Breakdown of Mahasiswa belajar di perpustakaan malam ini.
Questions & Answers about Mahasiswa belajar di perpustakaan malam ini.
Mahasiswa specifically means a college/university student (tertiary education), not just any student.
- Elementary / middle / high school student: murid or pelajar
- University / college student: mahasiswa
It is:
- Gender‑neutral (can be male or female).
- Number‑neutral (can be a student or students, depending on context).
Indonesian normally does not mark singular vs plural on nouns, so mahasiswa can mean:
- a (university) student
- (the) university students
You can make it explicit:
- seorang mahasiswa = one / a university student
- para mahasiswa = (the) university students (emphasizes plural)
- banyak mahasiswa = many students
Without extra words, context decides whether you understand it as singular or plural.
Indonesian has no articles like the / a / an.
- mahasiswa can mean the student, a student, or just student(s).
- perpustakaan can mean the library, a library, or the library building in general.
Definiteness is understood from context. If it’s obvious which library (for example, the campus library), speakers just say perpustakaan without adding the.
Indonesian usually doesn’t use a separate verb like “to be” (is/are/am) before verbs.
The pattern here is:
- Mahasiswa = subject (student(s))
- belajar = verb (study)
- di perpustakaan = location phrase (at the library)
- malam ini = time phrase (tonight)
You do not say Mahasiswa adalah belajar…. The verb belajar already functions as the predicate; no extra is/are is needed.
The verb belajar itself is tenseless. It doesn’t change form for past / present / future. Time is usually shown by context or time words like malam ini.
Mahasiswa belajar di perpustakaan malam ini most naturally means:
- The student(s) will study in the library tonight (a plan / schedule) or
- The student(s) are studying in the library tonight (about tonight’s activity)
To make tense/aspect more explicit, you can add:
- sedang belajar = is/are in the middle of studying (right now, at this time)
- akan belajar = will study (future)
- tadi belajar = studied earlier
But in everyday Indonesian, context plus malam ini is usually enough.
Malam ini literally means this night, and in practice it covers both:
- this evening (after it becomes dark)
- tonight (the whole night period)
English often distinguishes evening vs night, but Indonesian generally doesn’t draw that line clearly. Malam ini is used for any part of tonight/this evening, unless you add extra detail (e.g. nanti sore for late afternoon).
Yes. Common options include:
Mahasiswa belajar di perpustakaan malam ini.
(neutral, very common: subject–verb–place–time)Malam ini mahasiswa belajar di perpustakaan.
(emphasis on tonight)Mahasiswa malam ini belajar di perpustakaan.
(possible, but sounds a bit less neutral and more “stylistic”)
Time expressions like malam ini, besok, kemarin can often appear at the beginning or the end of the sentence. Beginning = more emphasis on time.
Because the sentence describes where the studying happens, not movement toward the library.
- di perpustakaan = at/in the library (location)
- ke perpustakaan = to the library (direction / movement)
Examples:
- Mahasiswa belajar di perpustakaan. = The student(s) study in the library.
- Mahasiswa pergi ke perpustakaan. = The student(s) go to the library.
There are two different di:
Preposition di (always written separately)
- Shows location: di perpustakaan, di rumah, di Jakarta
- Meaning: in / at / on
Prefix di- (attached to verbs, no space)
- Marks passive voice: dibaca (is read), ditulis (is written), dimasak (is cooked)
In di perpustakaan, di is a preposition, so it must be written separately.
In this structure, it clearly means study in the library (location), not “study about the library”.
- belajar di perpustakaan = study at/in the library
- If you want study about the library, you’d say
belajar tentang perpustakaan (learn about the library)
The sentence is neutral and sounds natural in most contexts.
- mahasiswa is the normal word for university student in semi‑formal and formal settings (campus, official talk).
- The grammar is standard and not slangy.
In very casual speech, people might use other words for students (for example, anak kampus, anak kuliahan), but Mahasiswa belajar di perpustakaan malam ini is perfectly natural and appropriate in everyday and formal usage.
Yes, you can:
Mahasiswa belajar di perpustakaan malam ini.
→ Could be the student or the students (number not specified).Para mahasiswa belajar di perpustakaan malam ini.
→ Clearly the students (emphasizes a group, plural).
Para is only used with people and usually in slightly more formal or written style (announcements, news, etc.). In normal conversation, many speakers just say mahasiswa and let context show that it’s plural.
You can, but the meaning changes slightly:
- belajar = to study / learn (can include reading, doing exercises, reviewing notes)
- membaca = to read
So:
Mahasiswa belajar di perpustakaan malam ini.
= The student(s) study / will study in the library tonight.Mahasiswa membaca di perpustakaan malam ini.
= The student(s) read / will read in the library tonight.
(focus is specifically on reading, not necessarily “studying” in a broader sense)
Pronunciation (each syllable is clear; Indonesian vowels are short and pure):
mahasiswa → ma-ha-his-wa
- ma as in mama
- ha as in haha
- hi like English he
- swa like swa in swami (but without the m sound)
perpustakaan → per-pus-ta-ka-an
- per like purr (without strong r)
- pus like poos (short u as in put)
- ta as in taco (short a)
- ka as in karate (short a)
- an like un in under, but with a clearer n
Stress is usually slightly stronger on the second-to-last syllable:
ma-ha-HIS-wa, per-pus-TA-ka-an.