Saya simpan cucian kering di lemari.

I store the dry laundry in the cupboard.

Breakdown of Saya simpan cucian kering di lemari.

• saya: I
• di: in
• lemari: the cupboard
• simpan: to store
• kering: dry
• cucian: the laundry

Questions & Answers about Saya simpan cucian kering di lemari.

Is it okay that the verb is just simpan and not menyimpan? Is something missing?

• Yes. In everyday Indonesian, speakers often drop the meN- prefix when the subject is clear: Saya simpan … = Saya menyimpan ….
• Menyimpan is the full, neutral/standard form; simpan feels casual/concise (notes, speech, captions).
• Morphology: root simpan
  • meN- → the s drops and meN- becomes meny-: menyimpan.

What’s the nuance of simpan compared with taruh or letakkan?

• (Me)nyimpan: to keep/store for later or safekeeping (a longer-term idea).
• (Me)naruh / meletakkan: to put/place something somewhere (neutral, one-time placement).
• If you mean “put into” a container, memasukkan is precise: Saya memasukkan cucian kering ke lemari.

Why is it di lemari and not ke lemari?

• di = location (at/in/on). It answers “where?” → di lemari.
• ke = movement/direction (to/toward). Use with verbs of putting/bringing into: memasukkan … ke lemari, membawa … ke lemari.
• With (me)nyimpan/menaruh/meletakkan, you normally use di.

Does di lemari mean “in the closet” or “at/on the closet”?

• di is general “at,” and with container-like nouns it usually implies “in.”
• To be explicit: di dalam lemari = inside the closet; di atas lemari = on top of the closet; di depan lemari = in front of the closet.

Do I need an article like “the” or “a” before lemari?

• Indonesian has no articles. lemari can mean “a closet” or “the closet,” depending on context.
• To specify:
  • Indefinite: sebuah lemari (a/one closet; a bit formal).
  • Definite: lemari itu (that/the closet already known).

Is cucian kering natural here? Should I say pakaian or baju instead?

• cucian = laundry (things being/that were washed). cucian kering = laundry that’s dry (freshly washed and dried).
• If you simply mean clothes (not emphasizing the washing), pakaian or baju is common: Saya simpan pakaian di lemari.
• More explicit: baju yang sudah kering (“clothes that are already dry”).

How do I express tense/aspect (kept/keep/will keep) with this sentence?

• Indonesian doesn’t conjugate for tense. Add time/aspect words:
  • Past: tadi, kemarin, or sudah (already): Tadi saya simpan …, Saya sudah menyimpan ….
  • Progressive: sedang: Saya sedang menyimpan … (rare with this verb, but possible in a narrative).
  • Habitual: biasanya: Saya biasanya menyimpan ….
  • Future: akan, nanti: Saya akan menyimpan …, Nanti saya simpan ….

Can I front the object or use passive voice?

• Object-fronting (topic first, still active): Cucian kering saya simpan di lemari (emphasis on the laundry).
• Passive: Cucian kering disimpan di lemari (oleh saya). The agent is often omitted.
• Both are common and grammatical; choose based on what you want to emphasize.

Why is di written separately in di lemari, but attached in forms like disimpan?

• di as a preposition (before a noun): write separately → di lemari, di rumah.
• di- as a passive prefix (before a verb): write together → disimpan, dibawa.
• Tip: If what follows is a noun, separate; if it’s a verb, attach.

What does the -nya in menyimpannya do, as in Saya menyimpannya di lemari?

• -nya can mean “it/them” (anaphoric) or mark definiteness (“the”).
• Saya menyimpannya di lemari ≈ “I put/keep it in the closet.”
• If you attach -nya to the noun (cuciannya), it’s “the/that laundry.”

How would this sound in different registers?

• Neutral/standard: Saya menyimpan cucian kering di lemari.
• Casual: Saya simpan cucian kering di lemari. / Aku taruh cucian kering di lemari.
• Jakarta slang: Gue taro (taruh) cucian kering di lemari.
• Literary/written: Kusimpan cucian kering di lemari. (prefix ku- = “I” as subject attached to the verb)

Do I need to mark plural for “laundry/clothes”?

• No plural marking is required. cucian kering can be singular or plural by context.
• To emphasize plurality or quantity:
  • Reduplication (optional): baju-baju.
  • Quantifiers: beberapa baju, setumpuk cucian (a pile of laundry).

Is cucian kering the same as cucian yang kering?

• Both are correct. cucian kering is the usual concise noun + adjective.
• cucian yang kering (with yang) can sound more contrastive/specific (“the laundry that’s dry,” as opposed to wet laundry).

Does lemari mean closet, cupboard, or wardrobe?

• lemari is a general “cabinet/closet/cupboard/wardrobe.” Context decides.
• To be specific:
  • lemari pakaian = wardrobe/closet for clothes.
  • lemari dapur = kitchen cupboard.
  • lemari es = refrigerator.

Can I say dalam lemari instead of di lemari?

• Yes, but the common explicit form is di dalam lemari (“inside the closet”).
• dalam lemari (without di) is formal/literary; in everyday speech, prefer di dalam lemari for “inside,” or just di lemari if context is clear.

Is the word order fixed? Can I move di lemari earlier?

• Default is S–V–O–(Place): Saya simpan cucian kering di lemari.
• You can front the place for emphasis: Di lemari saya simpan cucian kering.
• Avoid splitting the object unnaturally, e.g., Saya simpan di lemari cucian kering sounds off unless carefully framed.