Breakdown of Umur pacar saya sama dengan umur saya; kami berkenalan di perpustakaan.
adalah
to be
di
at
kami
we
saya
my
perpustakaan
the library
berkenalan
to get acquainted
umur
the age
pacar
the partner
sama dengan
the same as
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Questions & Answers about Umur pacar saya sama dengan umur saya; kami berkenalan di perpustakaan.
What does the word pacar mean? Is it gendered?
- Pacar means “boyfriend/girlfriend” and is gender‑neutral.
- More formal/poetic: kekasih; neutral “partner”: pasangan.
- Colloquial gendered terms: cowok (guy), cewek (girl), but these aren’t used for “partner” by themselves unless context makes it clear (e.g., cowokku = my boyfriend).
Is there a difference between umur and usia?
- Both mean “age.”
- Umur is everyday and neutral; usia is a bit more formal/official (e.g., forms, regulations: batas usia).
- In speech, umur is more common; in formal writing, usia is often preferred.
Why use sama dengan? Could I just use sama?
- Sama dengan is the standard “the same as/equals,” very clear and fine in writing.
- In casual speech, sama alone often works: Umurnya sama or Umur saya sama dia (colloquial).
- For very concise equality, you can also use the prefix se- with adjectives (see below).
Do I need to repeat umur? Are there more natural alternatives?
- Repeating is fine: Umur pacar saya sama dengan umur saya.
- Shorter options:
- Umur pacar saya sama dengan saya.
- Umur kami sama.
- Kami seumuran.
- Pacar saya seumuran dengan saya.
What’s the difference among seumuran, sebaya, and seusia?
- Seumuran: same age (very common, neutral/casual).
- Sebaya: same age/peer group; often used for children/teens but okay for adults too.
- Seusia: same age; sounds a bit more formal/literary.
- All can be followed by dengan (optional in casual speech): seumuran (dengan) saya.
What’s the nuance difference between berkenalan, bertemu, and kenalan?
- Berkenalan: to get acquainted (exchange introductions).
- Bertemu: to meet/encounter (may or may not involve getting to know each other).
- Kenalan:
- Noun: an acquaintance (e.g., Dia kenalan saya).
- Colloquial verb: to get acquainted (“let’s introduce ourselves”: kita kenalan dulu).
Does berkenalan need dengan after it?
- It can. With a counterpart, use berkenalan dengan: Saya berkenalan dengan dia di perpustakaan.
- When the subject is plural and reciprocal, berkenalan alone is fine: Kami berkenalan di perpustakaan.
Why is it kami and not kita?
- Kami = we (excluding the listener).
- Kita = we (including the listener).
- Since the listener wasn’t part of the meeting, kami is correct.
How do I know this is past (“got acquainted”) if Indonesian has no tenses?
- Indonesian doesn’t mark past tense morphologically; time is inferred from context.
- Add time words if needed: kemarin (yesterday), tadi (earlier), dulu (back then), e.g., Kami berkenalan tadi siang.
Why di and not ke before perpustakaan?
- Di marks location (at/in): di perpustakaan = at the library.
- Ke marks movement (to): ke perpustakaan = to the library.
- Here, they were at the library, so di is correct.
Do I need an article like “a” or “the” before perpustakaan?
- Indonesian has no articles. Di perpustakaan can mean “at the/a library” depending on context.
- To stress “a library,” you can say di sebuah perpustakaan. To specify, add details: di perpustakaan kampus.
Is di written separately in di perpustakaan? When is di attached?
- Di as a preposition (location) is written separately: di perpustakaan.
- Di- as a passive prefix attaches to verbs: diambil (taken), dibaca (read).
Is the semicolon natural here? Could I use a period or dan?
- Yes, a semicolon (titik koma) is fine for two closely related clauses.
- You could also write a period: … umur saya. Kami berkenalan …
- Or connect with dan: … umur saya, dan kami berkenalan … (a comma before dan is optional and often omitted).
How do I express possession correctly? Is it noun + saya?
- Yes: noun + pronoun, e.g., pacar saya, umur saya. Not saya pacar for “my boyfriend/girlfriend.”
- You can also use clitics for an informal tone: pacarku, umurku; -ku (my), -mu (your), -nya (his/her/their).
Can you give formal and casual rewrites?
- More formal: Usia pacar saya sama dengan usia saya. Kami berkenalan di perpustakaan.
- Casual: Pacarku seumuran sama aku; kami kenalan di perpustakaan.