Breakdown of Saya merasa seperti orang baru di kantor cabang itu.
itu
that
saya
I
baru
new
di
at
merasa
to feel
orang
the person
kantor cabang
the branch office
seperti
like
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Questions & Answers about Saya merasa seperti orang baru di kantor cabang itu.
Why use Saya here? Could I say Aku instead?
- Saya is neutral/formal and safe in professional contexts (like talking about work).
- Aku is informal/intimate; fine with friends/peers but avoid with superiors or in formal writing.
- Other colloquial options (e.g., gue/gua) are regional/slang; not appropriate at work.
Do I need seperti after merasa? Is Saya merasa orang baru... okay?
- With a noun phrase, you normally use seperti: Saya merasa seperti orang baru...
- Without seperti, use menjadi: Saya merasa menjadi orang baru...
- Saya merasa orang baru... sounds ungrammatical/odd.
What’s the difference between seperti, kayak, bagaikan, and seakan-akan/seolah-olah?
- seperti: neutral, standard “like/as.”
- kayak: very casual colloquial; use with friends: Saya merasa kayak orang baru...
- bagaikan: literary/poetic.
- seakan-akan / seolah-olah: “as if,” often with a verb: Saya merasa seakan-akan menjadi orang baru...
Does orang baru mean “a renewed person,” or “a newcomer/rookie”?
- Primarily “newcomer/rookie” in a workplace or group.
- If you mean “a renewed self,” use: Saya merasa menjadi orang yang baru, Saya merasa seperti terlahir kembali, or Saya merasa segar kembali to avoid confusion.
Should I add seorang? For example, seperti seorang orang baru?
- Don’t say seorang orang baru (redundant and unnatural).
- Use seorang with specific roles: seperti seorang karyawan baru / pegawai baru (“like a new employee”).
What exactly does kantor cabang mean? Why not cabang kantor?
- kantor cabang = “branch office” (fixed compound).
- cabang kantor would mean “a branch of an office,” which is not how Indonesian expresses this idea; it sounds off.
What does itu add in kantor cabang itu? Could I use ini, tersebut, or -nya?
- itu = that specific/previously known branch (distal demonstrative).
- ini = this branch (nearby/current).
- tersebut = “the aforementioned,” more formal/written: kantor cabang tersebut.
- -nya can mark “its”/definite: di kantor cabangnya = “at its branch office” (the company’s), if context is clear.
Is di the right preposition? Can I say pada?
- Use di for physical locations: di kantor cabang itu.
- pada is not natural for physical place (“on/at” abstract relations, recipients, times). Avoid pada kantor cabang itu.
Can I move the location to the front for emphasis?
- Yes: Di kantor cabang itu, saya merasa seperti orang baru.
- Fronting the place emphasizes “at that branch office.” Meaning remains the same.
Is there any ambiguity about what di kantor cabang itu modifies?
- It usually reads as the location of the feeling.
- To clarify:
- Only there you feel that way: Kalau di kantor cabang itu, saya merasa seperti orang baru.
- Emphasize “new hire”: Saya merasa seperti karyawan baru di kantor cabang itu.
- General feeling, with a note about that place: Saya merasa seperti orang baru, terutama di kantor cabang itu.
Can I drop Saya and just say Merasa seperti orang baru...?
- Possible in notes/captions or when the subject is obvious, but in normal speech/writing it’s clearer to keep Saya/Aku.
- Indonesian allows subject drop in context, but learners should keep the pronoun for clarity.
What’s the difference between merasa, terasa, merasakan, and rasanya?
- merasa: the person feels something: Saya merasa seperti...
- terasa: “feels (to someone)” with non-human subject: Ruangannya terasa dingin.
- merasakan: transitive “to feel/experience (something)”: Saya merasakan perubahan di kantor cabang itu.
- rasanya: “it feels/it seems”: Rasanya seperti jadi orang baru di kantor cabang itu.
Any spelling tips for di here?
- As a preposition, di is written separately: di kantor.
- The passive prefix di- attaches to verbs: dikerjakan, dibawa. Don’t write dikantor in this sentence.
Can I use mirip instead of seperti?
- Not here. mirip = “similar/resembles” and compares two actual entities: Bajunya mirip punyaku.
- For “feel like,” use seperti (or variants mentioned earlier), not mirip.
How do I negate this naturally?
- General negation: Saya tidak merasa seperti orang baru di kantor cabang itu.
- Slight nuance: Saya merasa tidak seperti orang baru di kantor cabang itu focuses on the content of the feeling (“I feel unlike a newcomer there”). Both are acceptable; the first is more neutral.