Ember kosong disimpan di bawah wastafel.

The empty bucket is stored under the sink.

Breakdown of Ember kosong disimpan di bawah wastafel.

• kosong: empty
• di bawah: under
• disimpan: to be stored
• ember: the bucket
• wastafel: the sink

Questions & Answers about Ember kosong disimpan di bawah wastafel.

Is this sentence in the passive voice? How would I say it actively, and what’s the difference between disimpan and menyimpan?

Yes. disimpan is the passive form of the root simpan (to store/keep). It means is kept/stored (by someone).

• Active: Saya menyimpan ember kosong di bawah wastafel. (I keep the empty bucket under the sink.)
• Passive with an explicit agent (formal): Ember kosong disimpan oleh saya di bawah wastafel.
• Colloquial passive (agent with sama): Ember kosong disimpan sama saya di bawah wastafel.
• “Passive type 2” (very common): Ember kosong saya simpan di bawah wastafel. Difference:
• menyimpan = active, the subject does the keeping.
• disimpan = passive, focuses on the bucket; the doer is unknown/irrelevant.

Do I need the word adalah for is here?

No. disimpan is already a verb, so no copula is needed. Indonesian also generally omits a copula with adjectives and nouns:

• Natural: Embernya kosong.
• Not used here: Embernya adalah kosong. Use adalah mainly to equate two nouns, often in formal writing (e.g., Tujuan kami adalah efisiensi.).

How do I say the or an in Indonesian for this sentence?

Indonesian has no articles. Context usually covers it, but you can mark definiteness/indefiniteness:

• The: Ember kosong itu disimpan di bawah wastafel. / Ember kosongnya disimpan di bawah wastafel.
• An: Sebuah ember kosong disimpan di bawah wastafel. (sebuah literally means one (item), often used like an).

Why is the adjective after the noun (ember kosong, not kosong ember)?

In Indonesian, adjectives normally follow the noun:

• ember kosong = empty bucket For multiple adjectives you can stack or use a prepositional phrase:
• ember plastik besar (a big plastic bucket)
• ember besar dari plastik (a big bucket made of plastic)

What’s the difference between ember kosong and ember yang kosong?

• ember kosong: simple attributive adjective; the neutral way to say empty bucket.
• ember yang kosong: the bucket that is empty; used to specify/contrast (e.g., among several buckets). Example: Ambil ember yang kosong.

I see di written two ways: disimpan and di bawah. What’s the rule?

• di- attached (no space) is the passive verb prefix: disimpan, dibaca, dikirim.
• di separate (with a space) is the preposition at/in/on: di bawah, di rumah, di meja.

What’s the difference between di bawah, ke bawah, and bawah by itself?

• di bawah = under/beneath (location).
• ke bawah = downward/to below (movement), e.g., Turun ke bawah.
• bawah = lower/under part (a noun element), used in compounds: bagian bawah (the lower part), bawah tanah (underground).

Is wastafel the right word for sink? Is it for the kitchen or the bathroom? Any alternatives?

wastafel is widely understood (often for a bathroom sink). For kitchens, Indonesians often say:

• bak cuci piring or bak cuci (kitchen sink). You can be specific:
• di bawah bak cuci piring (under the kitchen sink)
• di bawah wastafel kamar mandi (under the bathroom sink)

Could I use ditaruh or diletakkan instead of disimpan? What’s the nuance?

Yes, but the nuance changes:

• disimpan: kept/stored (suggests an intended storage place).
• ditaruh: put/placed (casual, may sound more temporary).
• diletakkan: placed/put down (a bit more formal/deliberate than ditaruh). If you’re describing where it is usually stored, disimpan is the best fit.

What about tersimpan vs disimpan?

• disimpan highlights the action by someone (even if unnamed).
• tersimpan describes a resulting state or something that happens to be stored (often without focusing on who stored it). Example: Emas itu tersimpan rapi di brankas. (The gold is stored neatly in the safe.)

How do I say who does the storing in this sentence?

Add an agent:

• Formal: Ember kosong disimpan oleh petugas.
• Colloquial: Ember kosong disimpan sama Ibu.
• Passive type 2 (very common): Ember kosong saya simpan di bawah wastafel.
• Active: Saya menyimpan ember kosong di bawah wastafel.

How do I make it plural (empty buckets)?

Use context or mark plurality explicitly:

• ember-ember kosong (reduplication)
• beberapa ember kosong (several)
• banyak ember kosong (many) Definite plural: ember-ember kosong itu or ember-ember kosongnya.

Where do adverbs like usually or time expressions go?

Common options:

• Biasanya, ember kosong disimpan di bawah wastafel.
• Ember kosong biasanya disimpan di bawah wastafel. Time expressions can go at the end or the beginning:
• Ember kosong disimpan di bawah wastafel setiap malam.
• Setiap malam, ember kosong disimpan di bawah wastafel.

Any quick pronunciation tips for these words?

• ember: EM-ber (both e like the e in bed)
• kosong: KO-song (ng as in sing)
• disimpan: dee-SIM-pan (a as in father)
• bawah: BAH-wah
• wastafel: wah-STAH-fehl Indonesian vowels are short and steady: a (ah), i (ee), u (oo), e (eh/uh), o (oh).

Can I front the location to emphasize it (Under the sink is where the empty bucket is kept)?

Yes. Fronting a place phrase is natural:

• Di bawah wastafel, ember kosong disimpan. This emphasizes the location. The comma is optional in casual writing.