Ibu menjemur seprai di halaman belakang.

Mother dries the bedsheet in the backyard.

Breakdown of Ibu menjemur seprai di halaman belakang.

• di: in
• ibu: the mother
• halaman belakang: the backyard
• seprai: the bedsheet
• menjemur: to dry

Questions & Answers about Ibu menjemur seprai di halaman belakang.

What does Ibu mean here? Is it “mother” or “Mrs.”?

In a neutral sentence like this, Ibu most naturally means Mother/Mom. It can also be a polite title like Ma’am/Mrs. when used with a name (e.g., Ibu Sari). Without a name, context decides whether it’s “mother” or a respectful “the lady.”

Why is it capitalized? Should it be Ibu or ibu?

It’s capitalized here because it’s the first word. In general:

• Ibu is capitalized when used as a form of address or polite title (e.g., Ibu Lina) or when referring respectfully to one’s own mother in writing.
• ibu (lowercase) is the common noun “mother.”

What exactly does menjemur mean?

Menjemur means to dry something by putting it in the sun (to sun-dry). It implies sunlight exposure, not just hanging indoors.

How is menjemur formed, and is it transitive?

It’s meN- + jemur = menjemur (active verb). It’s transitive, so it normally takes a direct object (here, seprai). Without an object, use berjemur (to sun oneself).

What’s the difference between menjemur and berjemur?

• Menjemur: to sun-dry something (clothes, sheets, fish, coffee).
• Berjemur: to bask/sun oneself (e.g., Ibu berjemur di pantai = Mom is sunbathing at the beach).

How do I show tense/aspect (is/was/will) in this sentence?

Indonesian doesn’t mark tense on the verb. Add time/aspect words:

• Ongoing: sedang (Ibu sedang menjemur …), or colloquial lagi.
• Completed: sudah / tadi / a time word (… tadi pagi).
• Future: akan / nanti / besok.

Can I move the location phrase to the front?

Yes. Di halaman belakang, Ibu menjemur seprai. Fronting the place emphasizes the location. Use a comma after the fronted phrase.

What’s the difference between di (separate) and di- (attached)?

• di (separate word) = preposition “in/at/on” (e.g., di halaman).
• di- (prefix attached) = passive voice (e.g., dijemur = is/was sun-dried).

Does halaman mean “yard” or “page”?

Both exist. Halaman can mean yard/compound (here) or page (as in a book). Context decides: halaman belakang clearly means backyard.

Is there a nuance difference between di halaman belakang and di belakang rumah?

• Di halaman belakang = in the backyard (on your property, the yard area).
• Di belakang rumah = behind the house (could be any space behind it, not necessarily part of your yard).

Why not di belakang halaman?

Di belakang halaman means “behind the yard,” i.e., a place further back than the yard. You want the yard itself, so di halaman belakang.

Is seprai the correct spelling? I’ve seen sprei and seprei.

The standard dictionary form is seprai. Sprei is very common in everyday use and widely understood. Seprei is nonstandard.

Is seprai singular or plural? How do I say “sheet” vs “sheets”?

Indonesian doesn’t mark number by default. Seprai can mean “sheet” or “sheets,” depending on context. To be explicit:

• Some sheets: beberapa seprai
• Two sheets: dua lembar seprai
• Reduplication is possible (seprai-seprai) but sounds bookish here.

Do I need a classifier with seprai?

Optional, but common when counting flat items:

• selembar seprai (one sheet)
• dua lembar seprai (two sheets) Without numbers, just seprai is fine.

How do I mark possession or definiteness, like “her sheets” or “the sheets”?

Options:

• Possessive: seprai Ibu (Mother’s sheets), seprai ibuku (my mom’s sheets), or seprainya (his/her/their sheets; -nya = his/her/the).
• Definiteness: -nya often implies “the” in context: Ibu menjemur seprainya = Mom is drying the sheet(s) (likely hers).

Can I use menjemurkan instead of menjemur?

Use menjemur for drying laundry. Menjemurkan tends to be causative (to make something/someone get sun) and is more common with animate objects (e.g., menjemurkan bayi). For clothes/sheets, menjemur is the natural choice.

How would the passive look?

• Seprai dijemur Ibu di halaman belakang.
• With oleh: Seprai dijemur oleh Ibu di halaman belakang. Both are correct; oleh is often dropped in casual style.

Is menjemur the same as mengeringkan or menggantung?

• Menjemur = sun-dry.
• Mengeringkan = dry (by any method, e.g., a dryer).
• Menggantung = hang (doesn’t imply drying). For laundry, use menjemur if sun-drying is intended.

Any quick pronunciation tips?

• j as in English “jam” (menjemur).
• ai in seprai like English “eye.”
• Final ng in belakang is a velar nasal (as in “sung”).

Where do time words go?

Flexible:

• Front: Tadi pagi, Ibu menjemur seprai di halaman belakang.
• Mid: Ibu tadi pagi menjemur seprai di halaman belakang.
• End: Ibu menjemur seprai di halaman belakang tadi pagi.

Can I omit di before halaman belakang?

No. You need the preposition di to mark location: di halaman belakang.

What is jemuran?

It can mean the drying rack/clothesline or the items being dried. Example: Ibu menjemur seprai di jemuran = Mom is drying the sheets on the drying rack/clothesline.

How would I be more specific, like “in the backyard of the house”?

Say di halaman belakang rumah (of the house) or di halaman belakang rumahnya (of his/her house).