Teman saya belajar di universitas itu.

My friend studies at that university.

Breakdown of Teman saya belajar di universitas itu.

• itu: that
• teman: the friend
• di: at
• belajar: to study
• universitas: the university

Questions & Answers about Teman saya belajar di universitas itu.

What does each word in Teman saya belajar di universitas itu mean, and what is the basic structure of the sentence?

Word by word:

• teman = friend
• saya = I / me / my
• teman saya = my friend (literally: friend I)
• belajar = to study / to learn
• di = at / in / on (location preposition)
• universitas = university
• itu = that

Structure (in order):

• Teman saya = subject (my friend)
• belajar = verb (studies)
• di universitas itu = prepositional phrase (at that university)

So the pattern is: [Possessed Noun] + [Verb] + [Preposition + Noun + Demonstrative].

Why is it teman saya and not saya teman for “my friend”?

In Indonesian, the possessor usually comes after the noun:

• teman saya = my friend (literally: friend I)
• rumah saya = my house
• buku saya = my book

Putting saya before the noun (saya teman) is incorrect for possession and sounds ungrammatical. There is another pattern using punya:

• saya punya teman = I have a friend

But that’s a different sentence structure (it literally means “I have a friend”, not “my friend studies…”).

So to say my X, the natural pattern is:

[noun] + saya = my [noun]

Is teman saya singular (“my friend”) or plural (“my friends”)?

By itself, teman saya is ambiguous: it can mean my friend (singular) or my friends (plural), depending on context.

To make it clearly singular:

• seorang teman saya = one friend of mine / a friend of mine

To make it clearly plural:

• teman-teman saya = my friends
• semua teman saya = all my friends
• para teman saya = my friends (more formal/literary)

In everyday speech, teman saya belajar di universitas itu will usually be understood as “my friend studies at that university” unless the context suggests multiple friends.

How do we know the tense? Could it also mean “my friend studied” or “my friend will study”?

Indonesian verbs do not change form for tense. The verb belajar stays the same for past, present, and future:

• Teman saya belajar di universitas itu.
  → my friend studies / is studying / studied / will study at that university

The exact time is understood from context or from extra words, e.g.:

• Teman saya sudah belajar di universitas itu. = my friend has already studied / already studied there
• Teman saya sedang belajar di universitas itu. = my friend is currently studying there
• Teman saya akan belajar di universitas itu. = my friend will study there

Without these time markers, the neutral default translation in many contexts is “my friend studies / is studying at that university.”

What is the difference between belajar and mempelajari? Could we say Teman saya mempelajari di universitas itu?

You cannot say Teman saya mempelajari di universitas itu; that’s ungrammatical because:

• belajar = to study / to learn (intransitive; no direct object required)
• mempelajari = to study something (transitive; must take a direct object)

Examples:

• Teman saya belajar di universitas itu.
  = My friend studies at that university.

• Teman saya mempelajari hukum di universitas itu.
  = My friend studies law at that university.

So:

• Use belajar to talk about studying in general or studying somewhere.
• Use mempelajari when you name what is being studied.

What does di mean here, and what is the difference between di and ke?

In belajar di universitas itu:

• di means at / in (location). It shows a static location.

Compare with:

• di = at / in / on (being at a place)
• ke = to (movement toward a place)

Examples:

• Teman saya belajar di universitas itu.
  = My friend studies at that university.

• Teman saya pergi ke universitas itu.
  = My friend goes to that university.

So di is for where something happens, ke is for where something is moving.

Why is it universitas itu and not itu universitas? How does itu work?

In Indonesian, demonstratives like itu (“that”) usually come after the noun:

• universitas itu = that university
• rumah itu = that house
• buku itu = that book

Putting itu before the noun (itu universitas) is either wrong or would sound like a different structure (“that is a university”), which would actually be:

• Itu universitas. = That is a university.

So in noun phrases, the normal pattern is:

[noun] + itu = that [noun]
[noun] + ini = this [noun]

What is the difference between ini and itu?

Basic idea:

• ini = this (near the speaker)
• itu = that (farther away or already known in context)

Examples:

• universitas ini = this university (the one we’re at or just pointed to)
• universitas itu = that university (the one over there / we both know about)

In a sentence:

• Teman saya belajar di universitas itu.
  → My friend studies at that university (one you both know or have mentioned).

Can we add sedang as in Teman saya sedang belajar di universitas itu? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can say:

• Teman saya sedang belajar di universitas itu.

sedang marks an ongoing action (similar to English “is/are … -ing”).

Difference:

• Teman saya belajar di universitas itu.
  = My friend studies at that university. (general fact; also usable for “is studying” from context)

• Teman saya sedang belajar di universitas itu.
  = My friend is currently studying at that university (emphasizes that it is happening now / in this period).

In many cases, Indonesian omits sedang and lets context show whether it is present progressive or a general habit.

Could we change the word order to Di universitas itu, teman saya belajar?

Yes, that is grammatically correct:

• Di universitas itu, teman saya belajar.

This version:

• Puts di universitas itu (at that university) at the front for emphasis on the location.
• Still means essentially the same thing, but sounds a bit more formal or written, or like you’re contrasting this place with another.

Neutral spoken Indonesian would usually keep the original order:

• Teman saya belajar di universitas itu.

Are there more casual or more formal ways to say teman saya?

Yes. Options include both different words for “friend” and different pronouns.

Different words for “friend”:

• teman = friend (neutral, very common)
• kawan = friend (slightly old-fashioned / regional / sometimes formal)
• sahabat = close friend / best friend (stronger emotional bond)

Different possessive forms (more casual/formal):

• teman saya = my friend (neutral, safe everywhere)
• teman aku = my friend (more casual, used in informal speech, especially by younger people)
• teman saya vs teman aku is like “my friend” with a slightly more formal vs casual pronoun.

So you might hear:

• Teman aku belajar di universitas itu. (casual)
• Sahabat saya belajar di universitas itu. (my close friend studies at that university.)

Could we replace Teman saya with Dia? For example: Dia belajar di universitas itu?

Yes. Once the person has been introduced, you can refer to them with a pronoun:

• Teman saya belajar di universitas itu.
  = My friend studies at that university.

Later you can say:

• Dia belajar di universitas itu.
  = He/She studies at that university.

Notes:

• dia = he / she (Indonesian does not mark gender here).
• You might also omit the subject entirely if context is very clear, but dropping the subject is more restricted and context-dependent. With no context, Belajar di universitas itu sounds like a fragment (“[someone] studies at that university”).

How is universitas pronounced in Indonesian? Is it the same as English “university”?

universitas in Indonesian is pronounced roughly:

• u-ni-ver-si-tas
• Each vowel is clear and separate: u (like “oo” in “food”), i (like “ee” in “see”), e (like “e” in “bet” or a schwa depending on accent), a as in “father”.

Differences from English:

• Stress is usually near the end: u-ni-ver-SI-tas (regional variation exists).
• No reduction of vowels like in English “uniVERsity”; Indonesian vowels stay clearly pronounced.
• The t and s are clean and not softened.

So it’s similar in origin but pronounced in a more “spelled-out” way following Indonesian phonetics.