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Setiap sore, saya menyapu debu di bawah meja dan memakai alat pel di dekat jendela.

Setiap sore, saya menyapu debu di bawah meja dan memakai alat pel di dekat jendela.
Every afternoon, I sweep the dust under the table and use the mop near the window.
FromLesson 28inHardcore Indonesian
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Questions & Answers about Setiap sore, saya menyapu debu di bawah meja dan memakai alat pel di dekat jendela.

What time of day does sore cover? Is it “afternoon” or “evening”?
In Indonesian, sore is late afternoon to early evening, roughly 3–6/7 p.m. After that it’s malam (night). So Setiap sore is “every late afternoon/early evening.”
Why is there a comma after Setiap sore?
It’s a fronted time expression. A comma is commonly used (though not strictly required) to separate that adverbial from the main clause: Setiap sore, …
Why is it menyapu, not mensapu?
The verb comes from the root sapu (“broom; to sweep”). With the prefix meN-, initial s drops and the prefix surfaces as meny-: meN- + sapu → menyapu. This is a regular sound change.
What’s the difference between memakai and pakai?
Both mean “to use” (and memakai can also mean “to wear”). Memakai is slightly more formal/neutral; pakai is very common in speech. Your sentence is fine with either in everyday contexts.
Is memakai alat pel natural, or should I use a specific verb for “mop”?
People will understand memakai alat pel (“use a mop”), but the more idiomatic verb is mengepel (“to mop”). A very natural rewrite is: Setiap sore, saya menyapu … dan mengepel (lantai) di dekat jendela.
Does di dekat jendela describe where I am mopping, or where the mop is located?
By default, di dekat jendela modifies the action (“… mop near the window”). If you mean “use the mop that is near the window,” make it explicit with a relative clause: memakai alat pel yang ada di dekat jendela.
Why di bawah meja and not ke bawah meja? Does this mean I’m sweeping dust under the table (moving it there)?

• di bawah = static location (“under the table”).
• ke bawah = direction (“to under the table”).
Your sentence means you sweep in the area under the table (the dust that is there). If you literally meant “sweep dust to under the table,” you’d say menyapu debu ke bawah meja—but that would usually imply bad cleaning!

Is menyapu debu idiomatic?

It’s understandable, but common collocations are:

  • menyapu (lantai) = sweep (the floor), which already implies removing dust
  • mengelap debu or membersihkan debu = wipe/clean dust (on surfaces) For your idea, menyapu di bawah meja or menyapu lantai di bawah meja is very natural.
Do I need di before dekat? Can I just say dekat jendela?

Both occur:

  • di dekat jendela (more standard/explicit: “at a place near the window”)
  • dekat jendela (also fine, common in speech) Note di jendela means “at the window,” not “near.”
What’s the difference between di (separate word) and the prefix di-?
  • di as a preposition is written separately: di bawah, di dekat.
  • di- as a passive prefix attaches to verbs: dipakai, disapu. So: di bawah meja (preposition) vs disapu (“is/was swept,” passive).
How is habitual action shown? There’s no tense on the verbs.
Indonesian verbs don’t change for tense. Habit is indicated by adverbs like Setiap (“every”) or context. Setiap sore makes the sentence clearly habitual.
Can I drop saya?
In careful writing, keep the subject. In casual conversation, Indonesians sometimes omit it if context is clear, but Setiap sore, menyapu… without a subject feels incomplete. Better: Setiap sore, saya …
Any colloquial version of the whole sentence?

Yes: Tiap sore, aku nyapu di bawah meja, terus ngepel (lantai) deket jendela.
Notes: tiap for setiap, aku for saya, nyapu for menyapu, ngepel for mengepel, deket for dekat, terus for “then/and then.”

How do I pronounce some tricky words?
  • sore: SO-reh
  • menyapu: me-NYA-poo
  • memakai: me-MA-kai (kai as in “kite” without the t)
  • debu: de-BOO
  • bawah: BA-wah
  • dekat: de-KAT
  • jendela: jen-DE-la
  • pel: like English “pell”
Does memakai mean “wear” or “use”? What about menggunakan?
Memakai can mean both “wear” (clothes, shoes) and “use” (tools). Menggunakan means “to use” and is more formal/technical. Here, either works, but mengepel is still the most idiomatic for mopping.
Is the word order okay? Where do time and place phrases usually go?

A common, clear order is: Time – Subject – Verb – Object – Place.
Your sentence fits that: Setiap sore (Time), saya (Subject) menyapu debu (Verb+Object) di bawah meja (Place) dan memakai/mengepel … di dekat jendela (Place).

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