Ia belajar di perpustakaan sekarang.

He/She is studying at the library now.

Breakdown of Ia belajar di perpustakaan sekarang.

• di: at
• sekarang: now
• belajar: to study
• perpustakaan: the library
• ia: he/she

Questions & Answers about Ia belajar di perpustakaan sekarang.

What does the pronoun Ia mean? Does it specify gender?

Ia means “he” or “she” (no gender is specified). Indonesian third-person singular pronouns don’t mark gender. Use ia mostly in formal/written contexts. For a very respectful “he/she,” use beliau. For everyday speech, most people say dia.

Can I use dia instead of ia here? Are there differences?

Yes. Dia is more common in speech and is fine here: Dia belajar di perpustakaan sekarang. Key differences:

• Register: ia = more formal/literary; dia = neutral/conversational.
• Position: ia is typically used as a subject, not as an object. For objects, use dia or the clitic -nya.
  • Natural: Saya melihat dia / Saya melihatnya.
  • Awkward: Saya melihat ia.

Why is there no word for “is”? How do you say “is studying” in Indonesian?

Indonesian doesn’t need a verb like “to be” before action verbs. The verb itself (belajar) plus context or markers indicates time/aspect. “Is studying” is expressed with belajar, optionally with aspect marker sedang (ongoing) and/or a time word like sekarang (now).

Should I add sedang to show the ongoing/progressive meaning?

You can. Options:

• Ia belajar di perpustakaan sekarang. (natural; “studying … now” is clear from “sekarang”)
• Ia sedang belajar di perpustakaan. (clear ongoing action; time is “now/at present” from sedang)
• Ia sedang belajar di perpustakaan sekarang. (both time and aspect; slightly emphatic, not wrong)

Is sekarang required? What changes if I remove it?

It’s not required. Without sekarang, the sentence becomes time-neutral and is read from context:

• Ia belajar di perpustakaan. could mean “He/She studies at the library” (habitually) or “He/She is studying at the library (now)” depending on context. Adding sekarang pins it to “now.”

Where can I put sekarang in the sentence?

Several positions work:

• Sekarang ia belajar di perpustakaan. (fronted time = emphasis on “now”)
• Ia sekarang belajar di perpustakaan.
• Ia belajar di perpustakaan sekarang. (very common) Less natural: Ia belajar sekarang di perpustakaan (splitting verb and place feels clunky).

What does di mean here? How is it different from ke and dari?

• di = at/in/on (location; static): di perpustakaan = at/in the library
• ke = to/toward (destination): ke perpustakaan = to the library
• dari = from (origin): dari perpustakaan = from the library

I see di written separately. When is di attached to a word?

• As a preposition for place, di is written separately: di perpustakaan, di rumah.
• As a passive prefix, di- attaches to a verb: dipelajari, dibaca. So: di perpustakaan (space) vs dipelajari (no space).

Does perpustakaan mean “a library” or “the library”? How do I specify?

Indonesian has no articles, so perpustakaan can be “a/the library” depending on context. To specify:

• Indefinite: sebuah perpustakaan (a library, one library)
• Definite: perpustakaan itu (that/the library already known)

Can I drop the subject and just say “Belajar di perpustakaan sekarang”?

Yes, in conversation you can omit the subject if it’s clear from context: (Ia) belajar di perpustakaan sekarang. This is common in Indonesian, especially in replies or ongoing topics.

Is belajar the right verb for “study/learn”? How does it relate to other forms like mengajar?

• belajar = to study/learn (intransitive or with a subject/topic): belajar matematika
• mengajar = to teach (transitive): mengajar matematika
• Related nouns: pelajar (student), pelajaran (lesson/subject), pembelajaran (learning, instruction). Note: belajar is the established form (not “berajar”).

Does belajar take an object? Can I say “study math” directly?

Yes, you can say Ia belajar matematika. If you want a more formal “study (something) in depth,” use mempelajari: Ia mempelajari matematika. Both are fine; mempelajari sounds a bit more academic.

What’s the nuance between di perpustakaan and di dalam perpustakaan?

• di perpustakaan = at/in the library (general location).
• di dalam perpustakaan = inside the library (explicitly inside, not just at the premises). Use di dalam when “inside” matters.

Is there a colloquial way to say “is studying now”?

Yes. In casual speech, lagi often marks the progressive:

• Dia lagi belajar di perpustakaan sekarang.
• If “now” is obvious, you can drop sekarang: Dia lagi belajar di perpustakaan.

Any quick pronunciation tips?

• ia: two vowels, roughly “ee-ah.”
• dia: “dee-ah.”
• perpustakaan: per-pus-ta-ka-an (the first “e” is a schwa).