Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Kucing saya suka tidur dekat pintu luar rumah. - My cat likes to sleep near the outside door of the house.

Saya kucing would sound like “I am a cat,” and even for that you’d normally say saya adalah kucing or just saya kucing in context, but it does not mean “my cat.”

Does kucing saya mean “my cat” or “my cats”?

It can mean either “my cat” or “my cats,” depending on context.

Indonesian usually does not mark plural with an ending like English -s. So:

kucing saya
- could be “my cat” (one)
- or “my cats” (more than one)

If you really need to emphasize plural, you can say:

kucing-kucing saya = my cats (clearly plural)
semua kucing saya = all my cats

But in casual speech, kucing saya is often enough; people understand from the situation.

Why isn’t there a word for “the” or “a” in this sentence?

Indonesian doesn’t use articles like “the” or “a/an”.

kucing saya can be “my cat” (specific)
pintu luar rumah can be “the outside door of the house” or “an outside door of the house,” depending on context.

Specificity is usually clear from context, or can be marked with extra words like:

itu = that / the (specific, known)
- kucing saya itu suka tidur… = that cat of mine / my (known) cat likes to sleep…

Why do we use suka tidur and not something like suka untuk tidur?

In Indonesian, when you say you “like doing” something, you usually use:

suka + [verb]

So:

suka tidur = like to sleep / like sleeping
suka makan = like to eat / like eating
suka membaca = like reading

You can say suka untuk tidur, but it sounds less natural in everyday speech and is usually unnecessary. The simple pattern suka + verb is the most common and natural here:

Kucing saya suka tidur… = My cat likes to sleep…

Is tidur a verb or a noun here?

In this sentence, tidur functions as a verb:

suka tidur = likes to sleep

But Indonesian words are flexible: tidur can also be a noun in other contexts:

Saya perlu tidur. = I need sleep. (here tidur = “sleep” as a thing)
Jam tidur saya kurang. = My sleeping hours are not enough.

Here, because it follows suka and describes an action, it’s best understood as a verb.

Why is it dekat pintu and not di dekat pintu?

Both are grammatically correct, but there’s a nuance:

dekat pintu = (is) near the door
di dekat pintu = at a place near the door

In practice:

After a verb of activity like tidur, you commonly see:
- tidur dekat pintu
- tidur di dekat pintu

Both are natural. Di dekat is a bit more explicitly “at a location near…”, while dekat alone is slightly shorter and more casual. Many native speakers use them interchangeably here:

Kucing saya suka tidur dekat pintu luar rumah.
Kucing saya suka tidur di dekat pintu luar rumah.
Both sound fine.

Could the word order be Kucing saya tidur suka dekat pintu… or something similar?

No. Indonesian word order here is fairly fixed:

[subject] + [modal/attitude verb] + [main verb] + [location]

So:

Kucing saya (subject)
suka (likes)
tidur (to sleep)
dekat pintu luar rumah (near the outside door of the house)

Changing the order to tidur suka, suka dekat tidur, etc., would be ungrammatical or sound very wrong. Keep suka before the main verb tidur:

✅ Kucing saya suka tidur dekat pintu luar rumah.
❌ Kucing saya tidur suka dekat pintu luar rumah.

What exactly does pintu luar rumah mean structurally?

Literally, it’s:

pintu = door
luar = outside / outer
rumah = house

So pintu luar rumah is:

[pintu] [luar rumah] = door (of the) outside (of the) house

In smoother English:
the outside door of the house / the door that leads to the outside of the house.

You could expand it more explicitly as:

pintu ke luar rumah = door to the outside of the house
pintu yang mengarah ke luar rumah = door that leads outside the house

But pintu luar rumah is a compact noun phrase that Indonesians will understand.

Is pintu luar rumah the most natural way to say “the door to outside”? Would pintu depan be better?

It depends what you mean.

pintu luar rumah:
Emphasizes the door associated with the outside of the house (a door that leads outside).
pintu depan:
Means “front door.” This is very common in daily speech.

If context is “the main door where you come in and out,” many speakers would naturally say:

Kucing saya suka tidur dekat pintu depan. = My cat likes to sleep near the front door.

So pintu luar rumah is understandable and grammatically fine, but in everyday conversation pintu depan is often more idiomatic if you mean the front door.

Why do we say luar rumah and not di luar rumah?

There’s a subtle difference:

luar rumah = the outside (part/area) of the house (used as a noun phrase: “the exterior”)
di luar rumah = outside the house (full prepositional phrase: “in a place outside the house”)

In pintu luar rumah, luar rumah is functioning like an adjective phrase modifying pintu:

pintu luar rumah ≈ “the house’s outside door” / “exterior door”

If you said:

pintu di luar rumah

that would suggest “a door that is physically located outside the house,” which is slightly different, and a bit awkward as a fixed description. The compact pintu luar rumah is more natural as a label for “outer door.”

Can I say kucing aku instead of kucing saya?

Yes, but the tone changes.

saya = polite, neutral, slightly formal; good for most situations
aku = informal, used with friends, family, people your age or younger

So:

Kucing saya suka tidur…
Neutral/polite, works in writing, talking to strangers, etc.
Kucing aku suka tidur…
Casual, “my cat” when talking to close friends or in relaxed conversation.

Grammar is the same; only the level of formality and intimacy changes.

How would I say “My cat likes to sleep outside the house,” not just near the door?

To focus on being outside rather than near the door, you can change the location phrase:

Kucing saya suka tidur di luar rumah.
= My cat likes to sleep outside the house.

Compare:

Kucing saya suka tidur dekat pintu luar rumah.
= My cat likes to sleep near the outside door of the house. (near the door)
Kucing saya suka tidur di luar rumah.
= My cat likes to sleep outside the house. (outside as an area)