Teman saya berdiri di depan gerbang sekolah.

the friend

Breakdown of Teman saya berdiri di depan gerbang sekolah.

• di depan: in front of
• saya: my
• gerbang sekolah: the school gate

Questions & Answers about Teman saya berdiri di depan gerbang sekolah.

How does Indonesian show whether this means is standing now or stood earlier?

Indonesian doesn’t mark tense on the verb. Teman saya berdiri di depan gerbang sekolah can mean present or past; context tells you which.

• To make it clearly present/ongoing, add an aspect marker or time word: Teman saya sedang berdiri di depan gerbang sekolah (sekarang).
• To make it clearly past, add a past-time word/aspect: Tadi teman saya berdiri di depan gerbang sekolah, or Teman saya sudah berdiri di depan gerbang sekolah.

How do I say is standing right now?

Use the progressive marker sedang (neutral) or lagi (informal, very common) before the verb:

• Teman saya sedang berdiri di depan gerbang sekolah.
• Teman saya lagi berdiri di depan gerbang sekolah.

How do I say stood (earlier/already/just)?

Use time words or perfective markers:

• Earlier: Tadi teman saya berdiri di depan gerbang sekolah.
• Already (completed): Teman saya sudah/telah berdiri di depan gerbang sekolah.
• Just now: Teman saya baru saja/barusan berdiri di depan gerbang sekolah.

Why is there no word for is? Why not use adalah?

You don’t need a copula. Berdiri is the verb. Adalah is only used for equating nouns (and sometimes for emphasis in formal writing), not with verbs or adjectives.