Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Syal biru saya basah; saya menjemurnya di balkon. - My blue scarf is wet; I dry it on the balcony.

Syal biru saya basah = “My blue scarf is wet.” Using adalah before an adjective is generally incorrect. Adalah is used to equate two nouns (e.g., Dia adalah dokter = “She is a doctor”).

What does the suffix -nya in menjemurnya mean? Is it “my”?

Here -nya is a third-person object pronoun meaning “it/him/her.” In this sentence it refers back to the scarf (“it”). It is not “my.” If you wanted “my,” you’d use -ku on a noun (e.g., syalku) or the word saya after the noun (e.g., syal saya).

Saya menjemurnya di balkon ≈ “I’m drying it on the balcony.”

Why is the possessor at the end in syal biru saya? How is that different from syal saya biru or syal saya yang biru?

syal biru saya = “my blue scarf” (N + Adj + possessor). Attributive description inside the noun phrase.
syal saya biru = “My scarf is blue.” Here biru is a predicate.
syal saya yang biru = “the scarf of mine that is blue” (picks out the blue one among several scarves I own).

Can I say Syal biruku basah instead?

Yes. -ku is a clitic meaning “my.” Both are natural:

Syal biru saya basah (neutral/polite, very common)
Syal biruku basah (also common; feels a bit more personal or literary in tone)

Is the semicolon natural here? Could I use a comma or a period?

A semicolon is acceptable in Indonesian to separate two closely related independent clauses. In everyday writing, people more often use:

a comma + conjunction: Syal biru saya basah, jadi saya menjemurnya di balkon.
or a period: Syal biru saya basah. Saya menjemurnya di balkon. You can also use karena: Karena syal biru saya basah, saya menjemurnya di balkon.

Does menjemur specifically mean “to sun-dry”? How is it different from mengeringkan and berjemur?

menjemur: to put something out to dry in sun/air (typical for laundry).
mengeringkan: to dry/make something dry by any means (sun, machine, towel, etc.).
berjemur: to sunbathe (intransitive, the subject is the one in the sun). Examples:
Saya menjemur pakaian di balkon.
Saya mengeringkan rambut dengan pengering rambut.
Dia berjemur di pantai.

Can I drop the object and just say Saya menjemur di balkon?

Grammatically, menjemur is transitive and expects an object. In casual speech, people sometimes omit it when the context is obvious (ellipsis), but in careful Indonesian you should include the object:

Saya menjemurnya di balkon.
Saya menjemur syal (biru saya) di balkon.

What’s the difference between menjemur, menjemurkan, and menjemuri?

menjemur: base, most common for drying things (especially clothes). Safe default.
menjemurkan (-kan): causative/benefactive flavor; widely used interchangeably with menjemur in everyday speech: menjemurkan pakaian is common.
menjemuri (-i): locative/target focus; often used with living objects: menjemuri bayi setiap pagi (“to put a baby in the sun”). For clothes, prefer menjemur pakaian (or menjemurkan pakaian—also heard).

Why di balkon and not ke balkon or pada balkon?

di marks a static location: di balkon = “on the balcony.”
ke marks movement toward a place: ke balkon = “to the balcony.”
pada isn’t used for physical locations; it’s used with times, people, or abstract objects (e.g., pada pukul delapan, pada Anda).

What exactly is balkon? Is it the same as beranda or teras?

balkon: an elevated platform projecting from a building (balcony).
beranda: veranda/porch, usually ground-level and roofed.
teras: terrace/porch/patio area at the front or back. Note: Indonesian spells it balkon; Malay often uses balkoni.

Could -nya here mean “me” (since it’s my scarf)?

No. -nya is strictly third person (it/him/her/their). It refers to the scarf as “it,” not to you. If you literally made yourself the object, you’d use -ku on the verb (menjemurku = “dry me”), which isn’t what you mean here.

Can I move di balkon to another position?

Yes. Location phrases are flexible:

Neutral: Saya menjemurnya di balkon.
Emphasis on place: Di balkon, saya menjemurnya.
Saya di balkon menjemurnya is possible in speech but less tidy in writing.

Can I use aku instead of saya?

Yes. Aku is more informal/intimate:

Aku menjemurnya di balkon. You might also see the literary/written prefix ku- on verbs (e.g., Kujemur), but Aku/Saya menjemur… is more common in speech.

Are there useful nuances for “wet” words like basah, lembap, or basah kuyup?

basah: wet.
lembap: damp/moist; also “humid” (for air).
basah kuyup: soaked/dripping wet.
kebasahan: got wet (often unexpectedly) or “too wet.” Here, basah is the right choice for a wet scarf.

Any spelling tips for di?

Yes. The preposition di is written separately from the noun: di balkon, di rumah. The passive prefix di- attaches to verbs as one word: dijemur, dibasahi.