Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Di kandang gajah, guru kami berbisik, “Jangan terlalu dekat, ya.” - At the elephant enclosure, our teacher whispered, “Don’t get too close, okay.”

So di kandang gajah is at the elephant enclosure in natural English. Indonesian just uses di + place for “at/in (a place)” without needing extra words.

Why doesn’t Indonesian say the in kandang gajah? How do I know it’s “the elephant enclosure” and not “an elephant enclosure”?

Indonesian has no articles like a/an or the. A phrase like:

kandang gajah = elephant enclosure / an elephant enclosure / the elephant enclosure

The “a/the” meaning is understood from context:

In a zoo context, there is usually one specific elephant enclosure, so English naturally uses the elephant enclosure.
If you really need to emphasize that it’s a specific one, you can add itu:
- di kandang gajah itu = at that elephant enclosure / at the elephant enclosure (the specific one already known in context).

What exactly does kandang gajah mean? Is it “elephant cage” or “cage of elephant”?

kandang gajah is a noun–noun phrase:

kandang = cage / pen / enclosure (a place where animals are kept)
gajah = elephant

Putting them together:

kandang gajah = elephant’s cage / elephant cage / elephant enclosure.

In Indonesian, the second noun often describes or “belongs to” the first noun. We don’t need of like in English. So it’s simpler:

kandang ayam = chicken coop
kandang kambing = goat pen
kandang gajah = elephant enclosure

Why is it guru kami and not kami guru for “our teacher”?

In Indonesian, possession is usually noun + pronoun, not the other way around.

guru kami = our teacher
- guru = teacher
- kami = we/us (excluding the listener) → our

If you say kami guru, it means something else:

kami guru ≈ we are teachers (subject + predicate), not “our teacher”.

So:

rumah saya = my house
teman kita = our friend (including the listener)
guru kami = our teacher (not including the listener)

What’s the difference between kami and kita in guru kami?

Both mean we/us/our, but:

kami = we / our (NOT including the person you’re talking to).
kita = we / our (INCLUDING the person you’re talking to).

So:

guru kami = our teacher, but not yours (talking to someone outside the group of students).
guru kita = our teacher, including the listener.

In a class, students talking among themselves about their own teacher usually say guru kita.
In a narrative, when talking to the reader (who is not a student in that class), guru kami is natural: our teacher (not including you, reader).

What does berbisik mean? Is it related to some base word?

Berbisik means to whisper.

Base word (root): bisik = whisper (the idea of whispering)
Prefix ber- often makes an intransitive verb: “to do/have that thing”.

So:

berbisik = to whisper (to be in the state of whispering)
- guru kami berbisik = our teacher whispered / our teacher is whispering.

There’s also another related verb:

membisikkan
- object = to whisper something (to someone)
  - Dia membisikkan rahasia kepadaku. = He/she whispered a secret to me.

In this sentence, we just say berbisik because the focus is on the action of whispering itself, not on the exact words.

Why does the sentence use Jangan, not tidak, to say Don’t?

In Indonesian:

jangan = don’t / do not for commands and prohibitions (imperatives).
tidak = not / no for statements (negating verbs and adjectives).

So:

Jangan terlalu dekat. = Don’t get too close. (a command)
Dia tidak dekat. = He/She is not close. (a statement)

Whenever you tell someone not to do something (Don’t X, Please don’t Y), you use jangan, not tidak.

What nuance does terlalu add in Jangan terlalu dekat?

Terlalu means too / overly / excessively.

dekat = near / close
terlalu dekat = too close (closer than is safe or appropriate)

Compare:

Jangan dekat. = Don’t be close / Don’t come near. (no degree; just “don’t be near at all”)
Jangan terlalu dekat. = Don’t be too close. (some closeness is okay, but not that close)

Other degree words for comparison:

sangat dekat = very close
begitu dekat = so close
lebih dekat = closer

But terlalu dekat suggests excess, often implying danger or a problem.

What is the function of ya at the end of Jangan terlalu dekat, ya? Is it like a question?

Sentence-final ya here is a softening particle, not a direct question word.

Nuances of ya in this position:

Softens the command, making it sound friendlier and less harsh.
Adds a sense of checking / seeking agreement: okay? / alright? / yeah?
Shows the speaker’s friendly, caring attitude, especially from a teacher to students.

So:

Jangan terlalu dekat. = Don’t get too close. (more direct, can sound stricter)
Jangan terlalu dekat, ya. = Don’t get too close, okay? / alright? (gentler, more conversational)

It doesn’t always expect a literal “yes” answer; it’s more of a tone marker.

Why is there no word for you in Jangan terlalu dekat, ya? Where is the subject?

In Indonesian, imperatives (commands) often omit the subject pronoun. The “you” is understood from context.

Jangan terlalu dekat, ya.
Literally: “Don’t too close, okay?”
Implied subject: you (plural) → the students.

If you want to make it explicit, you can say:

Kalian jangan terlalu dekat, ya. = You (all) don’t get too close, okay.
Kamu jangan terlalu dekat, ya. = You (singular) don’t get too close, okay.

But usually, in commands, dropping kamu/kalian is natural and normal.

What’s the difference between dekat and mendekat? Could we say Jangan mendekat instead?

Yes, but they’re slightly different:

dekat = close / near (adjective/adverb)
- Jangan terlalu dekat. ≈ Don’t be too close / Don’t stand too close.
mendekat = to approach, to come closer (verb, from dekat with prefix meN-)
- Jangan mendekat. ≈ Don’t come closer / Don’t approach.

In this sentence:

Jangan terlalu dekat, ya. focuses on your position/distance: don’t stand or be too close.
Jangan mendekat. focuses on your movement: don’t move towards the elephants.

Both are possible, but the original sentence emphasizes safe distance rather than the act of moving.