Kami berdiskusi tentang kebebasan pers di perpustakaan.

We discuss freedom of the press in the library.

Breakdown of Kami berdiskusi tentang kebebasan pers di perpustakaan.

• di: in
• kami: we
• tentang: about
• perpustakaan: the library
• berdiskusi: to discuss
• kebebasan pers: freedom of the press

Questions & Answers about Kami berdiskusi tentang kebebasan pers di perpustakaan.

Why is kami used here instead of kita? What’s the difference between them?

Both kami and kita mean we, but:

• kami = we (excluding the person we’re talking to)
• kita = we (including the person we’re talking to)

In Kami berdiskusi…, the speaker is saying that they (the speaker and some others) discussed something, but the listener was not part of that group.
If the speaker wants to include the listener in the group that discussed, they would say:

• Kita berdiskusi tentang kebebasan pers di perpustakaan.
  We (including you) discussed freedom of the press at the library.

Can kami be left out? Could I just say Berdiskusi tentang kebebasan pers di perpustakaan?

Indonesian sometimes drops pronouns, but in this sentence it’s more natural to keep kami.

• Kami berdiskusi tentang kebebasan pers di perpustakaan.
  → clear: we are the ones discussing.

If you just say:

• Berdiskusi tentang kebebasan pers di perpustakaan.

it sounds like a sentence fragment, as if something is missing (who is discussing?).
You can drop kami when the subject is obvious from context or from a previous sentence, but as a stand‑alone sentence, kami is better.

What is the difference between berdiskusi and diskusi? Why do we use berdiskusi here?

• diskusi is basically a noun: discussion.
• berdiskusi is a verb: to discuss / to have a discussion.

The prefix ber- often turns nouns into intransitive verbs meaning to do that activity:

• diskusi → berdiskusi (to have a discussion)
• lari (a run) → berlari (to run)

So:

• Kami berdiskusi… = We discussed / We had a discussion…

You can hear people say:

• Kami diskusi tentang kebebasan pers…

in informal speech, using diskusi like a verb, but Kami berdiskusi… is more standard/neutral.

What’s the difference between Kami berdiskusi tentang kebebasan pers and Kami mendiskusikan kebebasan pers?

Both can mean We discussed freedom of the press, but the structure is different:

1. Kami berdiskusi tentang kebebasan pers.

   • berdiskusi is intransitive: to have a discussion
   • tentang kebebasan pers is a prepositional phrase (about freedom of the press).

2. Kami mendiskusikan kebebasan pers.

   • mendiskusikan is a transitive verb: to discuss (something)
   • kebebasan pers is the direct object of the verb.

Nuance:

• Kami berdiskusi tentang… feels slightly more descriptive, like talking about the activity itself.
• Kami mendiskusikan… focuses directly on the topic as the object of the action.

Both are correct and quite formal/neutral.

What does tentang mean here? Could I use mengenai or soal instead?

tentang means about / regarding. It introduces the topic of the discussion:

• berdiskusi tentang kebebasan pers
  → discuss about freedom of the press (natural: discuss freedom of the press).

You can often replace tentang with:

• mengenai (about, regarding) – more formal/neutral
• soal (about, regarding) – more informal/colloquial

Examples:

• Kami berdiskusi mengenai kebebasan pers di perpustakaan.
• Kami berdiskusi soal kebebasan pers di perpustakaan.

All are grammatically correct; tentang is a very common safe choice.

How is kebebasan pers formed, and what does it literally mean?

kebebasan pers = freedom of the press.

Morphology:

• bebas = free
• ke- … -an often forms abstract nouns:
  
  • bebas → kebebasan = freedom
  • adil (fair) → keadilan (justice, fairness)

So:

• kebebasan = freedom
• pers = the press (news media; borrowed from Dutch/English)

Put together:

• kebebasan pers = press freedom / freedom of the press, a fixed phrase in Indonesian.

What’s the difference between kebebasan pers and kebebasan media?

Both are understandable, but:

• kebebasan pers is the standard, set phrase for freedom of the press (especially in legal, political, and journalistic contexts).
• kebebasan media literally means freedom of the media and can sound broader (including TV, radio, online platforms), but it’s less conventional as a fixed term.

If you’re talking about the usual political concept freedom of the press, use kebebasan pers.

Does this sentence tell me the tense? Is it we discussed, we are discussing, or we will discuss?

Indonesian verbs do not change form for tense. Kami berdiskusi… by itself is time‑neutral.

The exact time comes from context or from time words you add:

• Past:

  • Kemarin kami berdiskusi tentang kebebasan pers di perpustakaan.
    Yesterday we discussed…

• Present (ongoing):

  • Sekarang kami berdiskusi tentang kebebasan pers di perpustakaan.
    Now we are discussing…

• Future:

  • Besok kami akan berdiskusi tentang kebebasan pers di perpustakaan.
    Tomorrow we will discuss…

Without these markers, the sentence can be translated as past, present, or future, depending on the situation.

What is the role of di perpustakaan? Does it mean in or at the library?

di is a location preposition, usually translated as in, at, or sometimes on, depending on context.

• di perpustakaan = in/at the library

English forces you to choose in or at, but Indonesian doesn’t make that distinction here; di perpustakaan covers both.

Compare:

• di perpustakaan = in/at the library
• ke perpustakaan = to the library (movement towards)
• dari perpustakaan = from the library (movement away)

Can I change the word order to Di perpustakaan kami berdiskusi tentang kebebasan pers?

Yes. Indonesian word order is flexible for adverbial phrases like locations.

Both are correct:

1. Kami berdiskusi tentang kebebasan pers di perpustakaan.
2. Di perpustakaan kami berdiskusi tentang kebebasan pers.

The meaning is the same. The second version puts more emphasis on the place (the library), as if answering Where did you discuss it?

If I want to say We are currently discussing, where do I put sedang?

Use sedang before the verb to show an ongoing action:

• Kami sedang berdiskusi tentang kebebasan pers di perpustakaan.
  → We are (currently) discussing freedom of the press at the library.

sedang is optional but useful when you want to highlight that the action is in progress right now.

Is this sentence formal, informal, or neutral? How would it sound in more casual speech?

Kami berdiskusi tentang kebebasan pers di perpustakaan. is neutral to formal:

• Pronoun kami (not super casual like kita in some contexts)
• Verb berdiskusi (standard, not slang)
• Topic kebebasan pers (a serious/political term)

In casual speech, you might hear something like:

• Kita ngobrol soal kebebasan pers di perpustakaan.
  (We’re chatting about freedom of the press at the library. — including the listener)

or, excluding the listener but still casual:

• Kami ngobrol soal kebebasan pers di perpustakaan.

Here ngobrol (to chat) and soal (about) make it sound much more informal.