Breakdown of Saya membaca buku saat menunggu kereta.
Questions & Answers about Saya membaca buku saat menunggu kereta.
In this sentence, saat means “when” or “while”, introducing a time clause:
- saat menunggu kereta = when/while (I was) waiting for the train
You can usually replace saat with ketika or waktu without changing the basic meaning:
- Saya membaca buku ketika menunggu kereta.
- Saya membaca buku waktu menunggu kereta.
Nuances (not strict rules):
- saat – a bit more neutral/formal, common in written and spoken Indonesian.
- ketika – also neutral; often in writing and storytelling.
- waktu – slightly more conversational.
All three are very common and interchangeable in everyday use here.
The root verb is tunggu (to wait). When you add the meN- prefix, you get an active verb:
- tunggu → menunggu = to wait (for)
In standard Indonesian, you normally use the meN- form for active verbs in sentences with a subject:
- Saya menunggu kereta. – I am waiting for the train.
Plain tunggu can appear in:
- Imperatives: Tunggu! – Wait!
- Some fixed expressions
- Very informal speech (but learners should stick to menunggu in normal sentences).
So menunggu is the correct standard form here.
The subject saya is understood to be the same for both actions:
- Saya membaca buku (I read a book)
- (Saya) menunggu kereta (I wait for the train)
Indonesian often drops the subject in the second clause if it’s the same as in the first clause. So:
- Saya membaca buku saat menunggu kereta.
= I read a book while (I was) waiting for the train.
If you want to be extra explicit, you can say:
- Saya membaca buku saat saya menunggu kereta.
Both are correct; the original is more natural and fluent.
Yes. Both of these are correct:
- Saya membaca buku saat menunggu kereta.
- Saat menunggu kereta, saya membaca buku.
The meaning is the same. Putting the time clause first (2) is common and sounds natural. A comma after the first clause is normal in writing but not required in speech.
Indonesian verbs do not change form for tense.
Saya membaca buku saat menunggu kereta can mean:
- I read a book while waiting for the train.
- I was reading a book while waiting for the train.
- I am reading a book while waiting for the train. (if spoken right now at the station)
Context usually tells you which tense fits. If you want to be clearer, you can add time markers:
- Tadi saya membaca buku saat menunggu kereta.
– Earlier I was reading a book while waiting for the train. - Sekarang saya sedang membaca buku saat menunggu kereta.
– Right now I am reading a book while waiting for the train.
In Indonesian, menunggu already includes the idea of “waiting for something”:
- menunggu kereta = wait for the train
- menunggu kamu = wait for you
You do not add untuk here.
menunggu untuk kereta sounds wrong in this context.
So the pattern is:
- menunggu + object (no extra preposition)
- Saya menunggu bus. – I’m waiting for the bus.
Indonesian has no articles like a or the, and often no explicit plural mark either. So:
- Saya membaca buku could mean:
- I read a book
- I read the book
- I read books (in a general sense)
Context decides. If you want to emphasize one specific book, you can say:
- Saya membaca sebuah buku saat menunggu kereta.
– I read a book (one book) while waiting for the train.
But buku without a classifier is completely natural and very common.
Plural is often unmarked in Indonesian. buku can be singular or plural.
If you really want to stress that it’s plural, you can say:
- Saya membaca buku-buku saat menunggu kereta.
– I read books (several books) while waiting for the train.
Reduplication (repeating the noun) is one way to indicate plurality. But most of the time, context is enough, and people just say buku.
Literally, kereta can mean “carriage, cart, wagon”.
In modern Indonesian, especially in everyday speech, kereta usually refers to “train”, short for kereta api (train; lit. “fire carriage”).
- Saya menunggu kereta. – In a station context, this is understood as I’m waiting for the train.
- kereta api – a bit more explicit/formal, also used in official contexts.
So in this sentence, kereta is perfectly natural and is understood as “train” in the right context.
You can say:
- Saya membaca buku sambil menunggu kereta.
Both are correct but slightly different:
- saat – literally “when/at the time (of)”. It just sets the time frame:
- At the time I was waiting, I read a book.
- sambil – means “while (doing X), (also doing Y)” and emphasizes two actions happening at the same time, usually with the same subject.
In your sentence, sambil actually sounds more natural to many speakers because reading is something you do while waiting:
- Saya membaca buku sambil menunggu kereta.
– I read a book while waiting for the train. (doing two things concurrently)
saat is still correct; it just doesn’t highlight the simultaneity as strongly as sambil.
Yes, you can say:
- Aku membaca buku saat menunggu kereta.
The main difference:
- saya – more formal, polite, neutral; safe in most situations (with strangers, older people, formal contexts).
- aku – informal, used with friends, family, or in casual contexts; common in song lyrics, social media, etc.
Grammatically both work the same; it’s about formality and relationship, not tense or person.
The root verb is baca (to read). With the meN- prefix:
- baca → membaca = to read (actively)
membaca covers what English expresses with read / am reading / was reading / will read, depending on context. Indonesian doesn’t use an -ing form like English.
Examples:
- Saya membaca buku. – I read a book / I am reading a book.
- Dia sedang membaca. – He/She is reading (right now).
- Here sedang adds the “in progress” meaning.
You can drop buku if the object is understood from context:
- Apa yang kamu lakukan tadi di stasiun?
What were you doing at the station earlier? - Saya membaca saat menunggu kereta.
I was reading while waiting for the train.
However, in your standalone sentence, buku makes it clear what you are reading. Without buku, the sentence is still correct, but more general: I was reading (something).