Saya kehilangan dompet di kafe.

Because kehilangan means to lose something, while hilang usually means to be lost, to disappear, or missing.

• Saya kehilangan dompet = I lost my wallet
• Dompet saya hilang = My wallet is missing / My wallet got lost

So if I am the one experiencing the loss of something, kehilangan is the normal choice.

In this sentence, kehilangan functions as a verb meaning to lose.

It comes from the root hilang (lost / disappear) and the form ke-...-an. In practice, learners should mostly just remember kehilangan as a common word meaning:

• to lose
• to be deprived of
• to no longer have something

Examples:

• Saya kehilangan kunci. = I lost my keys.
• Dia kehilangan pekerjaan. = He/She lost their job.

Indonesian often leaves out possessive words when the meaning is already obvious from context.

So Saya kehilangan dompet naturally implies that it is my wallet, because the subject is I and the person who lost it is usually also the owner.

You can still say:

• Saya kehilangan dompet saya.

This is correct, but it can sound a little more explicit than necessary. Indonesian often prefers the shorter version unless there is a reason to emphasize ownership.

Indonesian does not use articles like English a/an/the.

So dompet can mean:

• a wallet
• the wallet
• my wallet

The exact meaning depends on context.

If you want to be more specific, you can add words such as:

• sebuah dompet = a wallet
• dompet itu = that wallet / the wallet
• dompet saya = my wallet

Here, di is a preposition meaning in, at, or sometimes on, depending on context.

So:

• di kafe = at the café / in the café

In this sentence, English would most naturally say at the café, but in the café could also work depending on what you mean.

This is a very important spelling point.

• di written separately = a preposition meaning in/at/on
  • di kafe = at the café
• di- written attached to a verb = a passive prefix
  • dibuka = opened
  • ditulis = written

So in your sentence, di kafe is correct because di is showing location.

This follows the normal Indonesian word order:

Subject + Verb + Object + Place

So:

• Saya = subject
• kehilangan = verb
• dompet = object
• di kafe = place

This is very similar to basic English word order:

• I lost my wallet at the café.

Yes. That is perfectly natural.

The difference is mainly register:

• saya = more neutral, polite, standard
• aku = more casual, personal

So:

• Saya kehilangan dompet di kafe. = neutral/polite
• Aku kehilangan dompet di kafe. = casual

A textbook will often use saya, but in everyday speech many people use aku.

Not by itself. Indonesian verbs do not change form for tense the way English verbs do.

So Saya kehilangan dompet di kafe could mean:

• I lost my wallet at the café
• I have lost my wallet at the café

The time is usually understood from context or added with time words such as:

• tadi = earlier / just now
• kemarin = yesterday
• pagi ini = this morning

Example:

• Saya kehilangan dompet di kafe tadi. = I lost my wallet at the café earlier.

Yes. Indonesian di is broader than English prepositions.

Depending on context, di kafe can be translated as:

• at the café
• in the café

English chooses between at and in more strictly, but Indonesian often just uses di for location in general.

Yes. Kafe is the standard Indonesian spelling.

Indonesian spelling usually adapts loanwords to match Indonesian pronunciation and spelling patterns, so:

• English/French-style café
• Indonesian kafe

It is usually pronounced roughly kah-feh.

A simple learner-friendly guide:

• ka like kah
• fe like feh

Also, Indonesian pronunciation is generally more phonetic than English, so words are often pronounced close to how they are spelled.

Normally, no. That does not sound standard for I lost my wallet.

Use:

• Saya kehilangan dompet di kafe.

If you use hilang, it usually describes the thing being lost, not the person losing it:

• Dompet saya hilang di kafe. = My wallet went missing at the café.

So:

• kehilangan = to lose something
• hilang = to be lost / missing

You can add words for ownership or specificity:

• Saya kehilangan dompet saya di sebuah kafe. = I lost my wallet in a café.
• Saya kehilangan dompet saya di kafe itu. = I lost my wallet at that café.
• Saya kehilangan dompet hitam saya di kafe. = I lost my black wallet at the café.

Indonesian often starts simple and only adds extra detail when needed.

Dompet usually means a wallet or a small money holder. In some contexts it can also refer to a small purse.

But for a larger handbag or purse, Indonesian would more often use:

• tas = bag
• tas tangan = handbag

So in your sentence, dompet is best understood as wallet.