Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Dia memilih kamar tidur dengan lemari pakaian besar. - He/She chooses a bedroom with a large wardrobe.

Ia: a more literary/formal subject pronoun; typically not used as an object or after prepositions.
Beliau: respectful third-person singular (for elders, officials, etc.).

What tense is memilih? How do I say past or future?

Indonesian verbs don’t change form for tense. Memilih can be past, present, or future depending on context. Add time words or aspect markers if needed:

Past/completed: sudah/telah (e.g., Dia sudah memilih…)
Ongoing: sedang (e.g., Dia sedang memilih…)
Future: akan (e.g., Dia akan memilih…)
Time adverbs: tadi, kemarin, besok, etc.

Why memilih and not pilih? Are both correct?

Both appear in real usage, but with different registers.

Memilih is the standard active transitive form, common in neutral/formal contexts.
Pilih is the bare root and appears in imperatives and casual speech, especially after modals:
- Imperative: Pilih kamar ini!
- Casual: Dia pilih kamar tidur… (colloquial), vs. formal Dia memilih…
  After verbs like mau/ingin/akan, both are heard: Saya mau memilih/mau pilih… (the version without the prefix is more casual).

How does pilih become memilih?

It’s the meN- prefix. The nasal assimilates to the first consonant of the root, and certain consonants drop:

p → m: pilih → memilih
t → n: tulis → menulis
k → ng: kirim → mengirim
s → ny: sapu → menyapu This prefix often marks an active transitive verb.

What does dengan do here? Is it “with” or “that has”? Are there alternatives?

Here dengan means “with,” describing a feature of the bedroom: “a bedroom with a big wardrobe.” Natural alternatives:

… yang memiliki … = “… that has …”
… yang dilengkapi (dengan) … = “… that is equipped with …”
… yang ada … di dalamnya = “… that has … in it” (e.g., kamar tidur yang ada lemari pakaian besar di dalamnya)

Do I need yang before besar? What’s the difference between lemari pakaian besar and lemari pakaian yang besar?

Both are grammatical. Indonesian normally places adjectives after the noun:

lemari pakaian besar = “a big wardrobe (for clothes)”
lemari pakaian yang besar adds a touch of emphasis or a more “restrictive” feel (“the wardrobe-for-clothes that is big”). In many contexts they’re interchangeable; yang is optional.

Which noun is big here—the bedroom or the wardrobe? How would I say the other meaning?

In kamar tidur dengan lemari pakaian besar, the adjective besar attaches to the nearest noun phrase, lemari pakaian, so the wardrobe is big.
To say the bedroom is big instead, you can move besar:

Dia memilih kamar tidur besar dengan lemari pakaian.
Or: Dia memilih kamar tidur yang besar dengan lemari pakaian.

What exactly is lemari pakaian? Is lemari baju okay?

Lemari pakaian is a wardrobe/closet (a cabinet for clothes). Lemari baju is very common in everyday speech and means the same thing. Pakaian is a bit more general/formal than baju; both are fine in conversation.
If you mean a built-in wardrobe, you might hear lemari tanam or lemari pakaian tanam (property/real-estate lingo).

Do I need an article like “a/the”? Should I add sebuah?

Indonesian has no articles “a/the,” so none is required. You add a classifier/number only if you want to specify quantity or emphasize “one”:

sebuah lemari pakaian besar = one big wardrobe (general classifier buah)
satu lemari pakaian besar = one big wardrobe (using the numeral) In everyday sentences, people usually omit them unless the number matters.

How do I say there are multiple wardrobes, or emphasize plurality?

Plural isn’t marked by default. Use numbers or quantifiers:

dua lemari pakaian besar = two big wardrobes
beberapa/banyak lemari pakaian = several/many wardrobes
Reduplication is possible but less common and can sound bookish or awkward with long noun phrases; numbers and quantifiers are the clearest choice.

Could I use the prefix ber- to mean “with a wardrobe,” like kamar tidur berlemari pakaian?

It’s understandable but not idiomatic in most contexts. Ber- often means “to have/with” for certain features (e.g., kamar ber-AC, kamar berkamar mandi dalam in property ads). For wardrobes, speakers usually prefer:

kamar tidur dengan lemari pakaian, or
kamar tidur yang memiliki/dilengkapi lemari pakaian.

Is kamar tidur the only way to say bedroom? What about ruang?

Use kamar tidur for “bedroom.” Kamar tends to be “private/personal rooms” (e.g., kamar mandi = bathroom). Ruang is for general “spaces/rooms” (e.g., ruang tamu = living room, ruang keluarga = family room).
Note: kamar tamu means a guest bedroom, while ruang tamu is the living room.

Can I make the sentence sound more formal or ad-like?

Yes. For a more formal or property-ad tone:

Dia memilih kamar tidur yang memiliki lemari pakaian besar.
Dia memilih kamar tidur yang dilengkapi dengan lemari pakaian besar. Both foreground the bedroom’s feature as a selling point.

How would I say “the bedroom with the biggest wardrobe”?

Use a superlative with paling or ter-:

kamar tidur dengan lemari pakaian yang paling besar
kamar tidur dengan lemari pakaian terbesar Both are natural; ter- is concise and slightly more formal.

Any quick pronunciation or stress tips for these words?

dia: dee-ah (two syllables)
memilih: mə-mee-lih (the middle syllable is stressed lightly; final h is a soft breath)
kamar tidur: kah-mar tee-door (each vowel is sounded; u like “oo” in “book”)
dengan: də-ngan (schwa-like e)
lemari pakaian: lə-ma-ree pa-ka-ee-an (break pakaian as pa-ka-i-an)
besar: bə-sar (schwa-like e)