Kami tiba kira-kira setengah delapan di perpustakaan.

We arrive at about half past seven at the library.

Breakdown of Kami tiba kira-kira setengah delapan di perpustakaan.

• di: at
• kami: we
• tiba: to arrive
• perpustakaan: the library
• setengah delapan: half past seven
• kira-kira: about

Questions & Answers about Kami tiba kira-kira setengah delapan di perpustakaan.

Does setengah delapan mean 7:30 or 8:30?

It means 7:30. In Indonesian, setengah + next hour = half past the previous hour. So:

• setengah delapan = 7:30
• setengah sembilan = 8:30

Do I need to say jam or pukul before the time?

It’s optional, but common. Both are correct:

• More formal/neutral: pukul setengah delapan
• Everyday: jam setengah delapan Omitting them (as in the sentence) is also fine in casual speech.

How do I say whether it’s morning or evening?

Add a time-of-day word after the time:

• pagi (morning), siang (midday/early afternoon), sore (late afternoon/early evening), malam (night). Examples: setengah delapan pagi (7:30 a.m.), setengah delapan malam (7:30 p.m.).

What’s the difference between kami and kita?

Both mean “we,” but:

• kami excludes the listener (we = me + others, not you).
• kita includes the listener (we = you + me + others). The sentence uses kami, so it’s excluding the person being spoken to.

Where’s the past tense? Why is tiba not marked?

Indonesian verbs don’t change for tense. tiba can be past, present, or future; the time phrase and context tell you which. You can add markers:

• Past/completed: sudah, tadi, baru saja (e.g., Kami sudah tiba…)
• Future: akan, nanti (e.g., Kami akan tiba…)

Is tiba the same as datang or sampai?

They overlap but have nuances:

• tiba = arrive (more formal/neutral, used for scheduled arrivals). Collocation: tiba di.
• datang = come/arrive (general). Collocation: datang ke.
• sampai = reach/arrive (very common). Collocation: sampai di (or just sampai
  • place). So you can say: tiba di perpustakaan, datang ke perpustakaan, or sampai di perpustakaan.

Why is it di perpustakaan and not ke perpustakaan?

di marks location (“at/in”), while ke marks movement “to.” With arrival verbs you typically use location:

• tiba di perpustakaan / sampai di perpustakaan But with a motion verb you use ke:
• pergi ke perpustakaan / datang ke perpustakaan

What does kira-kira add, and are there alternatives?

kira-kira means “about/approximately.” Synonyms: sekitar, kurang lebih. Placement: put it before the time phrase, e.g., kira-kira (pukul) setengah delapan or sekitar setengah delapan. Don’t put it before the place to mean “about”: kira-kira di perpustakaan would mean “roughly at the library (location uncertainty),” which isn’t intended here.

Can I move the time or place around?

Yes. All are natural:

• Kami tiba kira-kira setengah delapan di perpustakaan.
• Kami tiba di perpustakaan kira-kira setengah delapan.
• Kira-kira setengah delapan, kami tiba di perpustakaan. Indonesian allows flexible placement of time/place phrases for emphasis or flow.

Why is there no “the” or “a” before perpustakaan?

Indonesian has no articles. perpustakaan can be “a library” or “the library,” depending on context. If you need to be specific:

• perpustakaan itu = that/the library (specific)
• sebuah perpustakaan = a library (one library)

How do I say “exactly 7:30” or rephrase “around 7:30”?

• Exactly: tepat pukul setengah delapan or pukul tujuh lewat tiga puluh (tepat).
• Around: sekitar/kira-kira pukul setengah delapan or sekitar jam tujuh tiga puluh.

How do I say times like quarter past/to without using setengah?

Use lewat (past) and kurang (to):

• 7:15: jam tujuh lewat lima belas / jam tujuh lima belas (you may also hear jam tujuh seperempat)
• 7:45: jam delapan kurang lima belas (also jam delapan kurang seperempat)
• 8:30: setengah sembilan or jam delapan lewat tiga puluh

If I’m worried people will mishear setengah delapan, is there a safer way to say 7:30?

Yes. Use a “digital” style:

• jam tujuh tiga puluh
• jam tujuh lewat tiga puluh These avoid the “half to the next hour” pattern that confuses some learners.

Any pronunciation tips for setengah and perpustakaan?

• setengah: the ng is a single nasal sound (as in “sing”); final -h is lightly aspirated; the first e is a schwa (like the a in “about”).
• perpustakaan: break it as per-pus-ta-ka-an; each vowel is pronounced; stress is fairly even.

Why is there a space in di perpustakaan? I’ve seen di- attached to words elsewhere.

Here di is a preposition (“at/in”), so it’s written separately: di perpustakaan. When di- is a passive prefix on verbs, it’s attached (e.g., ditulis “written”). Never attach di- to a noun for location.