Saya mengambil pel dari lemari.

I take a mop from the cupboard.

Breakdown of Saya mengambil pel dari lemari.

• sebuah: a
• saya: I
• lemari: the cupboard
• dari: from
• mengambil: to take
• pel: the mop

Questions & Answers about Saya mengambil pel dari lemari.

Is mengambil the right verb form here? Can I just say ambil or ngambil?

Yes. Mengambil is the standard active form of the root ambil “take.” All are possible with different registers:

• Saya mengambil pel dari lemari. Neutral/formal.
• Aku ambil pel dari lemari. Casual; bare root after a pronoun is common in speech.
• Gue ngambil pel dari lemari. Very informal/colloquial (Jakarta); ngambil is the spoken reduction of mengambil.

How do I show past, present, or future? There’s no tense ending.

Indonesian uses time/aspect words:

• Past: tadi (earlier), barusan/baru saja (just now), sudah (already). Example: Saya tadi mengambil pel dari lemari.
• Present/ongoing: sedang or colloquial lagi. Example: Saya sedang mengambil pel dari lemari.
• Future: akan (will), nanti (later). Example: Saya akan mengambil pel dari lemari. Context and adverbs do the work; the verb form doesn’t change.

Should it be di lemari or dari lemari?

Use dari for “from (a source).” Use di for “at/in (a location).”

• Correct here: … pel dari lemari (from the cupboard).
• Location statement: Pel itu ada di lemari (the mop is in the cupboard).
• To emphasize “from inside,” you can say dari dalam lemari.

What exactly does pel refer to?

Pel is the common word for a mop (the cleaning tool). Related terms:

• alat pel = the mop apparatus (handle + head).
• kain pel = the mop cloth.
• Verbs: mengepel/ngepel = to mop (e.g., Saya mengepel lantai.)

Do I need to say “a” or “the” before pel?

Indonesian has no articles. You mark definiteness or count with other words:

• Definite: pel itu (that/the mop), pel ini (this mop).
• Indefinite/quantity: satu pel (one mop), beberapa pel (several mops).
• Classifiers: You can say sebuah alat pel (one mop device). Plain sebuah pel is understandable but less natural; speakers prefer satu pel or specify alat pel/kain pel.

What does lemari cover—cupboard, closet, or cabinet?

Lemari is a broad term for enclosed storage furniture. Meaning depends on context:

• lemari pakaian = wardrobe/closet.
• lemari dapur/lemari piring = kitchen cupboard.
• lemari kaca = display cabinet.
• Note: lemari es = refrigerator. For drawers, use laci.

Could I use mengeluarkan or mengambilkan instead of mengambil?

• Mengeluarkan = “take out/remove from inside,” focusing on the outward motion: Saya mengeluarkan pel dari lemari.
• Mengambilkan = “take (it) for someone (beneficiary).” Use when doing it for someone else: Tolong ambilkan pel dari lemari. Stick with mengambil when you simply mean “take/get.”

How would I say this in the passive?

Several options:

• Standard passive: Pel diambil dari lemari (oleh saya). “Oleh saya” is usually omitted if obvious.
• Short passive/object-fronting (very common): Pel saya ambil dari lemari.
• Colloquial passive with sama (informal): Pel diambil dari lemari sama saya.

How do I say “put the mop back in the cupboard”?

Use a placement verb plus “back”:

• Saya meletakkan pel kembali ke dalam lemari.
• More casual: Saya taruh pel kembali ke lemari.
• Or with motion-into: Saya masukkan pel ke dalam lemari.

Is saya the only way to say “I”? What about aku or gue?

• saya: polite/neutral; safe in most situations.
• aku: informal/intimate; common among friends, in writing/lyrics.
• gue/gw: very informal Jakarta slang. Choose based on formality and region. The rest of the sentence can stay the same.

Pronunciation tips for pel, lemari, and mengambil?

• pel: like “pell” (open e, short; IPA roughly /pɛl/).
• lemari: lə-MAH-ree (schwa on the first e; IPA /ləˈmari/).
• mengambil: məng-AHM-beel (the ng is /ŋ/; IPA /məŋˈambil/).

What’s the difference between dari and daripada?

• dari = from (source/origin), physical or abstract: dari lemari, dari teman.
• daripada = than (comparisons) or “rather than”: lebih besar daripada…, Daripada nonton, mending tidur. Do not use daripada for a physical source here; dari lemari is correct.