Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Orang tua saya hidup sederhana di desa itu.

In everyday Indonesian, orang tua as a fixed expression almost always means "parents" (both of them). To be crystal clear you can say kedua orang tua saya ("both my parents"). If you mean one parent, use ayah/bapak or ibu; using orang tua for a single parent is regional/colloquial and ambiguous.

Could I write orangtua as one word? Are ortu and orang tua the same?

You’ll see both orang tua (two words, preferred by dictionaries) and orangtua (one word). Ortu is a common informal abbreviation (speech, texts). All mean "parents."

How would I say "my father" or "my mother" instead of "my parents"?

Use ayah or bapak for father, and ibu or mama for mother: Ayah saya/ayahku..., Ibu saya/ibuku.... You can also say ayah dan ibu saya for "my father and mother."

Is hidup the right verb here, or should it be tinggal?

Hidup means "to live" as in "to be alive/lead a life," and hidup sederhana is a set phrase meaning "to live a simple life." For residence/location, tinggal is more idiomatic: Orang tua saya tinggal di desa itu. You can combine both: Orang tua saya tinggal di desa itu dan hidup sederhana.

Does Indonesian mark tense? How do I say past or future?

Indonesian verbs don’t inflect for tense; time is shown with adverbs. Examples: past: dulu/sudah — Orang tua saya dulu/sudah tinggal di desa itu; ongoing: sedang — Orang tua saya sedang tinggal di...; still: masih — ...masih tinggal...; future: akan — ...akan tinggal....

What exactly does sederhana mean here?

Sederhana means "simple/modest," often about lifestyle: hidup sederhana = "live modestly." Near-synonyms: bersahaja (unassuming), apa adanya (down-to-earth/as is), hemat (frugal).

Can I move di desa itu to another position?

Yes. Neutral: Orang tua saya hidup sederhana di desa itu. Place-fronting for emphasis: Di desa itu, orang tua saya hidup sederhana. For a cleft focus: Orang tua sayalah yang hidup sederhana di desa itu ("It is my parents who live simply in that village").

What does itu do after desa? Is it "that" or "the"?

Itu is a demonstrative placed after the noun. It can mean "that" (distal) or work like a definite "the" referring to something known: desa itu = "that/the village (we both know)". Contrast ini ("this") and formal tersebut ("the aforementioned").

Why isn’t there any plural marking for "parents"? How can I be explicit?

Indonesian doesn’t mark plural on nouns or verbs, so orang tua saya is plural by meaning in context. To be explicit, use kedua orang tua saya ("both my parents"). Note: reduplicating to orang-orang tua means "elderly people," not "parents."

Is orang tuaku correct? How does possession work here?

Yes. -ku is a possessive suffix: orang tuaku = "my parents" (informal/neutral). With saya (neutral/formal), use a separate word: orang tua saya. With aku, prefer the suffix form over orang tua aku, which is understood but less idiomatic.

Any pitfalls with di? I’ve seen it written together sometimes.

As a preposition, di is separate: di desa, di rumah. As a passive prefix, di- attaches to a verb: ditulis, dibaca. Don’t write didesa.

Could I say di kampung itu instead of di desa itu?

Yes, with nuance. Desa is the standard/administrative term for "village"; kampung is more colloquial and can mean "village" or "neighborhood," sometimes evoking a rustic feel.

How would I negate this sentence?

Use tidak before the verb/adjective: Orang tua saya tidak hidup sederhana di desa itu ("do not live simply"). For "not very simple," you can say kurang sederhana.

What other words come from hidup that are useful?

kehidupan = life (noun): Kehidupan di desa itu sederhana.
menghidupi = to support financially: Ia menghidupi keluarganya.
menghidupkan = to turn on/bring to life: menghidupkan lampu/harapan.

Any quick pronunciation tips for this sentence?

orang: final ng is a velar nasal.
tua: two syllables, "too-ah".
hidup: "hee-doop"; clear initial h; u sounds like "oo".
desa: "deh-sah".
itu: "ee-too". Indonesian stress is fairly even across syllables.