa pagi, saya membawa beras... (neutral/polite).

Can I drop the subject pronoun?

Yes, if context makes it clear. Examples:
- Lusa pagi, (saya) bawa beras untuk nenek di kampung.
- Without context, dropping saya can sound like an instruction or note, not a statement.
Keeping saya is safest in standalone sentences.

Do I need to add pada before the time phrase?

Not necessary. Lusa pagi is natural as-is.
Pada is fine in formal writing with dates/days, e.g., Pada Senin pagi...; Pada lusa pagi is grammatical but can sound stiffer than needed.

Why is it membawa (mem-), not menbawa?

The prefix meN- assimilates to mem- before roots starting with b. So meN- + bawa → membawa.
Related examples: membeli (from beli), memakai (from pakai, with p dropping).

If I mean “deliver” or “send,” should I use a different verb?

Physically taking/delivering: mengantar/mengantarkan
- Lusa pagi, saya mengantar beras ke rumah nenek.
Sending (by courier/post): mengirim/mengirimkan
- Lusa pagi, saya mengirimkan beras untuk nenek.

Is there any nuance difference between kampung and desa?

kampung: everyday term for a village or one’s hometown; can carry a warm, personal “home village” feel.
desa: administrative “village” unit; more formal/bureaucratic.
In this sentence, di kampung naturally conveys “back in the (home) village/countryside.”