Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Saya menaruh ember di bawah keran bocor.

What does the verb in the sentence, menaruh, mean, and how is it different from similar verbs like meletakkan, menempatkan, or the base form taruh?

menaruh: everyday, general “to put/place (something somewhere).” Can also be figurative: menaruh harapan/curiga (to harbor hope/suspicion).
meletakkan: emphasizes the physical act of placing something down; a bit more formal or careful sounding.
menempatkan: “to position/assign/place” (often for people/roles or more formal placement).
taruh: the bare root; very common in casual speech and imperatives: Taruh di sini (Put it here). In your sentence, menaruh is perfectly natural and neutral.

Why are there no words for “a/the” before ember or keran? How do I make them definite or indefinite?

Indonesian has no articles. You mark definiteness/quantity with other words:

Indefinite/singular: sebuah ember (a bucket), but plain ember is usually fine.
Explicit “one”: satu ember (one bucket).
Definite: ember itu / keran itu (that/the bucket/faucet).
Another definite option: embernya / kerannya (the bucket/faucet, or his/her/its bucket/faucet, depending on context).

Is keran bocor correct without yang? When would I use keran yang bocor?

Yes, keran bocor is fine; adjectives/modifiers typically follow the noun. Adding yang turns it into a relative clause and can sound a bit more specific/emphatic:

keran bocor = a leaky/leaking faucet (attributive adjective).
keran yang bocor = the faucet that is leaking (relative clause feel). Both are acceptable; yang often adds clarity or emphasis.

Why is the adjective after the noun (i.e., keran bocor, not “bocor keran”)?

In Indonesian, adjectives and most modifiers follow the noun:

keran bocor (leaky faucet)
ember besar (big bucket) Putting the adjective before the noun is ungrammatical in standard Indonesian.

Should di bawah be written as one word or two?

Two words: di bawah (the preposition di + the noun bawah = “under/below”). Do not write dibawah. The attached form di- is a passive prefix for verbs (e.g., ditaruh), not for prepositions.

Can I move the location phrase di bawah keran bocor to a different position?

Neutral/default: Saya menaruh ember di bawah keran bocor.
Topicalized location (acceptable): Di bawah keran bocor, saya menaruh ember.
Object-fronting (semi-passive style, also common): Ember saya taruh di bawah keran bocor. Avoid splitting the verb and its object in odd ways like: ✗ Saya menaruh di bawah keran bocor ember.

What’s the difference between di bawah, ke bawah, and dari bawah?

di bawah: location = under/beneath (static position).
ke bawah: direction = downward/toward below.
dari bawah: source/origin = from below/from under. Example: Saya menaruh ember di bawah meja. / Dia berjalan ke bawah. / Air keluar dari bawah pintu.

How do I pronounce the words?

Saya: [ˈsa.ja] — sah-yah.
menaruh: [məˈna.ruh] — meh-NAH-rooh (the first “e” is a schwa).
ember: [ˈɛm.bɛr] — EM-behr (both “e” as in “bed”).
di bawah: [di ˈba.wah] — dee BAH-wah.
keran: [kəˈran] — kə-RAHN (first “e” is a schwa).
bocor: [ˈbo.tʃor] — BOH-chor (“c” in Indonesian is the “ch” sound). Stress is mild and usually falls near the penultimate syllable.

Is Saya the only way to say “I”? What about Aku or gue?

Saya: neutral/formal and safe in most contexts.
Aku: informal/intimate (friends, family).
gue/gua: very informal, common in Jakarta slang. Your sentence with Aku is fine in casual settings: Aku menaruh ember…

Can I drop the subject pronoun?

Often in casual speech you can omit it if context is clear, especially with imperatives:

Imperative: Taruh ember di bawah keran bocor. With a finite verb like menaruh, you usually keep the subject, but in quick speech people might say: Taruh ember di bawah keran bocor, ya.

How do I show past or future time, since the verb doesn’t change?

Use time words/aspect markers:

Past/earlier: tadi, barusan/baru saja
Completed: sudah
Ongoing: sedang
Future: akan, nanti Examples:
Tadi saya menaruh ember… (Earlier I put…)
Saya sudah menaruh ember… (I have already put…)
Saya akan menaruh ember… (I will put…)

How would I say this in the passive?

Two common options:

Passive with di-: Ember ditaruh di bawah keran bocor.
“Bare”/short passive: Ember saya taruh di bawah keran bocor. Adding an agent to the di- passive is possible but often unnecessary: Ember ditaruh … oleh saya.

How do I make “bucket(s)” plural?

Plurality is usually understood from context. If you need to be explicit:

Reduplication: ember-ember (buckets)
Quantifiers: beberapa ember (several buckets), banyak ember (many buckets), dua ember (two buckets) No change to the adjective: ember-ember besar (big buckets).

Is keran the only spelling? I’ve seen kran and different words in Malaysia.

Indonesian: keran is the recommended modern spelling; kran is still seen and understood.
You may also hear keran air (water faucet).
Malay (Malaysia/Brunei): commonly paip (tap/pipe). All are context-dependent, but in Indonesian class, stick with keran.

Does bocor act like an adjective or a verb? What about kebocoran?

bocor can be an adjective (“leaky”) or an intransitive verb (“to leak”): Keran itu bocor (That faucet leaks/is leaky).
kebocoran is a noun (“a leak/leakage”): Ada kebocoran pada keran.

How can I refer back to a previously mentioned faucet with -nya?

Use -nya for definiteness/anaphora:

di bawahnya = under it (refers to something already known in context).
kerannya = the faucet; keran yang bocor itu = that leaking faucet. Example: Saya menaruh ember di bawahnya (I put the bucket under it.)

Why is it menaruh and not mentaruh? What happened to the initial t?

The prefix meN- assimilates to the first consonant of the root:

With roots beginning in t, the t drops and the prefix becomes men-.
taruh → menaruh; similarly, tulis → menulis. This is a regular morphophonemic rule in Indonesian.

How can I add a purpose like “to catch the water”?

Use untuk (to/for) + verb:

Saya menaruh ember di bawah keran bocor untuk menampung air. Alternatives:
… supaya airnya tertampung.
… biar air tidak menetes ke lantai.