Questions & Answers about Saya duduk di kursi kayu.
Does this sentence express present, past, or future?
Indonesian doesn’t mark tense on the verb. Saya duduk di kursi kayu can mean I sit, I am sitting, or I sat, depending on context. To be explicit:
- Present progressive: Saya sedang duduk di kursi kayu.
- Past (earlier): Tadi saya duduk di kursi kayu.
- Future: Saya akan duduk di kursi kayu.
Is di “on,” “in,” or “at”? Why not use di atas?
di is a general location preposition that can mean at/on/in depending on the noun and common collocations. For sitting on a chair, the natural phrase is duduk di kursi. di atas kursi literally means on top of the chair and can sound overly literal or suggest being on the top surface; use it only when you need that emphasis.
Why is it kursi kayu and not kayu kursi?
In Indonesian the head noun comes first and modifiers follow. So “wooden chair” is kursi kayu (chair made of wood). kayu kursi would read as “the wood of a chair,” which is not what you want here.
What’s the nuance difference between kursi kayu, kursi dari kayu, and kursi yang terbuat dari kayu?
All mean a chair made of wood. kursi kayu is the most concise and common. kursi dari kayu is slightly more explicit. kursi yang terbuat dari kayu is more formal/explicit (literally “chair that is made from wood”).