Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Pagi ini saya mampir ke toko roti dekat stasiun. - This morning I stopped by the bakery near the station.

Yes. Mampir means to stop by/drop in briefly, often casually or on the way somewhere. It suggests a short, not very formal visit. Common collocations: mampir sebentar (stop by for a moment), mampir beli … (stop by to buy …). Rough synonyms: singgah (slightly more literary). More formal “to visit” is berkunjung/mengunjungi (often for longer or more deliberate visits).

Should it be “mampir ke” or “mampir di”? What’s the difference?

Both occur:

mampir ke emphasizes movement toward a place: mampir ke toko roti (stop by to the bakery).
mampir di emphasizes being at a place: mampir di toko roti (stop by at the bakery). In practice, mampir ke is very common; mampir di is also acceptable. The meaning difference is minimal here.

Is “pagi ini” the same as “tadi pagi”?

Not quite.

pagi ini = this morning (and we’re still in the morning when speaking).
tadi pagi = earlier this morning (you can say this even in the afternoon/evening). You’ll also hear pagi tadi; it’s fine, but tadi pagi is more common in everyday speech.

Can I move the time expression around? Is a comma needed?

Yes, time expressions are flexible:

Pagi ini, saya mampir … (comma optional)
Saya mampir … pagi ini.
Saya pagi ini mampir … (also natural) In Indonesian, a comma after initial time phrases is optional and stylistic.

How do Indonesians mark past tense here? Should I add “sudah”?

Indonesian has no obligatory tense marking. Context and time words do the job.

Base: Pagi ini saya mampir …
To stress completion: Pagi ini saya sudah mampir …
If it’s no longer morning: Tadi pagi saya mampir … You can also say barusan (just now) for recency.

Do I need an article like “a/the” before “bakery”?

Indonesian has no articles. toko roti can mean “a bakery” or “the bakery,” depending on context. To be specific:

“the bakery”: toko roti itu
“a bakery/one bakery”: sebuah toko roti (or satu toko roti for the number)

Why is it “dekat stasiun” and not “di dekat stasiun” or “dekat dengan stasiun”? Are all correct?

All three are acceptable:

dekat stasiun (common, concise; here dekat works like “near”)
di dekat stasiun (emphasizes the area/at a location near)
dekat dengan stasiun (a bit more formal/explicit) The meaning difference is slight; usage varies by style and habit.

Does “stasiun” specifically mean a train station?

Usually yes: stasiun commonly means a train station. For buses, Indonesians typically say terminal (bus station) or halte (bus stop). If needed, you can clarify stasiun kereta (train station) or name it: Stasiun Gambir.

What’s the register of “saya”? Could I use “aku” or “gue” instead?

saya: neutral and polite; safe in most contexts.
aku: informal/intimate with friends, equals, family.
gue/gua: very informal, Jakarta/Betawi slang. Your sentence works with each: Pagi ini aku/gue mampir …, but match the pronoun to the social context.

Why is it “pagi ini” and not “ini pagi”? Where do demonstratives go?

In Indonesian, demonstratives follow the noun:

pagi ini (this morning), orang itu (that person) So ini pagi is not used in standard Indonesian for “this morning.”

Is “toko roti” the best way to say “bakery”? Any alternatives?

Yes, toko roti is the default. Alternatives:

kedai roti (shop/café vibe)
warung roti (small stall/warung) You’ll also see English bakery on signs. Note: roti covers bread and many bread-like items; pastries/cakes are often kue.

Does “dekat stasiun” modify the bakery or the act of stopping by? Could it be ambiguous?

As written, ke toko roti dekat stasiun most naturally means “to the bakery near the station” (it modifies the bakery). If you mean you stopped somewhere near the station (not necessarily a station-adjacent bakery), say:

mampir di dekat stasiun (ke sebuah toko roti) or
move the phrase: Pagi ini saya mampir di dekat stasiun, ke toko roti.

How do I say “I stopped by to buy bread” or “just for a minute”?

Purpose: Pagi ini saya mampir ke toko roti dekat stasiun untuk membeli roti.
Colloquial purpose: … buat beli roti.
Very natural short form: … mampir beli roti. (dropping untuk)
Briefly: … mampir sebentar …

Can I replace “mampir” with “singgah” or “berkunjung”?

singgah: close in meaning to “mampir,” a bit more literary/regional; fine: Pagi ini saya singgah …
berkunjung: “to visit” (more formal/deliberate/longer). You’d normally say berkunjung ke someone’s home/city, not a quick bakery stop. So mampir is the best fit here.

Is a comma required after “Pagi ini”?

No. Pagi ini saya mampir … and Pagi ini, saya mampir … are both acceptable. Indonesian comma use is flexible with initial adverbials.

Any quick pronunciation tips for the key words?

pagi: PAH-gee
mampir: MAHM-peer (both syllables clear)
toko roti: TOH-koh ROH-tee
stasiun: sta-SEE-oon (three syllables; the “siu” is like “see-oon” said smoothly) Stress is relatively even; vowels are pure (a = ah, i = ee, o = oh, u = oo, e varies but here “e/ə” doesn’t appear).

How would I negate it: “I didn’t stop by …”?

Use tidak before the verb phrase:

Pagi ini saya tidak mampir ke toko roti dekat stasiun. You can add sama sekali (at all) for emphasis: … tidak mampir sama sekali …