Saya mencari informasi di internet.

I look for information on the internet.

Breakdown of Saya mencari informasi di internet.

• saya: I
• di: on
• internet: the internet
• mencari: to look for

Questions & Answers about Saya mencari informasi di internet.

Why is there no word for “for” in “mencari informasi”, even though English says “look for information”?

In Indonesian, the verb mencari already includes the idea of “looking for” something.

• mencari informasi = to look for information / to search for information
  You don’t say ✗ mencari untuk informasi; adding untuk here is ungrammatical. The object of the search (what you’re looking for) just comes directly after mencari.

What is the base form of mencari, and what does the prefix meN- do?

The base verb is cari (to look for, to search).
The prefix meN- makes it into an active verb: mencari. Roughly:

• cari – root, often used in casual speech
• mencari – standard/neutral active form
  So:
• Saya mencari informasi – standard, neutral
• Saya cari informasi – more casual, common in everyday conversation

Can I say “Saya cari informasi di internet” instead of “Saya mencari …”?

Yes. Saya cari informasi di internet is very natural in spoken Indonesian and informal writing (chats, texts).
Difference in feel:

• Saya mencari informasi di internet. – neutral, a bit more complete/formal.