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Adik saya menggambar gitar klasik sambil mendengar lagu klasik di kamarnya.

Adik saya menggambar gitar klasik sambil mendengar lagu klasik di kamarnya.
My younger sibling draws a classical guitar while listening to classical songs in his/her room.
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Questions & Answers about Adik saya menggambar gitar klasik sambil mendengar lagu klasik di kamarnya.

What exactly does adik mean? Does it mean younger brother or younger sister?

Adik means younger sibling, without specifying gender. Context usually tells you whether it’s a younger brother or sister.

If you want to be explicit, you can say:

  • adik laki-laki = younger brother
  • adik perempuan = younger sister

On its own, adik just tells you the person is younger than the speaker (or than the person being referred to), not whether they are male or female.

Why is it adik saya and not saya adik? How do possessives work here?

In Indonesian, the usual pattern is:

[possessed noun] + [possessor]

So:

  • adik saya = my younger sibling
  • rumah saya = my house
  • buku dia = his/her book

Putting it the other way (saya adik) would sound wrong or mean something different (like you’re trying to say I am the younger sibling, which would normally be saya adik (nya) in some context, but even that needs more structure).

Alternatives that also mean my younger sibling:

  • adik saya (neutral, standard)
  • adikku (using the suffix -ku, more informal/intimate)
Does menggambar mean is drawing (continuous), or just draw? Why is there no word for is?

Indonesian verbs do not change form for tense or aspect (past / present / continuous).

menggambar simply means to draw / drawing. The idea of is drawing (ongoing action) is understood from context or can be marked with sedang:

  • Adik saya menggambar gitar klasik.
    → My younger sibling draws / is drawing a classical guitar.
  • Adik saya sedang menggambar gitar klasik.
    → Explicitly: My younger sibling is (currently) drawing a classical guitar.

In your sentence, the presence of sambil (while) already implies an ongoing action, so sedang is optional:

  • Adik saya (sedang) menggambar gitar klasik sambil mendengar lagu klasik di kamarnya.

No separate word like English is is needed in Indonesian for continuous actions.

What’s the difference between menggambar and just gambar as a verb?

Both can be used as a verb, but there are nuances:

  • menggambar

    • Standard, more complete verb form.
    • Common in neutral/formal speech and writing.
    • Example: Adik saya suka menggambar. (My younger sibling likes drawing.)

  • gambar (as a verb)

    • Often used in informal or colloquial speech.
    • Grammatically possible but feels more casual.
    • Example: Adik saya lagi gambar gitar. (My younger sibling is drawing a guitar.)

As a noun, gambar means picture / drawing:

  • Ini gambar karyanya. = This is their drawing.

In your sentence, menggambar is the most natural standard form.

Why is it gitar klasik and lagu klasik, with the adjective after the noun and not before it like in English?

In Indonesian, descriptive words (adjectives) usually come after the noun:

[noun] + [adjective]

So:

  • gitar klasik = classical guitar
  • lagu klasik = classical song
  • rumah besar = big house
  • buku baru = new book

Putting the adjective first, like klasik gitar, is ungrammatical in standard Indonesian.

What exactly does sambil mean? How is it different from sementara or ketika?

sambil means while (doing two actions at the same time), with the idea that the same subject is performing both actions.

Pattern:

[Subject] + [verb 1] + sambil + [verb 2]

In your sentence:

  • Adik saya menggambar … sambil mendengar …
    → My younger sibling is drawing … while (also) listening …
    → The same person is drawing and listening at the same time.

Differences:

  • sambil = while doing two actions simultaneously, same subject

    • Dia makan sambil menonton TV. (He eats while watching TV.)

  • sementara = while/whereas, often to contrast two different subjects or situations

    • Saya belajar, sementara adik saya bermain.
      (I am studying, while my younger sibling is playing.)

  • ketika = when (at the time that), more about time than simultaneity of two actions by one subject

    • Ketika saya pulang, dia sudah tidur.
      (When I got home, he/she was already asleep.)

So sambil is the best choice when one person is doing two things at once.

