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Saya menukar celana di toko karena kebesaran.

Saya menukar celana di toko karena kebesaran.
I exchanged the pants at the shop because they were too big.

Breakdown of Saya menukar celana di toko karena kebesaran.

saya
I
di
at
karena
because
toko
the shop
celana
the pants
kebesaran
too big
menukar
to exchange
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Questions & Answers about Saya menukar celana di toko karena kebesaran.

Is celana singular or plural? How do I say “a pair of pants” or “pants” (plural)?
  • Indonesian nouns aren’t marked for number. celana usually means one pair of pants by default.
  • To be explicit:
    • One: satu celana or sehelai celana (both natural).
    • Plural: use a number/quantifier: dua celana, beberapa celana, banyak celana. Reduplication (celana-celana) is possible but less common.
  • Sepasang celana is rarely used; most speakers just say celana with a number if needed.
What’s the difference between menukar and mengganti?
  • menukar = to exchange/swap something (often at a store) for another item or size.
  • mengganti = to change/replace what you’re using or wearing.
  • Compare: Saya menukar celana di toko (I exchanged the pants at the store) vs Saya mengganti celana di rumah (I changed my pants at home).
Should it be menukar or menukarkan? And can I say menukar … dengan …?
  • All are acceptable, with small nuances:
    • menukar [object]: simple “to exchange [object]”.
    • menukar [object] dengan [object]: “exchange [object] for/with [object]”.
    • menukarkan [object] dengan [object]: also fine; a bit more formal/explicit.
  • Example: Saya menukarkan celana itu dengan ukuran yang lebih kecil.
Why di toko and not ke toko?
  • di marks location (“at/in”): di toko = at the store (where the exchange happened).
  • ke marks movement (“to”): ke toko = to the store (destination).
  • You can use both if you want to mention the trip and the action: Saya pergi ke toko untuk menukar celana.
How does karena kebesaran work? Why not just terlalu besar?
  • kebesaran (ke- -an form) means “too big/oversized” and can stand alone as a predicate: Celana ini kebesaran.
  • Alternatives:
    • karena terlalu besar (because it’s too big)
    • karena ukurannya kebesaran (because the size is too big)
    • celana yang kebesaran (pants that are too big)
Does kebesaran ever mean something else?
  • Yes. It can also mean “greatness/majesty,” e.g., kebesaran Tuhan (“the greatness of God”). Context makes the meaning clear.
Can I move the phrases around? For example, is Karena kebesaran, saya menukar celana di toko okay?
  • Yes. Adverbials are flexible:
    • Saya menukar celana di toko karena kebesaran.
    • Karena kebesaran, saya menukar celana di toko.
  • Keep the verb and its object together; don’t split menukar and celana.
How do I show past, present, or future? The sentence looks “timeless.”
  • Indonesian doesn’t mark tense; use time/aspect markers:
    • Past/complete: sudah/telah, or tadi/barusan/kemarin.
    • Progressive: sedang.
    • Future/intent: akan/mau.
  • Examples: Saya tadi menukar celana di toko; Saya sedang menukar celana di toko; Saya akan menukar celana di toko.
How do I say “the pants” vs “my pants” vs “those pants”?
  • “the pants”: celana itu or celananya (definite).
  • “my pants”: celana saya (neutral); celanaku (informal).
  • “those pants”: celana itu; “these pants”: celana ini.
  • Note: -nya can also mean “his/her/its,” so celananya is context-dependent.
Why use Saya here? Could I use Aku or something else?
  • Saya = neutral/polite; good for shops and strangers.
  • Aku = informal/intimate.
  • Regional slang: gue/gua (Jakarta), etc. In customer–staff interactions, saya is safest.
Is toko the only word for “store”? What about warung or kedai?
  • toko: general “shop/store,” especially non-food retail (e.g., clothing).
  • warung: small stall/shop, often for food or daily goods.
  • kedai: small shop/café (e.g., kedai kopi). For clothing, toko is standard: toko pakaian.
Can I use sebab instead of karena? And what about karna?
  • sebab also means “because,” slightly more formal/written; karena is most common.
  • karna is a nonstandard chat/text variant; standard spelling is karena.
Why is it menukar (no “t”)? What happened to the initial “t” in tukar?
  • The prefix meN- assimilates to the first consonant of the root:
    • Before “t,” it becomes men- and the initial “t” of the root drops.
    • tukar → menukar.
  • Other examples: tulis → menulis, tutup → menutup.
Can I say Saya menukar celana yang kebesaran?
  • Yes. yang creates a relative clause: “I exchanged the pants that were too big.” It’s a natural, specific way to say it.
What if I wanted a refund rather than an exchange? How would I say it to staff?
  • Refund/return:
    • Saya mengembalikan celana ini dan minta uang kembali.
    • Signage terms: penukaran (exchange), pengembalian (returns), pengembalian dana (refund).
  • Polite in-store phrasing:
    • Maaf, saya mau menukar celana ini; ukurannya kebesaran.
    • Boleh tukar ke ukuran yang lebih kecil?