Saya menunggu di bank pagi ini.

I am waiting at the bank this morning.

Breakdown of Saya menunggu di bank pagi ini.

• saya: I
• di: at
• menunggu: to wait
• pagi ini: this morning
• bank: the bank

Questions & Answers about Saya menunggu di bank pagi ini.

Why is it menunggu and not just tunggu here?

Indonesian verbs often have two forms:

• Root form: tunggu
• With prefix: menunggu

menunggu is the standard, neutral form used in full sentences with a subject:

• Saya menunggu di bank pagi ini.
  I waited / am waiting at the bank this morning.

The root tunggu is very common in:

• Imperatives: Tunggu! – Wait!
• Informal speech: Saya tunggu di bank, ya. – I’ll wait at the bank, ok.

So in your sentence, menunggu sounds more complete and slightly more formal/neutral. Using tunggu instead would be possible, but more casual and context‑dependent.

Could I say Saya tunggu di bank pagi ini instead?

Yes, you can, but it feels a bit different.

• Saya menunggu di bank pagi ini.
  Neutral, clear: I was/am waiting at the bank this morning.

• Saya tunggu di bank pagi ini.
  More casual, and often sounds like:

  • a promise / plan: I’ll wait at the bank this morning, or
  • shorthand where the context is already clear.

For a textbook‑style, unambiguous sentence, Saya menunggu... is usually the better choice.

Why is it di bank and not ke bank?

Because di marks location (where), while ke marks movement/destination (to where).

• di bank = at the bank (location)
• ke bank = to the bank (movement / going there)

Your sentence describes where the waiting happens, not the act of going there, so di bank is correct:

• Saya menunggu di bank pagi ini. – I waited / am waiting at the bank this morning.
• Saya pergi ke bank pagi ini. – I went to the bank this morning.

Can I say di pagi ini, like in this morning?

No. Indonesian does not use di before times of day in this way.

You say:

• pagi ini – this morning
• tadi pagi – earlier this morning
• besok pagi – tomorrow morning

So:

• Natural: Saya menunggu di bank pagi ini.
• Not natural: Saya menunggu di bank di pagi ini. ✗

Can I move pagi ini to the beginning, like Pagi ini saya menunggu di bank?

Yes, that is completely correct and very natural.

All of these are acceptable:

1. Saya menunggu di bank pagi ini.
2. Pagi ini saya menunggu di bank.

Nuance:

• Pagi ini saya menunggu di bank.
  Slightly more emphasis on this morning.
• Saya menunggu di bank pagi ini.
  Slightly more neutral; common in speech.

You would rarely say Saya pagi ini menunggu di bank unless you are contrasting with another time (e.g., Today, this morning I waited at the bank; in the afternoon I was at home).

Does pagi ini mean the same as tadi pagi?

They are close, but not identical:

• pagi ini
  Literally this morning (today’s morning). It can be:

  • current/ongoing (if it’s still morning) or
  • referring to earlier today.

• tadi pagi
  Earlier this morning – clearly in the past, already finished.

So:

• If you’re speaking during the morning:
  Saya menunggu di bank pagi ini. – natural.

• If it’s already afternoon/evening and you want to stress it was earlier:
  Saya menunggu di bank tadi pagi. – more precise for past.

How do I clearly say I am waiting (right now) at the bank this morning?

To make the ongoing action explicit, add sedang:

• Saya sedang menunggu di bank pagi ini.

sedang marks a progressive action, similar to English am/is/are …‑ing.

Without sedang, Saya menunggu di bank pagi ini can mean:

• I waited
• I am waiting
• I will wait

The time expression pagi ini and context tell you the tense, but sedang makes “right now” clearer.

Can I drop Saya and just say Menunggu di bank pagi ini?

Yes, subjects are often omitted in Indonesian when they are clear from context.

• Menunggu di bank pagi ini.
  Could mean I am waiting / was waiting at the bank this morning (or we, he/she, depending on context).

In writing or formal speech, using Saya is clearer. In casual conversation or messages, dropping Saya is common if everyone already knows who is being talked about.

Is Saya the only way to say I here? What about aku?

You can use both, but they differ in formality:

• Saya – polite, neutral, safe in almost all situations (formal and informal).
• Aku – more intimate/casual; used with friends, family, or people your age or younger.

So you could say:

• Saya menunggu di bank pagi ini. – neutral/polite.
• Aku menunggu di bank pagi ini. – casual/intimate.

Choose based on your relationship with the listener, not on grammar; both are correct grammatically.

How do you pronounce bank in Indonesian? Is it like English bank?

Very similar, but with Indonesian sound rules:

• b – like English b
• a – like a in father
• n – like English n
• k – a clear k at the end (not softened)

So it sounds roughly like bahngk, with a short, clear final k. It is understood as the same concept as the English bank (financial institution), not a bench.