Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Ternyata ruang rapat di sana lebih kecil; sebelumnya saya mengira akan besar. - It turns out the meeting room there is smaller; previously I assumed it would be big.

Ternyata means “it turns out” or “as it turns out,” signaling a discovery or outcome that contrasts with what was expected. It often carries a mild sense of surprise.

Compare: sebenarnya = “actually/in fact” (stating the true situation, not necessarily a discovery).
Near-synonym: rupanya = “apparently/it seems,” usually a bit softer or based on inference.

Example contrast:

Ternyata ruangnya kecil. = You found out (perhaps by seeing it) that it’s small.
Sebenarnya ruangnya kecil. = The truth is, the room is small (correcting or clarifying).

Can I move ternyata to the middle: Ruang rapat di sana ternyata lebih kecil?

Yes. Both are natural:

Ternyata ruang rapat di sana lebih kecil.
Ruang rapat di sana ternyata lebih kecil. Initial position puts a bit more emphasis on the “turns out” discovery; mid-position is very common and slightly smoother in neutral prose.

Why is there a semicolon? Could I use a period or a comma?

A semicolon links two closely related independent clauses without a conjunction—perfect here. You can also use:

A period: …lebih kecil. Sebelumnya saya mengira akan besar.
A comma plus a conjunction: …lebih kecil, padahal/sementara sebelumnya saya mengira akan besar. Avoid a plain comma between two independent clauses (comma splice) in careful writing.

Does lebih kecil need an explicit “than …” phrase?

Not necessarily. Lebih + adjective = “more/‑er,” and the comparison can be understood from context. If you want to make it explicit, add a comparator:

lebih kecil daripada yang saya kira
lebih kecil dari yang saya kira (common in speech)

How do I say “smaller than I thought” in one clause?

Use a relative clause with yang:

Ternyata ruang rapat di sana lebih kecil daripada yang saya kira. You can vary the verb:
…daripada yang saya bayangkan (imagined)
…daripada perkiraan saya (than my estimate)

What does sebelumnya add, and where can it go?

Sebelumnya means “previously/earlier/before that,” anchoring the time of your earlier belief. It’s most natural at the start of the clause and usually followed by a comma in writing:

Sebelumnya, saya mengira… You can place it after the semicolon as in the sentence. Putting it at the very end (saya mengira sebelumnya) is much less natural.

What’s the difference between saya mengira, saya kira, saya pikir, and saya menyangka?

saya mengira: I thought/assumed/estimated (neutral, slightly formal).
saya kira: I think/I thought (very common, a bit more casual).
saya pikir: I think (reasoning/opinion); can sound more deliberative.
saya menyangka: I assumed/supposed (often implies the assumption turned out wrong). Colloquial: kirain (I thought…) is informal speech.

Do I need akan in saya mengira akan besar? What does it do?

Akan marks expectation about a future or not-yet-confirmed state (“would/will”). It’s natural here because your belief was about how big it would be when you saw it.

Without it: saya mengira besar can work but feels more like a simple (present/state) description.
Fully explicit: saya mengira (bahwa) ruang rapat di sana akan besar.

There’s no subject after akan in saya mengira akan besar. Is that okay?

Yes. Indonesian often drops repeated information if it’s clear from context. The understood subject is ruang rapat di sana. If you want to be explicit:

Sebelumnya saya mengira ruang rapat di sana akan besar.
Sebelumnya saya mengira (ruangnya/itu) akan besar.

Why not use adalah (like a copula) before lebih kecil?

Indonesian doesn’t need a copula with adjectives. You should not say ruang rapat … adalah lebih kecil. Use plain adjective predicates:

Ruang rapat … lebih kecil. Use adalah mainly to equate nouns:
Ruang rapat itu adalah bagian kantor baru.

Is ruang rapat the best term for “meeting room”? What about ruangan rapat or kamar rapat?

ruang rapat: standard/neutral and common (you’ll see it on signs).
ruangan rapat: also used; ruangan emphasizes the physical space/room area.
Avoid kamar rapat; kamar is typically bedroom/private room.

Should I use besar or luas for a room? And kecil vs sempit?

besar/kecil: overall size or impression (big/small).
luas: spacious, large in area; sem pit: cramped/narrow. So the room can be kecil (small) but still luas (spaciously laid out), depending on context. For a meeting room, besar/kecil and luas/sempit are both common; choose based on what you want to emphasize.

What’s the nuance difference among di sana, di situ, and di sini?

di sini: here (near the speaker).
di situ: there (near the listener or a previously mentioned/visible spot).
di sana: over there (far from both speaker and listener). If it’s a place both of you know but not near either, di sana is natural.

Can I say ruang rapat di sana itu lebih kecil?

Yes. Itu after a noun phrase often means “that (specific) one,” adding definiteness or pointing. It sounds like you’re identifying a particular meeting room that both parties know.

Is it spelled di sana or disana?

With a space: di sana. The preposition di (at/in/on) is written separately. The attached form di- is a passive prefix on verbs (e.g., dibuka, dilihat).

Does rapat only mean “meeting”? I’ve seen rapat used differently.

Rapat as a noun = meeting. As an adjective/adverb, rapat can mean tight/close/densely packed (e.g., tutup rapat, “close tightly”). In ruang rapat, it’s the noun “meeting.”

Any informal ways to say the same idea?

Sure, for casual speech:

Ternyata ruang rapat di sana lebih kecil; tadinya gue kirain bakal gede.
Ruang rapat di sana ternyata lebih kecil; kirain bakal besar. Notes: gue (Jakarta-style “I”), kirain (colloquial “I thought”), bakal/bakalan (casual “will/would”).

Could I link the clauses with padahal or tapi?

Yes, with a nuance change:

Ruang rapat di sana ternyata lebih kecil, padahal saya mengira akan besar. = “turns out it’s smaller, even though I thought it would be big.”
…lebih kecil, tapi sebelumnya saya mengira akan besar. = “but previously I thought it would be big.”
Semicolon or a period is fine if you don’t want a conjunction.

Is there a one-sentence version without a semicolon?

Yes:

Ruang rapat di sana ternyata lebih kecil daripada yang saya kira. Or keep two sentences:
Ruang rapat di sana ternyata lebih kecil. Tadinya saya mengira (ruangnya) akan besar.