Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Kami naik taksi ke kantor karena hujan. - We take a taxi to the office because of the rain.

kami excludes the person you’re talking to.
kita includes the person you’re talking to. If you’re telling a coworker who also went, use kita; if the listener didn’t go, use kami.

How is tense shown? Does this sentence mean past, present, or future?

Indonesian doesn’t inflect verbs for tense. Context or time words show time:

Past: tadi, kemarin, barusan, or aspect marker sudah (already).
- Tadi pagi kami naik taksi ke kantor.
- Kami sudah naik taksi ke kantor.
Present progressive: sedang or colloquial lagi.
- Kami sedang naik taksi ke kantor.
Future: akan, nanti, besok.
- Besok kami akan naik taksi ke kantor.

What does naik mean here? Why not mengambil taksi or menaiki?

Naik is the natural, everyday verb for “ride/take (a vehicle).” So naik taksi = “take a taxi.”

Mengambil taksi literally “to take/pick up,” and sounds odd for riding a taxi.
Menaiki can work (e.g., menaiki bus), but it’s more formal/literary and less common in speech.
Alternatives you’ll hear: pakai/menggunakan taksi (use a taxi), pesan taksi (order a taxi).

Do I need a preposition like “by” before taksi? Is dengan taksi okay?

The default and most natural is naik + vehicle: naik taksi.
Dengan taksi (“by taxi”) is also correct, just less common in casual speech:

Kami ke kantor dengan taksi karena hujan.

Is taksi the correct spelling? Can I write taxi?

Standard Indonesian spells it taksi. You might see taxi informally, but taksi is the proper Indonesian spelling.

Why is it ke kantor and not di kantor?

ke marks movement “to(ward)” a place: ke kantor = “to the office.”
di marks location “at/in”: di kantor = “at the office.” Your sentence is about going somewhere, so ke is required.

Where is “the” before “office”? How do I say “the office,” “this office,” or “that office”?

Indonesian has no articles. Kantor can mean “an/the office” depending on context. To be explicit:

“this office” = kantor ini
“that office” = kantor itu
A specific known office can also be marked with itu: ke kantor itu

Can I put the reason first: Karena hujan, kami naik taksi ke kantor?

Yes. That’s very natural. When the karena-clause comes first, use a comma:

Karena hujan, kami naik taksi ke kantor. Placing the reason at the end, as in the original, is also fine.

Does karena hujan mean “because it was raining” or “because of the rain”?

It comfortably covers both: “because it was raining” and “because of the rain.” To be more explicit:

Ongoing rain: karena (sedang) hujan
Emphasize the rain as a noun: karena hujan deras (because of heavy rain), karena turun hujan

Should I add sedang: karena sedang hujan?

Optional. Sedang highlights that the action is ongoing right then. Colloquially, lagi can replace sedang:

Karena sedang hujan (more neutral/formal)
Karena lagi hujan (casual)

How flexible is the word order? Can I move naik taksi around?

You have some flexibility:

Kami naik taksi ke kantor karena hujan. (original)
Kami ke kantor naik taksi karena hujan. (also common)
Karena hujan, kami naik taksi ke kantor. (reason first) Avoid splitting the destination with the reason:
✗ Kami naik taksi karena hujan ke kantor sounds off.

Are there more formal or more casual ways to say this?

More casual: Kita naik taksi ke kantor soalnya hujan. / … gara-gara hujan.
More formal: Oleh karena hujan, kami pergi ke kantor dengan taksi. Pronouns also affect register: aku/gue (casual “I”), saya (neutral/formal), kami/kita (we).

Any pronunciation tips or common contractions?

ke is usually pronounced with a schwa: [kə].
karena is often shortened in speech/spelling to karna (and krn in texting).
hujan: “oo-jahn,” r in karena is tapped/trilled, taksi like “tahk-see.”

Could I use pergi or berangkat instead of just naik?

Yes, to emphasize the act of going/leaving:

Kami pergi ke kantor naik taksi karena hujan.
Kami berangkat ke kantor naik taksi karena hujan. Here naik taksi specifies the means of transport.

Where’s the subject in hujan? Isn’t there an “it” like in English?

Indonesian doesn’t need a dummy subject. Hujan by itself works as a complete clause meaning “it’s raining.” So karena hujan is perfectly grammatical.

How would I say “We had to take a taxi because of the rain”?

Use terpaksa to express necessity/compulsion:

Kami terpaksa naik taksi ke kantor karena hujan.