Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Saya akan menyusul kalian di kafe setelah menutup perpustakaan. - I will follow you all to the cafe after closing the library.

No. Indonesian doesn’t mark tense on verbs, so future time is usually inferred from context or time words. Akan adds a sense of intention/planned future but is optional.

With akan: Saya akan menyusul kalian...
Without akan (still future because of “after”): Saya menyusul kalian...
Using a time adverb: Nanti saya menyusul kalian... Colloquial alternative to akan: bakal (e.g., Saya bakal menyusul...).

What exactly does menyusul mean, and is it the best verb here?

Menyusul literally means “to follow and catch up (later),” often implying you join people who went ahead. It’s natural here.

Neutral “meet”: bertemu (dengan) or colloquial ketemu (sama).
“Go see/visit (someone)”: menemui (more formal).
Casual “join”: gabung (e.g., Aku gabung di kafe nanti). Use menyusul when others are already there and you’ll go later to join them.

Why is it di kafe and not ke kafe?

di marks location (“at/in”): you’re focusing on the meeting place. Saya akan menyusul kalian di kafe = I’ll catch up with you at the cafe.
ke marks movement (“to/toward”): Saya akan menyusul kalian ke kafe emphasizes going to the cafe to catch up. Both are acceptable with a slight nuance shift. If you use verbs like bertemu, you typically say bertemu di [place], not ke.

Who is doing the “closing” in setelah menutup perpustakaan?

By default, the subject of the subordinate clause is the same as the main clause: it means “after I close the library.” To make it explicit, you can say setelah saya menutup perpustakaan.

How do I say “after the library closes” (i.e., not necessarily me closing it)?

Use a stative/impersonal phrasing:

Most natural: setelah perpustakaan tutup
Passive (event-focused): setelah perpustakaan ditutup (sounds like “after the library has been closed [by someone]”; good for one-off events, less for regular closing time).

What’s the difference between menutup and tutup?

menutup = “to close (something)” (active verb): Saya menutup perpustakaan.
tutup can be a verb (“to close”) or an adjective/stative “closed”: Perpustakaan tutup jam lima (“The library closes/is closed at five”).
Passive: ditutup (“is/was closed [by someone]”): Perpustakaan ditutup pukul lima. Morphology: meN- + tutup → menutup (the initial “t” drops). meN- + susul → menyusul.

Is kalian the right “you”? What about formal situations or smaller groups?

kalian = “you (plural),” neutral to informal. Alternatives:

More formal: Anda sekalian (note capital A).
Neutral/explicit plural: kamu semua.
For two people: kalian berdua or kamu berdua. Avoid mixing very formal and very slangy pronouns in the same sentence unless it fits the relationship.

Should I use saya, aku, or gue?

saya: neutral–polite/formal; safe in most situations.
aku: casual/intimate with friends/family.
gue: very informal (Jakarta slang). Match the second-person form accordingly (e.g., saya–Anda, aku–kamu, gue–lu). Saya ... kalian is commonly fine.

Can I front the “after”-clause? Do I need a comma?

Yes, both orders are fine:

Saya akan menyusul kalian di kafe setelah menutup perpustakaan.
Setelah menutup perpustakaan, saya akan menyusul kalian di kafe. When the “after” clause comes first, use a comma after it.

Any spelling traps with di?

Yes. di as a preposition (“at/in/on”) is written separately: di kafe, di rumah. The passive prefix di- attaches to verbs: ditutup, ditinggalkan. So it’s di kafe (separate), but ditutup (together).

Is kafe the standard spelling? What about “café” or “cafe”?

The standard Indonesian spelling is kafe. You may see “café/cafe” in signage or branding, but in formal writing use kafe.

How do I express “the cafe” or “a cafe” since Indonesian has no articles?

Indonesian has no “the/a.” Specificity comes from context or determiners:

Specific: kafe itu (“that/that particular cafe”).
Named place: di Kafe Merah (at Red Cafe).
Generic/unspecified: di kafe is fine and usually understood as “at the cafe.”

What’s a natural colloquial version of the sentence?

Several options, depending on register:

Casual: Nanti aku nyusul kalian di kafe abis nutup perpustakaan.
Very casual (Jakarta): Ntar gue nyusul kalian di kafe abis tutup perpustakaan. Notes: nyusul is the colloquial form of menyusul; abis/ntar are colloquial for habis/nanti.

Can I drop the object kalian after menyusul?

You can, if context already makes it clear whom you’ll catch up with:

Contextual/elliptical: Saya akan menyusul. If you add a place, prefer a direction with ke when the object is omitted:
Natural: Saya akan menyusul ke kafe.
Less natural: Saya akan menyusul di kafe (sounds like “I will catch up at the cafe” but lacks the who/where-to-follow link).

If I want to avoid menyusul, how do I say “I’ll meet you at the cafe”?

Use:

Neutral: Saya akan bertemu (dengan) kalian di kafe.
Colloquial: Aku ketemu (sama) kalian di kafe.
Formal “go see”: Saya akan menemui kalian di kafe (focuses on you going to see them).

Are setelah, sesudah, and habis interchangeable?

Largely, yes:

setelah and sesudah are near-synonyms; sesudah can sound slightly more formal/traditional.
habis is more colloquial; sehabis is a bit more formal. Examples:
Setelah/Sesudah menutup perpustakaan, ...
Habis/Sehabis menutup perpustakaan, ...