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Questions & Answers about Saya baru tiba di kantor.
What does baru mean here? Does it mean “new”?
Here baru means “just (recently),” not “new.” When baru comes before a verb or verb phrase, it marks that the action has only just happened. When it comes before a noun, it usually means “new.”
- Saya baru makan. = I just ate.
- Saya punya sepatu baru. = I have new shoes.
Is baru the same as baru saja or barusan?
They’re very close in meaning (“just now”).
- Saya baru tiba di kantor. = I just arrived (neutral).
- Saya baru saja tiba di kantor. = I just arrived (slightly more explicit; neutral/formal).
- Saya tiba di kantor barusan. = I arrived just now (casual).
- Aku barusan sampai di kantor. = Casual; uses aku and sampai.
Why is it tiba di kantor, not tiba ke kantor?
With arrival verbs, use di for the place you arrive at: tiba/sampai di + place. Use ke for movement toward a place: pergi/berangkat/datang ke + place. You may hear sampai ke in speech, but standard writing prefers sampai di.
Can I replace tiba with sampai or datang?
- tiba = arrive (slightly formal/neutral). Works well here.
- sampai = arrive (neutral everyday). Saya baru sampai di kantor is very common; in casual speech people often say sampai kantor (drop di), but keep di in careful writing.
- datang = come (focus on coming rather than the state of arrival). Use datang ke: Saya baru datang ke kantor. Not datang di.
Can I drop saya and just say Baru tiba di kantor?
Yes. In casual contexts (texts, chat), omitting the subject is common when it’s clear from context. In formal or professional contexts, keep saya.
What’s the difference between saya, aku, and gue?
Register:
- saya = polite/neutral; safe at work or with strangers.
- aku = informal/intimate.
- gue = very informal Jakarta slang. All fit grammatically: Saya/Aku/Gue baru tiba di kantor. Match your pronoun to the situation and be consistent.
Where does baru go? Can I say Saya tiba baru di kantor?
Put baru before the verb/verb phrase: Saya baru tiba di kantor. Saya tiba baru di kantor is unnatural. Note a different use: Saya tiba di kantor baru jam 9 = “I didn’t arrive until 9” (here baru = “only/just (as late as)” modifying the time).
Is tiba transitive? Do I need an object?
No. tiba is intransitive and doesn’t take a direct object. Use a prepositional phrase: tiba di + place (e.g., tiba di kantor), not tiba kantor.
How do I say “I haven’t arrived at the office yet”?
Use belum: Saya belum tiba di kantor. Don’t use tidak here. Belum adds the idea “not yet (but expected).”
What’s the difference between baru and sudah here?
- Saya baru tiba di kantor. = I just arrived (emphasizes recency).
- Saya sudah tiba di kantor. = I have already arrived (focuses on completion, not how recent).
Can I express “I’m at the office now” without a verb?
Yes: Saya sudah di kantor (I’m already at the office). Indonesian often omits a “to be” verb. For movement, use ke: Saya ke kantor sekarang (I’m heading to the office now).
Is kantor the only way to say “office”? What if it’s not an office?
- kantor = office (office building/room).
- tempat kerja = workplace (broader).
So Saya baru tiba di tempat kerja = I just arrived at work (even if it’s, say, a shop or factory).
How would this sound in very casual texting?
Common variants:
- Baru sampai kantor.
- Baru nyampe kantor. (very casual/colloquial)
- Barusan sampe kantor. Casually, people often drop di after sampai, but keep di in formal writing: sampai di kantor.
Any pronunciation tips?
- saya: SAH-ya.
- baru: BAH-roo (tap/roll the r).
- tiba: TEE-bah.
- kantor: kan-TOR (tap/roll the final r).
Vowels are clear and short; avoid turning them into English-like schwas.
Does baru ever mean “only” (quantity/so far)?
Yes. With quantities or noun phrases, baru can mean “only/so far”: Pesertanya baru dua orang = There are only two participants (so far). In our sentence, baru marks recent completion, not quantity.
How can I say “only now/finally I arrived at the office”?
Use baru with a time expression or sentence-initial baru:
- Baru sekarang saya tiba di kantor. = Only now/at long last I arrive at the office. For “just now,” use barusan: Saya tiba di kantor barusan.
Could I use telah here?
Yes, in formal/literary style: Saya telah tiba di kantor. Telah is a formal equivalent of sudah (“already”), not of baru (“just now”).
Any common mistakes to avoid?
- Preposition mix-ups: use tiba/sampai di, but datang ke. Not tiba ke kantor or datang di kantor.
- Wrong negation for “not yet”: use belum, not tidak.
- Misplacing baru: not Saya tiba baru di kantor.
- Dropping di in formal contexts: write sampai di kantor, not sampai kantor (the latter is casual).