Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Di keluarga kami, semua orang saling menghargai. - In our family, everyone respects each other.

In “di keluarga kami”, it’s best understood as “in our family” or “within our family”—it marks the place or context where the action happens.

So:

di keluarga kami = in our family
keluarga kami alone = our family (as a noun phrase, without the “in”)

You need di to show that the sentence is talking about what happens within that group, not just describing the family itself.

Could I say “dalam keluarga kami” instead of “di keluarga kami”? What’s the difference?

You can say “dalam keluarga kami, semua orang saling menghargai.” It is grammatically correct.

Nuance:

di keluarga kami – very common and natural in everyday speech. “In our family.”
dalam keluarga kami – slightly more formal or “written-sounding.” Literally “inside our family.”

In this sentence, both mean essentially the same thing. Di is more neutral and frequent; dalam can feel a bit more “internal” or slightly more formal, but the difference is small here.

Why is it “keluarga kami” and not “keluarga kita”?

Both kami and kita mean “we / us”, but:

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

So:

keluarga kami = our family (not including you)
keluarga kita = our family (including you)

If the speaker is talking about their own family to someone who is not part of that family, “keluarga kami” is correct.

“Keluarga kita” would be used if the listener is also a member of that family (for example, between siblings talking about their family).

What exactly does “saling” mean in “saling menghargai”?

Saling means “each other / one another / mutually.” It shows that the action goes both ways (or among all members).

So:

menghargai = to appreciate / to respect
saling menghargai = to appreciate one another / to mutually respect each other

In this sentence:

semua orang saling menghargai
everyone respects each other.

Without saling, “semua orang menghargai” would just mean “everyone appreciates/respects (something or someone)” but not necessarily each other.

Can “saling” go after the verb, like “menghargai saling”?

No. Saling comes before the verb:

✅ saling menghargai
❌ menghargai saling

The typical pattern is:

saling + verb
- saling membantu – help each other
- saling mencintai – love each other
- saling menghargai – respect each other

What is the base word of “menghargai”, and what does the meN- … -i pattern do?

The base word is harga, which means “price / value.”

Menghargai is formed with the prefix meN- and the suffix -i:

harga → menghargai

The verb menghargai means:

to value
to appreciate
to respect (in the sense of valuing someone)

The meN- … -i pattern often means:

“to give X to something/someone” or
“to treat something/someone in a way related to X.”

So from harga (value/price), menghargai is “to give value” → to value / appreciate / respect.

What is the difference between “semua orang” and “setiap orang” here?

Both can translate as “everyone,” but there’s a nuance:

semua orang = all people / everyone (as a group)
setiap orang = each person / every person (emphasizes individuals one by one)

In this sentence:

semua orang saling menghargai – everyone (as a group) respects each other.
setiap orang saling menghargai – each person respects the others (slightly more emphasis on individuals, but can sound a bit less natural with saling).

“Semua orang saling menghargai” is the most natural and common phrasing here.

Why is “orang” (singular) used for “people”? Shouldn’t it be plural?

Indonesian generally does not change the noun form for plural. The plural meaning comes from:

context
words like semua (all), banyak (many), beberapa (some), etc.

So:

orang = person / people
dua orang = two people
semua orang = all people / everyone

You don’t need a special plural form like “orang-orang” here, because “semua” already makes it clear that it’s plural. Orang-orang can be used, but in this sentence it would sound heavy and less natural: “semua orang-orang” is usually avoided.

Could I change the word order to “Semua orang di keluarga kami saling menghargai”?

Yes, that is perfectly correct and very natural:

Di keluarga kami, semua orang saling menghargai.
Semua orang di keluarga kami saling menghargai.

Both mean the same thing. The difference is just emphasis:

Starting with “Di keluarga kami,” emphasizes the context (in our family).
Starting with “Semua orang…” emphasizes the people (everyone).

In everyday speech, both orders are commonly used.

Is the comma after “Di keluarga kami” necessary?

In Indonesian, commas are often used after an introductory phrase, but they are more flexible than in English.

Di keluarga kami, semua orang saling menghargai. – common in writing.
Di keluarga kami semua orang saling menghargai. – also acceptable, especially in informal writing.

The comma just makes the structure clearer and is usually recommended in more formal or careful writing.