Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Saya stres di kantor hari ini.

So stres functions like an adjective here, and you don’t need a linking verb.
Putting adalah here (Saya adalah stres) would be incorrect and unnatural.

Is stres here an adjective or a noun?

In this sentence, stres functions like an adjective, describing your state:

Saya stres ≈ I am stressed

But stres can also be a noun, meaning stress:

Saya banyak stres di kantor. = I have a lot of stress at the office.

So:

Saya stres → adjective (“I’m stressed”)
banyak stres → noun (“a lot of stress”)

Context tells you which role it’s playing.

Does stres mean exactly the same as English “stress”?

It’s a loanword from English and is very close in meaning, but usage is slightly different:

stres (as an adjective):
Saya stres. = I’m stressed.
stres (as a noun):
Stres di kantor tinggi. = Stress at the office is high.

Nuances:

It often refers to feeling mentally pressured or overwhelmed, like in English.
For deep emotional pressure or long-term psychological stress, Indonesians might also say tertekan, beban pikiran, etc.

In everyday speech, using stres for “stressed” is very common and natural.

Why is it di kantor? What does di mean here?

di is a preposition of place meaning roughly “at / in / on”, depending on context.

di kantor = at the office / in the office
di rumah = at home / in the house
di sekolah = at school

So Saya stres di kantor hari ini literally is:

Saya – I
stres – stressed
di kantor – at the office
hari ini – today

Note: di as a preposition is always separate from the noun: di kantor, not dikantor.

Does di kantor mean “at the office” or “in the office”? Which is correct?

Both are possible translations; Indonesian di doesn’t strictly distinguish between “in” and “at” the way English does.

di kantor could mean:
- at the office (location in general)
- in the office (physically inside)

Usually, context decides how you translate it. In most cases like this, “at the office” sounds more natural in English.

Why is there no word for “the” or “a” before kantor?

Indonesian does not use articles like English “a/an/the.”

kantor by itself can mean:
- an office
- the office
- (my) office (from context)

So:

di kantor → could be at the office / at an office
If you want to be explicit:
- di kantor saya = at my office
- di kantor itu = at that office

But in many real situations, just di kantor is enough and understood from context.

Can I change the word order, like Hari ini saya stres di kantor?

Yes, that’s fine and common.

These are all grammatical and natural:

Saya stres di kantor hari ini.
Hari ini saya stres di kantor.
Di kantor saya stres hari ini.

Differences:

Putting hari ini at the start (Hari ini...) emphasizes “today”.
Putting di kantor at the start (Di kantor...) emphasizes the place.

The meaning stays essentially the same; Indonesian word order is flexible, especially for time and place phrases.

How do I know if this means “I am stressed today” or “I was stressed today”?

Indonesian doesn’t mark tense with verb changes like English does. Saya stres di kantor hari ini can mean:

I am stressed at the office today (present)
I was stressed at the office today (earlier today, past)

Context and the conversation’s timing tell you whether it’s present or past.
If you want to be clearer:

Past (e.g. after work):
Tadi di kantor saya stres sekali.
= Earlier at the office I was really stressed.
Clearly present, right now:
Sekarang saya stres di kantor.
= Right now I’m stressed at the office.

Should I say Saya sedang stres to show it’s happening now?

You can, but you don’t have to.

Saya stres di kantor hari ini.
Already naturally implies a current or recent state.
Saya sedang stres di kantor hari ini.
Slightly emphasizes that it’s ongoing now (like English “I am currently stressed.”)

sedang is used to highlight a current, ongoing action or state, but in many casual contexts it’s omitted.

When should I use Saya vs Aku in a sentence like this?

Both mean “I.”

Saya – neutral to formal, polite; safe in most situations:
- workplace, speaking to strangers, speaking to older people
Aku – informal, more intimate:
- with close friends, family, people the same age in casual settings

So:

Saya stres di kantor hari ini. → neutral / slightly formal
Aku stres di kantor hari ini. → casual, to a close friend

Using Saya is usually the safest default unless you know the relationship is informal.

Could I say Saya merasa stres di kantor hari ini? Is that more correct?

Yes, Saya merasa stres di kantor hari ini is grammatically correct and means:

I feel stressed at the office today.

But it’s not more correct; it’s just a bit more explicit.

In everyday speech, Indonesians often omit merasa (“to feel”) and simply say:

Saya stres di kantor hari ini.

Use merasa when you want to emphasize the feeling aspect, or in a more careful/formal style. For ordinary conversation, Saya stres... is perfectly natural.

What’s the difference between stres, capek, and tertekan?

They describe different kinds of “not feeling good”:

stres – mentally stressed, under pressure, overwhelmed
- Saya stres di kantor. = I’m stressed at work.
capek / lelah – physically or mentally tired
- Saya capek setelah kerja. = I’m tired after work.
tertekan – oppressed / under heavy psychological pressure, often more serious or long-term
- Saya merasa tertekan di kantor. = I feel under a lot of pressure at the office.

So for normal work-related stress, stres is the most common word.

How do I say “at my office” or “at our office” instead of just “at the office”?

You add the possessive after the noun:

di kantor saya = at my office
di kantor kamu = at your office
di kantor kita = at our office (including the listener)
di kantor kami = at our office (excluding the listener)

Informal shortened forms:

di kantorku = at my office
di kantormu = at your office

Examples:

Saya stres di kantor saya hari ini.
= I’m stressed at my office today.

Is Saya stres di kantor hari ini formal, casual, or neutral?

It’s neutral, leaning slightly polite because of Saya.

The vocabulary is simple and common.
Saya is polite but not stiff.
You can use this with:
- colleagues
- your boss (if the general tone is informal enough)
- friends (though friends might switch Saya → Aku)

For extra casual speech with friends, you might hear:

Aku stres banget di kantor hari ini.
= I’m so stressed at the office today.