Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Karena kekurangan kursi, panitia meminta kami duduk di lantai. - Because of a shortage of chairs, the committee asked us to sit on the floor.

Karena means “because” and introduces the reason clause. When that clause comes first, a comma before the main clause is standard: Karena …, …. If the reason comes after, no comma is needed: Panitia meminta kami duduk di lantai karena kekurangan kursi.

Is kekurangan kursi a noun phrase or a verb phrase?

Here it’s a noun phrase meaning “a shortage/lack of chairs.” The pattern is ke- + root + -an. You can paraphrase the whole opener as “Because of a shortage of chairs…”. As a verb/adjectival predicate, kekurangan can also mean “to be short of” (e.g., Kami kekurangan kursi = “We lack chairs.”).

How is kekurangan different from kurang and kehabisan?

kekurangan X: there is a shortage/insufficiency of X (not enough).
kurang X (informal): X is not enough; e.g., kursinya kurang.
kehabisan X: have run out of X (none left). So kekurangan kursi ≠ kehabisan kursi.

Why not just say kurang kursi?

You can, especially in casual speech: Karena kurang kursi… or Kursinya kurang, jadi…. Kekurangan kursi sounds a bit more neutral/formal and is very common in announcements.

What exactly does panitia mean? Is it singular or plural?

Panitia is “the organizing committee” (a collective noun). Indonesian doesn’t mark singular/plural on nouns, so context tells you whether you mean “the committee” or “committee members.” To emphasize the people, you might see pihak panitia or para panitia (the committee side / the committee members).

Why is it meminta kami duduk and not meminta kami untuk duduk or meminta agar kami duduk?

All are acceptable:

meminta kami duduk (most concise, natural).
meminta kami untuk duduk (adds “to,” slightly more formal).
meminta agar/supaya kami duduk (uses a subordinator, also formal/clear). Meaning and intention are the same.

Can I use minta instead of meminta?

Yes. Minta is the base form and is common in everyday speech: Panitia minta kami duduk di lantai. Meminta is a bit more formal.

Does meminta mean “ask” or “order”? How does it compare to menyuruh or memerintahkan?

meminta: to ask/request (politer, less forceful).
menyuruh / memerintahkan: to tell/command (stronger).
If the committee was being firm, you might hear menyuruh kami duduk or memerintahkan kami duduk.

Why is kami used instead of kita?

Kami = we (excluding the listener). Kita = we (including the listener). The sentence frames “us” as a group separate from whoever’s being addressed, hence kami. If you’re talking to someone who was also asked, kita could be used: Panitia meminta kita duduk di lantai.

Is the passive form possible, like “we were asked”?

Yes: Kami diminta (untuk) duduk di lantai (oleh panitia). In passive, untuk is very commonly included.

Why is it di lantai for “on the floor”? Shouldn’t it be di atas lantai?

For “on the floor,” Indonesians normally say di lantai. Di atas lantai is usually redundant. With objects like tables, both di meja and di atas meja are heard, but di lantai is the default for the floor.

Why not ke lantai? How do di and ke work with duduk?

di marks location (“at/in/on”): duduk di lantai = sit on the floor.
ke marks movement toward: you could say jatuh ke lantai (fall to the floor), but not duduk ke lantai.

Is there any tense marking? How would I show this happened in the past?

Indonesian doesn’t inflect for tense. Add time words:

Past: tadi, barusan, kemarin (e.g., Tadi panitia meminta kami…).
Completed: sudah (e.g., Panitia sudah meminta kami…).

Could I say tempat duduk or bangku instead of kursi?

kursi: chairs (the objects).
tempat duduk: seats (spots to sit, not necessarily individual chairs).
bangku: benches/stools.
Depending on context, kekurangan tempat duduk might be more accurate if the issue is seating capacity, not literal chairs.

What’s the register of this sentence? Any natural alternatives for speech?

Neutral and natural. In casual speech, you might hear:

Kursinya kurang, jadi panitia minta kami duduk di lantai.
Karena tempat duduk kurang, panitia minta kami duduk di lantai.

Can I reuse the pattern Karena + [noun phrase], [clause] elsewhere?

Yes. Examples:

Karena kekurangan waktu, rapat dipersingkat.
Karena hujan deras, acara dipindah ke dalam.
Karena kemacetan, dia datang terlambat.