Ibu menyetrika pakaian di pagi hari.

Mother irons clothes in the morning.

Breakdown of Ibu menyetrika pakaian di pagi hari.

• di: in
• pagi hari: the morning
• ibu: the mother
• pakaian: the clothing
• menyetrika: to iron

Questions & Answers about Ibu menyetrika pakaian di pagi hari.

Does Ibu mean “mother” or “ma’am” here?

It can mean either, depending on context:

• As a family member: Ibu = Mother/Mom.
• As a respectful title for an adult woman: Ibu ≈ Ma’am/Mrs. Without more context, readers often take it as “Mother/Mom.”

Why is Ibu capitalized?

When Ibu is used as a respectful title or to refer to a specific person (like “Mom”), many writers capitalize it. The lowercase ibu is the common noun “a mother.” Examples:

• Capitalized title/address: Ibu Sari, “Ibu sedang keluar.”
• Common noun: “Dia seorang ibu yang baik.”

How do I say “my mom” or address her directly?

• “My mom”: Ibu saya (neutral) or Ibuku (more intimate).
• Direct address: Bu (short for Ibu) in speech, e.g., Bu, tolong….

What is the base word of menyetrika, and why does it look like that?

The base is setrika (an iron; to iron). The verb menyetrika comes from adding the meN- verb prefix:

• meN- + root starting with s → meny-
  • (root without the s).
• So: s(etrika) → menyetrika. Other examples: sapu → menyapu, sikat → menyikat.

Can I just say Ibu setrika pakaian?

Yes, in casual speech Indonesians often drop the meN- prefix: Ibu setrika pakaian. You may also hear the colloquial contraction nyetrika: Ibu lagi nyetrika baju. In formal writing, use menyetrika.

Does the sentence describe a habit or something happening now?

By itself Indonesian has no tense, so it’s context-dependent. With di pagi hari, it tends to sound habitual (a routine). To make it clearly ongoing now, add an aspect marker:

• Progressive: Ibu sedang menyetrika pakaian.
• Colloquial: Ibu lagi nyetrika pakaian. To make it clearly habitual: Ibu biasanya menyetrika pakaian di pagi hari.

What exactly does pakaian mean? Is it singular or plural?

Pakaian means “clothing/clothes” and is number-neutral (could be one item or many). To be specific:

• “The clothes”: pakaian itu
• “My clothes”: pakaian saya
• “Some clothes”: beberapa pakaian Everyday synonym: baju (often “shirt,” but commonly used for “clothes” in casual speech): Ibu menyetrika baju.

Is di pagi hari correct? How does it compare with pada pagi hari, pagi hari, and pagi-pagi?

• di pagi hari: widely used in conversation; acceptable in many contexts.
• pada pagi hari: more formal/neutral in writing.
• pagi hari (no preposition): common when the time phrase is moved to the front: Pagi hari, Ibu…
• pagi-pagi: “early in the morning.” All are possible, with small formality/nuance differences.

Is di here the same as the passive prefix di- in disetrika?

No. Two different things:

• di (separate word) = preposition “in/at/on”: di pagi hari, di rumah.
• di attached to a verb (no space) = passive marker: disetrika “is/was ironed.” So: di pagi (preposition) vs disetrika (passive verb).

How do I say it in the passive voice?

• Pakaian disetrika Ibu di pagi hari. You can optionally add oleh: Pakaian disetrika oleh Ibu di pagi hari. In everyday Indonesian, oleh is often dropped when the agent is clear.

Can I move the time expression to the front?

Yes. Word order is flexible for time phrases:

• Di pagi hari, Ibu menyetrika pakaian.
• Pagi hari, Ibu menyetrika pakaian. (No preposition is fine when fronted.)

How do I say “every morning,” “this morning,” “tomorrow morning,” or “early in the morning”?

• Every morning: setiap pagi / tiap pagi
• This morning: pagi ini
• Earlier this morning: tadi pagi
• Tomorrow morning: besok pagi
• Early morning: pagi-pagi

How do I negate this sentence?

Use tidak before the verb:

• Ibu tidak menyetrika pakaian di pagi hari. Use bukan to negate nouns, not verbs (e.g., Itu bukan pakaian).

How do I make a yes/no question or a wh-question?

• Yes/no (formal/neutral): Apakah Ibu menyetrika pakaian di pagi hari?
• Yes/no (colloquial): Ibu menyetrika pakaian di pagi hari? (rising intonation)
• Wh-question: Kapan Ibu menyetrika pakaian? → Di pagi hari.

Any pronunciation tips for the key words?

• Ibu: EE-boo
• menyetrika: meh-NYET-REE-kah (ny like the “ny” in “canyon”)
• pakaian: pah-KAI-ahn (ai like “eye”)
• pagi: PAH-gee (hard g)
• hari: HAH-ree

Is menggosok a good alternative for “to iron”?

In Indonesian, menggosok usually means “to rub/scrub.” For “to iron (clothes),” use menyetrika (formal/neutral) or setrika/nyetrika (casual). Note: in Malaysian usage, gosok baju can mean “iron clothes,” but in Indonesia it can be misunderstood as “rub/scrub clothes.”