Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Pilih apartemen di lantai atas saja, deh; anginnya sejuk. - Just choose an apartment on the upper floor; the breeze is cool.

It softens the imperative into a friendly, coaxing suggestion, roughly like “okay?” or “just do that, yeah?” in casual English. Without it, the sentence is a straightforward directive; with deh, it sounds laid-back and less pushy. It’s informal and common in casual speech/text, but avoid it in formal writing.

Without deh: more neutral/firm.
With deh: gentler, “come on/why don’t you…”
Rough comparison: deh ≈ softener; dong = emphatic/insistent; ya = seeking agreement.

Is pilih an imperative? Why not memilih or pilihlah?

Yes. The base verb form (pilih) is used for imperatives. Memilih is the active verb “to choose” in statements, not commands. Pilihlah is an imperative too but feels more formal/polite and bookish. In polite contexts you can also use:

Tolong pilih… (please choose…)
Silakan pilih… (feel free to choose…)
Sebaiknya pilih… / Lebih baik pilih… (it’s better to choose…)

Does saja mean “only” or “just” here?

Both are possible readings; context decides:

“Only”: exclude other floors.
“Just/simply”: downplays the choice, making it sound easy/low-stakes. Colloquially, aja is very common for saja. In formal writing, hanya is the more formal equivalent, but its placement is different (see below).

Why anginnya and not just angin? What does -nya do?

The clitic -nya can mark:

Definite reference (“the breeze” rather than “a breeze”),
Something already known from context (“the breeze there”),
Or a topic-like feel (“as for the breeze, it’s cool”). So anginnya sejuk is naturally read as “the breeze (there) is cool.” It’s not possession here; it’s contextual definiteness/topicalization.

Could I use udara instead of angin?

Yes:

Udaranya sejuk = the air is cool (general ambient air).
Anginnya sejuk = the (moving) air/breeze is cool (often implies a pleasant breeze). Angin highlights airflow/breeze; udara is broader “air/atmosphere.” Both are fine; nuance differs slightly.

Does di lantai atas mean “on the top floor” specifically?

Not necessarily. Di lantai atas means “on an upper floor/upstairs.” For the very top floor, say:

di lantai paling atas / di lantai teratas / di lantai tertinggi.

Why is it apartemen di lantai atas and not di lantai atas apartemen?

Because di lantai atas is a prepositional phrase that modifies the noun, and the natural order is “noun + modifier”:

apartemen di lantai atas = apartments that are on upper floors. Starting with the prepositional phrase is possible when it modifies the clause as a whole (e.g., Di lantai atas, anginnya sejuk), but within a noun phrase, keep the noun first.

Where exactly should I put saja? Does its position change the meaning?

Yes, placement targets different elements:

Pilih apartemen di lantai atas saja: “only/just on the upper floors.”
Pilih saja apartemen di lantai atas: softens the whole command (“just go ahead and choose…”).
Pilih apartemen saja di lantai atas: “just an apartment (not something else) on upper floors.” In formal style, hanya usually precedes what it limits: hanya di lantai atas.

Is the semicolon natural in Indonesian? Could I use something else?

Semicolons exist but are less common in everyday Indonesian. You could use:

A period: “… saja, deh. Anginnya sejuk.”
A comma (in casual writing): “… saja, deh, anginnya sejuk.”
Or make the causal link explicit: “… saja, deh, karena anginnya sejuk / soalnya anginnya sejuk.”

Is this polite enough to say to a stranger?

It’s casual. To be safer/politer with strangers or in formal contexts, try:

Silakan pilih apartemen di lantai atas saja; udaranya sejuk.
Sebaiknya pilih apartemen di lantai atas; udaranya sejuk. Dropping deh and using udara (instead of angin) also reads more neutral/formal.

Any pronunciation tips for tricky parts?

ng in angin is the velar nasal [ŋ], like final “ng” in English “sing.”
nya is one syllable [ɲa], like Spanish ñ + a.
deh is pronounced roughly “deh” with an “eh” vowel; keep it short.
apartemen: stress is light and typically penultimate syllable: a-par-TE-men. Indonesian stress is weak overall; keep vowels clear and short.

Why di and not ke?

Di marks location (at/on/in). Ke marks motion (to/towards). Here you’re describing where the apartment is located, so di is correct: apartemen di lantai atas. If you were telling someone to go upstairs, you’d use ke lantai atas.

Can I make the reason explicit with “because”?

Yes:

Pilih apartemen di lantai atas saja, deh, karena anginnya sejuk.
Casual: … soalnya anginnya sejuk.
Resultative feel: Makanya pilih… di lantai atas; anginnya sejuk.

Is sejuk different from dingin or adem?

Sejuk: pleasantly cool, fresh (positive).
Dingin: cold (can be uncomfortably cold).
Adem: colloquial (from Javanese), “nice and cool/soothing.” Here sejuk implies a comfortable, refreshing coolness.