Kami bertemu di dekat perpustakaan.

We meet near the library.

Breakdown of Kami bertemu di dekat perpustakaan.

• kami: we
• bertemu: to meet
• perpustakaan: the library
• di dekat: near

Questions & Answers about Kami bertemu di dekat perpustakaan.

Does the pronoun kami include the person I’m talking to? What’s the difference from kita?

No. kami = we (not including you, the listener). kita = we (including you, the listener).

• If you’re telling someone who was not part of the meeting: Kami bertemu di dekat perpustakaan.
• If you’re talking to someone who was part of the meeting: Kita bertemu di dekat perpustakaan.

How do I show past or future time? Indonesian verbs don’t change form, so how do I say “met” vs “will meet”?

Indonesian has no tense on the verb. You add time words or auxiliaries:

• Past/completed: Kami sudah bertemu di dekat perpustakaan. (We already met…) / Kami bertemu tadi di dekat perpustakaan. (earlier today) / Kami bertemu kemarin… (yesterday)
• Recent: Kami baru saja bertemu… / Kami barusan bertemu…
• Future: Kami akan bertemu di dekat perpustakaan. / Kami bertemu besok di dekat perpustakaan.

Do I need to add dengan after bertemu, like “meet with”?

Only when you mention who you met:

• General: Kami bertemu di dekat perpustakaan. (no object)
• With a person: Kami bertemu dengan Dita di dekat perpustakaan. You can also omit dengan in casual speech: Kami bertemu Dita di dekat perpustakaan, but many teachers prefer bertemu dengan + person.

What’s the difference between bertemu, ketemu, menemui, and berjumpa?

• bertemu: standard, intransitive “to meet.” Neutral register. Example: Saya bertemu dengan dosen.
• ketemu: colloquial/casual. Example: Aku ketemu dia di kampus.
• menemui: transitive “to meet/visit (someone).” Often implies going to see someone. Example: Saya menemui dosen saya.
• berjumpa: more formal or polite synonym of bertemu. Example: Kami berjumpa di kantor. Note: menemukan means “to find (something),” not “to meet.”

Does di dekat perpustakaan mean we were outside the library? How is it different from di perpustakaan?

• di dekat perpustakaan = near/close to the library (not necessarily inside; likely outside or in the vicinity).
• di perpustakaan = at/in the library (inside or at the premises).

Can I drop di and say Kami bertemu dekat perpustakaan?

In everyday speech you will hear it, and it’s understood. However, standard Indonesian prefers di dekat before a noun phrase: Kami bertemu di dekat perpustakaan. Keep di for careful or formal usage.

Where are the articles “a” and “the”? Why isn’t it “near the library”?

Indonesian has no articles. Definite vs. indefinite is inferred from context or added words:

• Definite: di dekat perpustakaan itu (near that/the library we both know)
• Indefinite/one of them: di dekat sebuah perpustakaan (near a library; “one library”) Most of the time, di dekat perpustakaan is enough.

Could this sentence be a suggestion like “Let’s meet near the library”?

Not by itself. It’s neutral for time (could be past, present, or habitual). For a suggestion, add markers:

• Mari/ayo kita bertemu di dekat perpustakaan.
• Kita akan ketemu di dekat perpustakaan, ya? (casual plan)

Can I front the place phrase? For example: Di dekat perpustakaan kami bertemu?

Yes. Fronting the location is fine for emphasis or style:

• Neutral/default: Kami bertemu di dekat perpustakaan.
• Emphatic/location-first: Di dekat perpustakaan kami bertemu.

Is di here a preposition or the passive prefix di-? How do I spell it?

Here di is a preposition meaning “at/in/on,” so it’s written separately: di dekat. The passive prefix di- attaches to a verb with no space (e.g., ditemui, “to be met”). Compare:

• Preposition: di dekat perpustakaan (space)
• Passive verb: ditemui (no space)

Can I omit the subject pronoun and just say Bertemu di dekat perpustakaan?

You sometimes hear subject drop in context-heavy or casual speech, but it can sound incomplete or ambiguous. It’s clearer to keep kami/kita: Kami bertemu di dekat perpustakaan.

How do I add a time expression naturally?

Place time words either early or late in the sentence:

• Kami bertemu kemarin sore di dekat perpustakaan.
• Kemarin sore kami bertemu di dekat perpustakaan. Both are natural.

What’s the nuance difference among dekat, sebelah/samping, and sekitar?

• dekat = near/close to (general proximity). di dekat perpustakaan
• sebelah/samping = next to/beside (immediately adjacent). di sebelah perpustakaan
• sekitar = around/approximately (area or amount). di sekitar perpustakaan = in the area around the library

Is perpustakaan the normal word for “library”? Any common short form?

Yes, perpustakaan is standard. In casual speech, people often shorten it to perpus:

• Kami ketemu di dekat perpus. (informal)

How do I make the library clearly specific, like “that library we always go to”?

Add itu or -nya when the referent is already known:

• Kami bertemu di dekat perpustakaan itu.
• Kami bertemu di dekat perpustakaannya. (can mean “near the library” already known, or “near its library,” depending on context)

If I want to say who we met, how do I phrase it?

Use bertemu dengan + person or menemui + person:

• Kami bertemu dengan Rina di dekat perpustakaan.
• Kami menemui Rina di dekat perpustakaan. (slight nuance of “went to see Rina”)