Saya menaruh pulpen hitam di saku kemeja.

I put a black pen in the shirt pocket.

Breakdown of Saya menaruh pulpen hitam di saku kemeja.

• sebuah: a
• saya: I
• di: in
• menaruh: to put
• hitam: black
• pulpen: the pen
• saku kemeja: the shirt pocket

Questions & Answers about Saya menaruh pulpen hitam di saku kemeja.

Should it be di saku or ke (dalam) saku?

• di marks the final location (in/at). Saya menaruh … di saku kemeja emphasizes where the pen ends up.
• ke marks movement toward. With the idea of “into,” Indonesians usually say ke dalam saku.
• Most natural pairings:
  • Final location: menaruh … di saku
  • Movement into: memasukkan … ke (dalam) saku
  • You’ll also hear: menaruh … ke dalam saku, but many prefer memasukkan for “put into.”

Is menaruh the best verb here? How does it differ from meletakkan, memasukkan, and menyimpan?

• menaruh = to put/place/leave something somewhere (very general).
• meletakkan = to put down/lay something on a surface (desk, table, shelf).
• memasukkan = to put something into an enclosed space or container (a pocket, a bag, a box).
• menyimpan = to keep/store something (implies longer-term keeping). For a pocket, both menaruh … di saku and memasukkan … ke (dalam) saku are common; choose based on whether you highlight the end location or the act of putting into.

Why is it pulpen hitam, not hitam pulpen?

In Indonesian, descriptive adjectives usually follow the noun. So it’s pulpen hitam (black pen), kemeja putih (white shirt).

• With multiple adjectives, you can chain them (often with yang or dan for clarity): pulpen hitam kecil, pulpen yang hitam dan kecil.
• You can also use berwarna for colors: pulpen berwarna hitam (more formal).

Does the sentence mean “a black pen” or “the black pen”?

Indonesian has no articles. pulpen hitam can be “a black pen” or “the black pen,” depending on context. To make it definite:

• pulpen hitam itu = the black pen
• pulpen hitam ini = this black pen

How do I say “in my shirt pocket”?

Use a possessor after the noun phrase:

• di saku kemeja saya
• or attach the clitic: di saku kemejaku (more intimate/colloquial) Both are natural. You’ll also hear di saku baju saya in everyday speech.

Can I drop Saya?

Yes, Indonesian allows subject omission when the context is clear:

• (Saya) sudah menaruh pulpen hitam di saku kemeja. In casual speech, people often say Udah naruh … or Tadi naruh …. In careful writing, keep saya if there’s any risk of ambiguity.

What’s the difference between saku kemeja and kantong baju?

• saku = the pocket on clothing (shirt, pants, jacket).
• kantong is broader: pocket, pouch, bag (e.g., kantong plastik). In casual speech, kantong baju (shirt pocket) is common too.
• For pants, saku/kantong celana; for a bag, use tas, not kantong.

Are there synonyms for pulpen?

Yes:

• pulpen (standard), very common.
• bolpoin/bolpen (from “ballpoint”), very common in everyday speech.
• pena (more formal/literary). All are understood; choose based on formality and local preference.

How do I express quantity? One pen, several pens, many pens?

• One: satu pulpen or sebuah pulpen (generic classifier).
• Several: beberapa pulpen.
• Many: banyak pulpen.
• Specific numbers: tiga pulpen hitam.
  Reduplication for plural (pulpen-pulpen) exists but is less common in everyday speech unless you need to stress plurality. For pens, sebuah is fine; sebatang is possible but more typical with pencils/cigarettes.

Do I need a space in di saku? Is disaku okay?

You must write a space: di saku.

• di as a preposition (in/at) is written separately.
• di- as a passive prefix attaches to verbs: ditaruh.

How do I make a passive version?

• Standard passive: Pulpen hitam itu ditaruh di saku kemeja (oleh saya).
• Object-fronting (still active but common): Pulpen hitam itu saya taruh di saku kemeja. Both are natural; the first is morphologically passive, the second topicalizes the object.

Does menaruh require an object?

Yes. It’s a transitive verb; you need to say what is put:

• Correct: Saya menaruh pulpen hitam di saku kemeja.
• Incorrect/odd: Saya menaruh di saku kemeja. (What did you put?) In casual speech, people may switch to imperative: Taruh pulpen itu di saku kemeja!

Is kemeja just “shirt”? What about baju and kaus/kaos?

• kemeja = collared, usually button-up shirt (dress shirt).
• baju = clothing in general, or “shirt” in a broad sense.
• kaus/kaos = T-shirt.
  So saku kemeja specifically means the pocket on a collared shirt.

What about register for pronouns: saya, aku, gue, Anda?

• saya = polite/neutral, widely safe.
• aku = informal/intimate.
• gue/gw = very informal Jakarta slang.
• Anda = formal/polite “you” (avoid with gue or other slang).
  Pick the form that matches your relationship and context.