What’s the difference between mendengar and mendengarkan? Could the sentence use mendengarkan instead?

Both come from the root dengar (to hear).

  • mendengar

    • Basic verb: to hear / to listen to
    • Very common and natural in all contexts
    • Adik saya mendengar lagu klasik.

  • mendengarkan

    • Often implies a bit more intentional listening or paying attention
    • Also very common and generally interchangeable with mendengar when there's an object
    • Adik saya mendengarkan lagu klasik.

In your sentence, both are acceptable:

  • … sambil mendengar lagu klasik …
  • … sambil mendengarkan lagu klasik …

Everyday speech often prefers mendengar, but mendengarkan is also correct and natural.

Why is it lagu klasik and not musik klasik? What’s the difference?
  • lagu klasik = classical songs (individual pieces, typically with melody, often implying songs with structure)
  • musik klasik = classical music (the genre in general)

So:

  • mendengar lagu klasik
    → listening to classical songs (countable pieces)

  • mendengar musik klasik
    → listening to classical music (the style/genre overall)

Both are grammatically correct; the choice depends on what you want to emphasize. If the idea is “he/she listens to classical music” in general, musik klasik might be more typical.

What does the -nya in kamarnya mean? Whose room is it?

-nya is a third-person possessive suffix meaning his / her / its / their, depending on context.

  • kamar = room
  • kamarnya = his/her room (or the room in some contexts)

In this sentence:

  • di kamarnya likely means in his/her room, referring back to adik saya (my younger sibling).

However, -nya can be ambiguous: it could refer to someone else mentioned earlier, or sometimes just make the noun more definite (the room). Context outside this single sentence would clarify exactly whose room is meant.

Could we say di kamar adik saya instead of di kamarnya? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can say either:

  1. di kamarnya

    • Literally: in his/her room
    • Shorter, more natural in conversation
    • Possessor is implicit from context.

  2. di kamar adik saya

    • Literally: in my younger sibling’s room
    • Possessor is stated explicitly.
    • Slightly more explicit and sometimes a bit more formal or careful.

Both are correct. If it’s already clear that -nya refers to adik saya, di kamarnya is completely natural.

Why is there no dia (he/she) in the sentence? Could we say Dia menggambar gitar klasik… instead?

Indonesian often drops pronouns when the subject is a noun phrase, as in:

  • Adik saya menggambar gitar klasik …
    (My younger sibling draws/is drawing …)

You normally don’t need an extra dia, because adik saya already functions as the subject.

You could say:

  • Dia menggambar gitar klasik sambil mendengar lagu klasik di kamarnya.
    → He/She is drawing a classical guitar while listening to classical songs in his/her room.

This is also correct, but here dia replaces adik saya as the subject. Saying Dia, adik saya, menggambar… is possible but sounds more like you’re adding extra clarification or emphasis.

Can we change the word order of di kamarnya? For example, put it earlier in the sentence?

Yes, Indonesian word order is quite flexible, but some orders sound more natural. All of these are grammatical, with slightly different emphasis:

  1. Adik saya menggambar gitar klasik sambil mendengar lagu klasik di kamarnya.

    • Most natural, neutral order. Location comes at the end.

  2. Adik saya di kamarnya menggambar gitar klasik sambil mendengar lagu klasik.

    • Emphasizes that it’s in his/her room that this is happening.

  3. Di kamarnya, adik saya menggambar gitar klasik sambil mendengar lagu klasik.

    • Fronts the location for emphasis or as a scene-setting introduction.

Option 1 is the most typical everyday sentence.

What is the difference between saya and aku in adik saya? Could I say adik aku?

Both mean I / me:

  • saya

    • More formal / polite / neutral
    • Safe in almost any situation (talking to strangers, elders, in writing).

  • aku

    • More informal / intimate
    • Used with friends, family, or in casual contexts.

So these both mean my younger sibling:

  • adik saya (neutral / polite)
  • adik aku (more informal / intimate)
  • adikku (informal, very common; -ku = my)

In a textbook-style or neutral sentence like yours, adik saya is the most standard choice.