Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Terima kasih sudah menunggu saya di perempatan. - Thank you for waiting for me at the intersection.

sudah marks completed aspect (“already”). So Terima kasih sudah menunggu saya di perempatan = “Thanks for already having waited for me at the intersection,” which is exactly what you want after you arrive late.
If you drop it, Terima kasih menunggu saya di perempatan is understandable but sounds a bit abrupt or like “thanks for waiting” on a sign. Most speakers prefer sudah (neutral) or telah (formal) in this context.

Can I use telah or udah instead of sudah?

telah = more formal/written. Example: Terima kasih telah menunggu saya di perempatan.
udah = colloquial. Example: Makasih udah nunggu saya di perempatan.
Meaning is the same; only register changes.

Why is it menunggu saya and not “wait for me” with a preposition, like menunggu untuk saya?

In Indonesian, menunggu takes a direct object. You say menunggu saya/kamu/dia, not menunggu untuk saya. The version with untuk would mean “to wait on my behalf,” which is not what you want here.

Can I omit saya?

Yes. If it’s clear from context who was being waited for, you can say Terima kasih sudah menunggu di perempatan. Adding saya just makes the object explicit.

Should I use saya, aku, gue, or Anda?

Neutral/polite: saya (safe with strangers or formal situations).
Informal: aku (friends, peers).
Very casual Jakarta slang: gue (and the subject “you” would be lu/lo).
Formal “you”: Anda (e.g., Terima kasih sudah menunggu saya, where the “you” is implied as Anda).
Plural “us”: kami/kita (e.g., menunggu kami/kita).

Can I use the bound pronoun form, like menungguku?

Yes. Terima kasih sudah menungguku di perempatan is correct and a bit more intimate/literary. Similarly: menunggumu, menunggunya. In everyday speech, many people still prefer the separate pronoun (menunggu aku/kamu/dia).

What’s the difference between menunggu, menunggui, and the colloquial nungguin?

menunggu = to wait (for). Standard and safest.
menunggui (standard) = to stay with/look after/attend to (e.g., Dia menunggui ibunya yang sakit). Not used for “wait for someone at a place.”
nungguin (colloquial, Jakarta) = “to wait for (someone/something)” with an object, very common in speech: Makasih udah nungguin aku di perempatan. Avoid in formal writing.

Is Terima kasih menunggu saya… acceptable without sudah/telah?

It’s understandable, but for thanking someone for a completed action, natives almost always add an aspect marker (sudah/telah) or use an atas/karena structure:

Terima kasih sudah/telah menunggu saya di perempatan. (most natural)
Terima kasih atas kesediaan Anda menunggu saya di perempatan.
Terima kasih karena sudah menunggu saya di perempatan.

What exactly does perempatan mean? Are there related words?

perempatan literally relates to empat (four) and means a four-way intersection.
Related:
- pertigaan = T-junction (three-way).
- persimpangan = intersection/junction (general, more formal).
- Regional: simpang/simpang empat (common in Sumatra/Malaysia).
- bundaran = roundabout.

If we met at a traffic light, can I say lampu merah?

Yes, very common in everyday speech:

Terima kasih sudah menunggu saya di lampu merah.
Or combine: …di perempatan lampu merah to be clearer.

Why use di here and not pada? And why is it not written as one word?

di is the normal preposition for physical location: di perempatan.
pada is more formal and often used for abstract time/targets; pada perempatan sounds stiff.
Spelling: the preposition di is separate (di perempatan). The prefix di- attaches to verbs for passive (e.g., ditunggu). Don’t write diperempatan here.

Can I move the location phrase earlier in the sentence?

Yes, Indonesian is flexible with adverbial placement:

Terima kasih sudah menunggu saya di perempatan. (most typical)
Di perempatan, terima kasih sudah menunggu saya. (fronted for emphasis or context)
Terima kasih sudah menunggu saya di perempatan itu. (specifying “that intersection”)

Any spelling notes for this sentence?

The standard spelling is two words: Terima kasih (not “Terimakasih,” though the one-word version is common informally).
Keep di separate from its noun: di perempatan.
Capitalize Terima at the start of the sentence.

How do I specify which intersection?

Add a determiner or a descriptor:

di perempatan itu/ini
di perempatannya (definite, “at the/that intersection” when context is clear)
di perempatan Jalan Sudirman
di perempatan depan mal

Who is the subject of menunggu here?

It’s implicitly “you.” Indonesian often omits pronouns when obvious from context. Expanded: (Kamu/Anda) sudah menunggu saya di perempatan. Terima kasih.