Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Ibu mengurus tanaman di balkon. - Mother takes care of the plants on the balcony.

Your own mother (Mom/Mother). Capitalizing Ibu is common in writing when referring to one’s own mother.
A respectful title for an adult woman, like Mrs./Ma’am (often followed by a name: Ibu Sari).

Lowercase ibu is the common noun “mother” in general. In this sentence, with no name, it most naturally reads as “Mom/Mother.”

Can I use Bu instead of Ibu?

Bu is the vocative/short form used to address someone: “Bu, sebentar ya.” As a subject in a sentence, use Ibu, not Bu. You’d say “Ibu mengurus tanaman…”, but when calling her, “Bu, tolong…”.

Does di balkon tell me where Mom is, or where the plants are?

It can do either, and usually that’s fine because both are true. If you need to be explicit:

To modify the plants: Ibu mengurus tanaman yang ada di balkon.
To stress Mom’s location: Ibu mengurus tanaman di balkon already works, but you can front it: Di balkon, Ibu mengurus tanaman.

Is mengurus the best verb for “taking care of” plants? What about merawat, memelihara, etc.?

All are possible, with nuance:

merawat: to care for (common for living things). Very natural: Ibu merawat tanaman di balkon.
mengurus: to take care of/handle (broader, tasks/responsibilities). Acceptable for plants.
memelihara: to keep/raise/maintain (long-term care, also for animals): memelihara anggrek.
menjaga: to guard/look after (safety-oriented; less typical for plants).
Specific actions: menyiram (to water), memupuk (to fertilize), memangkas (to prune).

Does mengurus also mean “to lose weight”? How do I tell which meaning it has?

Yes. Mengurus can mean “to become thin” (from kurus). Context disambiguates:

With a direct object: “to take care of/handle” — Ibu mengurus tanaman…
Without an object, about someone’s body: “to grow thin” — Dia mengurus karena sakit. If you want zero ambiguity for plant care, merawat is perfect.

What’s the base word of mengurus, and how does the prefix work?

For “to take care of,” the base is urus (“to manage/arrange”). The prefix meN- becomes meng- before vowels, so meN- + urus → mengurus. Related words:

pengurus (caretaker/manager/committee officer)
pengurusan (processing/administration/arrangements)

What’s the difference between tanaman and tumbuhan?

tanaman = plants that are planted/cultivated (from tanam
- -an).
tumbuhan = plants in the biological sense (from tumbuh
- -an), broader, more scientific. For potted/balcony plants, tanaman is the usual choice.

How do I show “plant” vs “plants”? Do I need plural marking?

Indonesian doesn’t require plural marking. tanaman can mean “plant” or “plants” depending on context. To be explicit:

Plural emphasis: tanaman-tanaman (used when you really need to stress variety/multiplicity).
Quantifiers: beberapa tanaman (some plants), dua tanaman (two plants), banyak tanaman (many plants).

How do I say “the plants” or “her plants”?

Use -nya for definiteness/possessive when clear from context:

tanamannya = the plants / her plants (context decides) You can also use itu for “that/the”: tanaman itu. For explicit possession: tanaman Ibu (Mother’s plants).

Should di be written together or separate in di balkon?

Separate. di as a preposition (at/in/on) is written apart from the noun: di balkon, di rumah. Don’t write dibalkon. Contrast with the passive prefix di- on verbs: dipotong, ditanam.

Should it be di atas balkon for “on the balcony”?

No. Use di balkon. di atas means physically “on top of/above,” so di atas balkon would mean on top of the balcony structure, which is not what you want.

What’s the difference between di balkon, ke balkon, and dari balkon?

di balkon: location (on/at the balcony)
ke balkon: movement to the balcony
dari balkon: from the balcony

Can I move di balkon to the front?

Yes. Word order is flexible for place/time phrases:

Ibu mengurus tanaman di balkon. (neutral)
Di balkon, Ibu mengurus tanaman. (emphasis on place) Avoid splitting the object weirdly (e.g., Ibu mengurus di balkon tanaman)—that sounds wrong.

Does the sentence indicate present, past, or habitual action?

Indonesian has no tense inflection. It’s neutral; context decides. Add markers if needed:

Ongoing: Ibu sedang mengurus/merawat tanaman di balkon.
Completed: Ibu sudah/telah mengurus tanaman di balkon.
Future: Ibu akan mengurus tanaman di balkon.
Habitual: add an adverb, e.g., setiap pagi.

How do I pronounce the tricky parts like mengurus?

mengurus: [məng-OO-roos]. ng as in “sing”; the first e is a schwa (like the a in “about”).
tanaman: [ta-NA-man], even stress.
balkon: [BAL-kon]. Indonesian stress is light and usually near the end; don’t over-stress syllables.

Is balkon correct? I’ve also seen balkoni.

In Indonesian, the standard is balkon. balkoni is common in Malaysian usage. Stick with balkon for Indonesian.

What about mengurusi, menguruskan, or ngurusin—are these different?

mengurusi: often interchangeable with mengurus (“to take care of/handle”), sometimes felt as “to deal with in detail.”
menguruskan: can mean “to arrange/settle something (for someone)” or, from kurus, “to make/try to get (someone/oneself) thinner” (e.g., menguruskan badan = slim down).
ngurusin: colloquial/informal variant of mengurusi. For standard, neutral care of plants, mengurus or merawat are safest.