Kabel cadangan ada di laci meja.

The spare cable is in the desk drawer.

Breakdown of Kabel cadangan ada di laci meja.

• di: in
• ada: to be
• laci meja: the desk drawer
• kabel cadangan: the spare cable

Questions & Answers about Kabel cadangan ada di laci meja.

What does ada do in this sentence? Can I use adalah?

ada marks existence or presence and is used to say something is located somewhere. It’s like saying is/are present or is located. Structure: [topic] + ada + di [location].
You cannot replace it with adalah. adalah connects two noun phrases (X is Y), not a noun and a place, so Kabel cadangan adalah di laci meja is ungrammatical.

Can I omit ada and just say Kabel cadangan di laci meja?

In careful/standard Indonesian, include ada. Dropping ada creates a fragment that’s common in notes, labels, or casual speech and is usually understood, but it’s not a full sentence. Fine in informal contexts; avoid in formal writing.

Why is it di laci meja and not di meja laci?

Indonesian forms noun–noun compounds with the head first: laci (drawer) + meja (desk) = desk drawer. di meja laci would mean at/on a drawer table and doesn’t express the possessive relation. You also don’t need dari; laci meja already means the desk’s drawer.

Does di laci mean in the drawer or on the drawer? What’s the difference between di laci and di dalam laci?

• di is a general locative (at/in/on). With containers like laci, it normally means in.
• di dalam laci explicitly emphasizes inside the drawer.
  Both are fine; use di dalam if you want to stress the inside aspect.

How can I make it clearly definite, as in the spare cable?

Use demonstratives or -nya:

• Kabel cadangan itu ada di laci meja. (that specific spare cable)
• Kabel cadangan ini... (this spare cable)
• ...di laci mejanya. can mean in the desk drawer (previously mentioned) or in his/her desk’s drawer.
  Without ini/itu/-nya, definiteness is inferred from context; with the topic-first order, it’s often read as definite.

Is Ada kabel cadangan di laci meja different from Kabel cadangan ada di laci meja?

Yes, in focus:

• Ada kabel cadangan di laci meja. introduces existence (there is a spare cable...), new information.
• Kabel cadangan ada di laci meja. topicalizes the item (the spare cable is in the drawer), known item, giving its location.
  Both are grammatical.

How do I ask a yes/no question like Is there a spare cable in the desk drawer? And how do I say there isn’t?

• Neutral/formal: Apakah ada kabel cadangan di laci meja?
• Casual: Ada kabel cadangan di laci meja? or Di laci meja ada kabel cadangan?
• Negative: Tidak ada (kabel cadangan di laci meja). Casual: Nggak ada.

Do I need a classifier with kabel? What’s natural for one/two cables?

Classifiers are optional. For long, string-like items, utas is natural:

• one cable: satu kabel or seutas kabel (idiomatic)
• two cables: dua kabel or dua utas kabel
  General buah is possible but sounds odd with kabel; prefer numbers or utas.

How do I make it plural (spare cables)?

Options:

• Leave it unmarked: kabel cadangan (can mean cable/cables).
• Reduplicate: kabel-kabel cadangan (clearly plural).
• Add a quantifier: beberapa kabel cadangan (several), banyak kabel cadangan (many).
  The verb remains ada: ...ada di laci meja.

Can I use berada, terletak, or terdapat instead of ada?

• berada: more formal; fine for presence/location. Kabel cadangan berada di laci meja.
• terletak: is situated; common for places, but acceptable for objects in formal style.
• terdapat: is found/there is; frequent in written/formal Indonesian.
  For everyday speech about objects, ada is most natural.

What’s the difference between di and ke?

• di marks location (at/in/on): ada di laci meja.
• ke marks movement toward: Masukkan kabel cadangan ke laci meja (put the spare cable into the drawer).

How would I make a relative clause like the spare cable that is in the drawer?

Use yang:

• kabel cadangan yang ada di laci meja
  In speech you can drop ada: kabel cadangan yang di laci meja.

Any pronunciation tips for these words?

• kabel: KA-bel (a as in father; e like in bed)
• cadangan: cha-DANG-an (c = ch; g is always hard)
• ada: A-da
• di: dee
• laci: LAH-chee (c = ch)
• meja: MEH-jah (j as in judge)
  Indonesian spelling is mostly phonetic; each letter is pronounced.

Does meja mean desk or table?

meja covers both. To be specific:

• meja tulis / meja kerja = desk
• meja makan = dining table
  In context, laci meja is naturally the drawer of a desk.

Any spelling gotchas with di?

Yes. As a preposition it’s separate: di laci, di meja. The attached di- is a passive prefix on verbs: diambil, ditutup. Don’t confuse the two.

How can I emphasize the location first?

Front the location: Di laci meja ada kabel cadangan.
This is common when answering where-questions or when the place is the main focus.

Are there synonyms or near-synonyms for kabel cadangan?

• Neutral/standard: kabel cadangan (spare/backup)
• Colloquial: kabel serep
• Related but different nuance:
  • kabel pengganti = replacement cable
  • kabel tambahan/ekstra = extra/additional cable (not necessarily kept as a standby)

How do I negate the whole sentence naturally?

Use tidak ada to express non-existence: Tidak ada kabel cadangan di laci meja.
Avoid bukan ada in this pattern.