Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Kaus kaki di jemuran belum kering; mestinya dijemur lebih awal. - The socks on the clothesline are not dry yet; they should have been dried earlier.

di (separate word) is a preposition meaning “at/on/in.” Example: di jemuran = “on the clothesline/drying rack.”
di- (attached) is the passive verb prefix. Example: dijemur = “be dried (in the sun).”
Spacing rule: prepositional di is written separately; passive di- sticks to the verb. So di jemuran is correct (location), but the passive verb must be dijemur, not di jemur.

Why use the passive dijemur instead of the active menjemur?

dijemur (passive) focuses on the socks (the thing affected) and leaves the doer implicit: “should have been dried.”
Indonesian often uses passive when the agent is generic/irrelevant or obvious from context.
Active alternatives (explicit agent):
- Kita mestinya menjemur kaus kaki lebih awal. (“We should have dried the socks earlier.”)
- Passive type 2 (very common speech): Kaus kaki mestinya kita jemur lebih awal.

What nuance does mestinya add? How is it different from mesti, seharusnya, harusnya, and sebaiknya?

mesti = “must” (obligation/necessity). Colloquial; close to harus.
mestinya (from mesti
- -nya) = “should/ideally.” Often conveys expectation or mild reproach/regret about something that didn’t happen (perfect for hindsight: “should have…”).
seharusnya / harusnya = “should/ought to.” Neutral, common; similar to mestinya.
sebaiknya = “it would be better to” (advice/suggestion, softer). In the sentence, mestinya implies hindsight: “they should have been dried earlier (but weren’t).”

Why belum kering and not tidak kering?

belum = “not yet,” implying it’s expected to happen later. Belum kering = “not dry yet (but will be).”
tidak = plain negation. Tidak kering = “not dry” (no implication it will become dry). Related:
sudah kering = “already dry.”
masih basah = “still wet.”

Why is there no “to be” verb before kering? Should it be like “is not yet dry”?

Indonesian doesn’t use a linking verb before adjectives. Adjectives can be predicates by themselves:

Kaus kaki … kering. = “The socks are dry.”
Add aspect/negation directly: belum kering, sudah kering, tidak kering. Using adalah before adjectives is generally incorrect here (it’s mainly for equational noun–noun sentences).

What exactly does jemuran mean?

Root: jemur = to sun-dry.
jemuran (root + -an) commonly means:
- the place/apparatus for drying (clothesline, drying rack), and/or
- the laundry that’s being dried (by metonymy). Examples:
Bajunya masih di jemuran. = “The clothes are still on the line.”
Tolong angkat jemuran. = “Please bring in the laundry.”

Do I need yang before di jemuran (i.e., kaus kaki yang di jemuran)?

Both are acceptable:
- Kaus kaki di jemuran (noun + prepositional phrase).
- Kaus kaki yang di jemuran (noun + relative clause introduced by yang).
With a simple location phrase like di jemuran, many speakers omit yang. Adding yang can sound a touch more explicit/emphatic but isn’t required here.

Why di jemuran and not di atas jemuran?

di covers “at/on/in” depending on the noun; with locations like jemuran, di jemuran idiomatically means “on the clothesline.”
di atas jemuran literally means “on top of the clothesline,” which can sound overly physical/literal. Use it only when you need to stress the vertical “on top of” relation.

Is kaus kaki singular or plural? How do I say “a pair of socks” or “two pairs of socks”?

Indonesian usually doesn’t mark plural by form; kaus kaki can mean “sock/socks,” depending on context.
To be specific:
- one sock: satu (buah) kaus kaki
- a pair of socks: sepasang kaus kaki
- two pairs of socks: dua pasang kaus kaki
You can mark definiteness with -nya: kaus kakinya = “the socks / his/her socks.”

Is it kaus kaki or kaos kaki?

Both are widely used. Kaus is the dictionary form, while kaos is extremely common in everyday writing and speech. You can use either; in very formal writing, kaus may be preferred.

Why is there a semicolon? Could I use a comma or a period?

The semicolon links two closely related independent clauses, much like in English.
You could also use a period: Kaus kaki … belum kering. Mestinya …
In casual writing, a comma appears often: …, mestinya …, but in formal style it’s safer to use a semicolon or a period.

Why lebih awal and not lebih cepat? Are there synonyms?

lebih awal = “earlier (in time of starting/doing something).”
lebih cepat = “faster (greater speed).” Not the same idea.
Near-synonyms for “earlier” in this context:
- lebih dulu / lebih dahulu
- lebih pagi (specifically earlier in the morning) So: mestinya dijemur lebih awal/lebih dulu both work.

Could I say dikeringkan instead of dijemur?

dijemur specifically means “dried by putting in the sun/air.”
dikeringkan = “be dried (made dry),” method-agnostic—could be sun, fan, machine, towel, etc. Use dikeringkan if you don’t care about the method, or specify another method:
Mestinya dimasukkan ke mesin pengering lebih awal. = “They should’ve been put in the dryer earlier.”