Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Anda menyewa apartemen yang mana? Saya memilih yang dekat kantor pusat. - Which apartment are you renting? I choose the one near the head office.

It means which (one). In questions, Indonesian often uses NOUN + yang mana to ask for a choice among known options. So apartemen yang mana = which apartment (of those options).

Can I say Apartemen mana yang Anda sewa? or Anda sewa apartemen mana? instead?

Yes. All are natural:

Anda menyewa apartemen yang mana? (slightly more formal due to menyewa)
Apartemen mana yang Anda sewa? (fronts the noun for emphasis)
Anda sewa apartemen mana? (more casual, drops the prefix) They all mean the same thing in practice.

Why is yang used in yang dekat kantor pusat?

Yang nominalizes the description, turning it into “the one that…”. yang dekat kantor pusat literally = the one that is near the head office. Without yang, the phrase is just a description, not a noun phrase.

Could I say Saya memilih dekat kantor pusat without yang?

No. You need yang to make a noun phrase: Saya memilih yang dekat kantor pusat. If you want to repeat the noun, you can say Saya memilih apartemen yang dekat kantor pusat.

There’s no “to be” before dekat. Is that normal?

Yes. Indonesian doesn’t use a copula like “is/are” with adjectives or location words. dekat kantor pusat already means “(is) near the head office” in this context.

What tense are menyewa and memilih here?

Indonesian verbs don’t inflect for tense; context supplies time. You can add markers:

Ongoing: sedang — Anda sedang menyewa…
Completed: sudah — Saya sudah memilih…
Future/intention: akan/mau — Saya akan/mau memilih…

Difference between menyewa, sewa, menyewakan, and disewa?

menyewa: to rent (as a renter) — Saya menyewa apartemen.
sewa: base/colloquial form of the same verb — Saya sewa apartemen.
menyewakan: to rent out/lease to someone — Pemilik menyewakan apartemen.
disewa: is/was rented (passive) — Apartemen itu disewa karyawan.

Can I shorten the answer?

Yes. Natural replies include:

Yang dekat kantor pusat. (elliptical but clear)
Saya pilih yang dekat kantor pusat. (colloquial) All of these are fine in conversation.

When should I use dekat, dekat dengan, or di dekat?

dekat + NOUN (adjectival): yang dekat kantor pusat
dekat dengan + NOUN (explicit “with/to”): yang dekat dengan kantor pusat
di dekat + NOUN (prepositional “at near”): yang di dekat kantor pusat All are acceptable; nuance is minimal here.

Why not dekat ke or dekat dari?

Use dekat (dengan), not dekat ke. dekat dari is common in speech but often considered nonstandard in careful writing. So prefer dekat (dengan) X or di dekat X.

Is Anda the best pronoun here? What about kamu or Bapak/Ibu?

Anda: neutral-formal; safe in general/professional contexts.
kamu: informal with peers/friends.
Bapak/Ibu: very polite, especially to older strangers or clients. Example: Bapak/Ibu menyewa apartemen yang mana?

Do I need an article like “a/the” or a classifier like sebuah?

No article is needed. Indonesian has no articles, and yang mana already signals a specific choice. sebuah apartemen means “an/one apartment,” but it’s unnecessary (and odd) in a which-question.

What exactly does kantor pusat mean? Are there alternatives?

kantor pusat = corporate “head office/headquarters.” Alternatives:

markas besar (Mabes): “HQ” for military/police or large organizations.
kantor utama: “main office,” less common than kantor pusat in business.

How do I say “the closer one” or “the closest one”?

Closer: yang lebih dekat (dengan) kantor pusat
Closest: yang paling dekat (dengan) kantor pusat Example: Saya memilih yang paling dekat dengan kantor pusat.

Is Yang mana? on its own okay?

Yes, if the context is clear (everyone knows you’re talking about apartments). It just means Which one?

What would a very casual Jakarta version look like?

Something like: Lu nyewa apartemen yang mana? Gue pilih yang deket kantor pusat. Use this only with people you’re close to; lu/gue is informal Jakarta slang.