Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Saya menyimpan foto di laci bawah.

Indonesian verbs don’t inflect for tense. Saya menyimpan foto di laci bawah can mean past, present, or future, depending on context. Add time/aspect words if you need to be explicit:

Past: Saya sudah menyimpan foto di laci bawah. / Tadi saya menyimpan foto di laci bawah.
Present/progressive: Saya sedang menyimpan foto di laci bawah.
Future: Saya akan menyimpan foto di laci bawah. / Nanti saya simpan foto di laci bawah.

Is foto singular or plural here?

Nouns in Indonesian aren’t marked for number. Foto can mean “photo” or “photos.” To be explicit:

Plural: foto-foto, beberapa foto, banyak foto
Singular/one item: sebuah foto, satu foto, or for a print: selembar foto

What’s the nuance of menyimpan versus menaruh or meletakkan?

menyimpan = to store/keep (often with the idea of safekeeping or for later use). It also works for digital files.
menaruh = to put/place (neutral, everyday).
meletakkan = to place/put (a bit more formal/literary than menaruh).
If you want to stress the movement into something, use memasukkan: Saya memasukkan foto ke dalam laci bawah.

Should I say di laci or di dalam laci?

Both are correct.

di laci already implies “in the drawer” and is most common.
di dalam laci adds emphasis or clarity that it’s inside: Saya menyimpan foto di dalam laci bawah.

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

di laci bawah = in the bottom/lower drawer (bawah modifies the drawer).
di bawah laci = under the drawer (a location beneath the drawer), which is a different meaning.

How do I say “the bottommost drawer” (to be unambiguous)?

Use a superlative:

laci paling bawah (most common)
laci terbawah (formal/written) Example: Saya menyimpan foto di laci paling bawah.

How do I specify “the bottom drawer of the desk/cabinet”?

Add the owner/container after the noun:

di laci paling bawah meja itu (the bottom drawer of that desk)
di laci bawah lemari itu (the lower/bottom drawer of that cabinet) You can also say di laci meja paling bawah, though di laci paling bawah meja is more natural.

Do I need itu or -nya to mean “the” (definiteness)?

Indonesian has no articles, so definiteness is shown by context, itu, or -nya:

laci bawah itu = that/the bottom drawer (already known to both speakers)
fotonya = the photo/its photo (context-dependent) Examples:
Saya menyimpan fotonya di laci bawah. (I stored the photo.)
Saya menyimpan foto di laci bawah itu. (I stored the photo in that/the bottom drawer.)

Can I drop Saya, or use Aku instead?

Saya = neutral/polite; Aku = informal/intimate.
In casual speech you can use Aku: Aku menyimpan foto di laci bawah.
Dropping the subject entirely can change the sentence type. Simpan fotonya di laci bawah is an imperative (“Store the photo…”). For a neutral statement without a subject, use a passive: Foto disimpan di laci bawah.

Can I say Saya simpan foto… instead of Saya menyimpan foto…?

Yes. In everyday speech, the base verb without the meN- prefix is common: Saya simpan foto di laci bawah. In formal writing, Saya menyimpan… is preferred.

How do I make a passive version?

Three common options:

Passive 1 (di-): Foto disimpan di laci bawah (oleh saya).
Short passive (patient fronted): Foto itu saya simpan di laci bawah.
With an explicit agent and base verb: as above, the agent saya comes right before the base verb simpan.

What’s the difference between di (separate) and di- (attached)?

di (separate) is a preposition meaning “at/in/on”: di laci, di rumah.
di- (attached) is a passive prefix on verbs: disimpan (is/was stored). Spelling tells you which is which.

Can menyimpan foto also mean “to save a photo” (digitally)?

Yes. It’s used for files too, but you’d pair it with digital locations:

Saya menyimpan foto di folder Gambar.
Directional: Saya menyimpan foto ke (dalam) folder Gambar. / Saya menyimpan foto ke galeri.

How do I pronounce the tricky parts?

laci = “LAH-chee” (c = ch)
menyimpan = “mən-YIM-pan” (ny = the “ny” in canyon; stress is even/light)
saya = “SAH-ya” (both syllables clear)

Is bawah an adjective here, and where do modifiers go?

bawah is a noun (“bottom/lower part”) used attributively after the head noun: laci bawah (lower/bottom drawer). In Indonesian, modifiers typically follow the noun: laci besar (big drawer), laci bawah, laci paling bawah.

How do I emphasize the motion into the drawer (not just location)?

Use a verb of insertion with a directional phrase:

Saya memasukkan foto ke dalam laci bawah.
Saya menaruh foto ke dalam laci bawah. Use di for location, ke (dalam) for direction.

How can I say “in one of the lower drawers” or “in the lower drawers”?

One of the lower drawers: di salah satu laci bawah
The lower drawers (plural): di laci-laci bawah
If you mean specifically the bottom two drawers in a stack, be explicit: di dua laci paling bawah

Can I use pada instead of di for location?

Not here. di is the normal preposition for physical locations. pada is more formal/abstract (often with time, people, or written style), and pada laci sounds unnatural; use di laci.