Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Dia menunjukkan peta iklim global dan grafik sederhana untuk kami. - He/She shows a global climate map and a simple graph for us.

We don’t know from the word itself. Dia is a third‑person singular pronoun that can mean he, she, or even they (singular) depending on context.

Indonesian pronouns are not marked for gender. To know whether dia is he or she, you must rely on context (who you were just talking about) or add extra words like a name or a description, for example:

Dia (perempuan) menunjukkan peta… – she (female) showed the map…
Dia, Pak Budi, menunjukkan peta… – he, Mr. Budi, showed the map…

What tense is menunjukkan? Does this sentence mean showed or shows?

Indonesian verbs do not change form for tense. Menunjukkan by itself does not say whether the action is past, present, or future.

The sentence Dia menunjukkan peta iklim global dan grafik sederhana untuk kami. can mean:

He/She shows a global climate map and a simple graph to us.
He/She is showing a global climate map and a simple graph to us.
He/She showed a global climate map and a simple graph to us.

The exact tense is understood from context or from time expressions such as tadi (earlier), kemarin (yesterday), sekarang (now), besok (tomorrow), and so on.

What is the difference between menunjukkan and menunjuk?

Both come from the root tunjuk (to point).

Menunjuk = to point (with a finger, a stick, etc.)
- Dia menunjuk peta. – He/She points at the map.
Menunjukkan = to show, to demonstrate, to present (something to someone)
- Dia menunjukkan peta. – He/She shows the map.

The suffix -kan often makes the verb mean “to cause something to be done / experienced by someone else.” So menunjukkan is more about showing something to someone, not just physically pointing.

Why is it peta iklim global and not something like peta global iklim?

Indonesian noun and adjective order is different from English:

The main noun comes first.
Describing nouns or adjectives come after it.

In peta iklim global:

peta = map (main noun)
iklim = climate (a noun describing what kind of map)
global = global (an adjective describing iklim)

So the structure is: peta [iklim global] = a map of the global climate.

If you rearrange it to peta global iklim, it sounds unnatural and confusing to native speakers. The usual pattern is:

peta jalan – road map / map of roads
peta dunia – world map
peta iklim global – map of the global climate

Are peta iklim global and grafik sederhana both objects of menunjukkan?

Yes. They form a compound direct object joined by dan (and):

Dia menunjukkan [peta iklim global] dan [grafik sederhana] untuk kami.

So menunjukkan applies to both:

He/She showed a global climate map
and (He/She showed) a simple graph

…to us.

What does sederhana add to the meaning of grafik?

Grafik means graph or chart.
Sederhana literally means simple, plain, or modest.

So grafik sederhana is:

a simple graph (not complicated, easy to understand)
possibly with few variables or a basic layout

The adjective sederhana comes after the noun it describes:

grafik sederhana – a simple graph
rumah sederhana – a simple/modest house
makanan sederhana – simple food, nothing fancy

Why is it untuk kami and not kepada kami? Are both possible?

Both untuk kami and kepada kami can appear with menunjukkan, but they have slightly different nuances:

untuk kami = for us (for our benefit, for our sake)
- Focus on the idea that the action is done for our benefit.
kepada kami = to us
- Focus on us as recipients of the action.

So:

Dia menunjukkan peta itu untuk kami.
He/She showed the map for us (e.g., to help us understand).
Dia menunjukkan peta itu kepada kami.
He/She showed the map to us (we are the audience/recipients).

In many everyday contexts, both will be understood as showed us.
If you want the most direct “show X to Y” pattern, menunjukkan … kepada … is very standard.

Could I say Dia menunjukkan kami peta iklim global to mean He showed us a global climate map?

No. That structure is not natural in Indonesian.

In English, you can say:

He showed us the map.
(verb + indirect object us
- direct object the map)

In Indonesian, you usually need:

verb + direct object + kepada/untuk
- indirect object

So the natural patterns are:

Dia menunjukkan peta iklim global kepada kami.
Dia menunjukkan peta iklim global untuk kami.

You cannot put kami directly after menunjukkan in this sentence to mean us the way English does.

What is the difference between kami and kita here?

Both kami and kita mean we/us, but:

kami = we/us excluding the person being spoken to
kita = we/us including the person being spoken to

In untuk kami, the speaker is talking to someone who is not part of that group.

Guru itu menunjukkan peta itu untuk kami.
The teacher showed the map for us (and you, listener, were not part of that group).

If the listener was also included in the group that saw the map, you would normally say:

Guru itu menunjukkan peta itu untuk kita.
The teacher showed the map for us (you and I included).

Why is there no word for the or a in peta iklim global and grafik sederhana?

Indonesian does not use articles like English the, a, or an.
Nouns are neutral by default; context tells you whether they are definite or indefinite, singular or plural.

So peta iklim global can be:

a global climate map
the global climate map

Likewise grafik sederhana can be:

a simple graph
the simple graph

You choose a vs the in English based on the context, not because of anything in the Indonesian sentence.

Can dia or kami be omitted in Indonesian?

Yes, Indonesian often drops pronouns when they are clear from context.

If the subject is obvious, you can omit dia:
- (Dia) menunjukkan peta iklim global dan grafik sederhana untuk kami.
If it is clear who the action is for, you can omit kami:
- Dia menunjukkan peta iklim global dan grafik sederhana (untuk kami).

However, in isolation (with no context), the full sentence with pronouns is clearer for learners, which is why they are included.

Is menunjukkan always used with a preposition like untuk or kepada?

No. Menunjukkan does not always require a preposition phrase.

You can use it:

With only a direct object:
- Dia menunjukkan peta itu. – He/She showed the map.
With a direct object and an indirect object using kepada or untuk:
- Dia menunjukkan peta itu kepada kami.
- Dia menunjukkan grafik itu untuk siswa.

The preposition is needed only when you explicitly mention to/for whom the thing is shown.

Could I move untuk kami earlier in the sentence, like Dia menunjukkan untuk kami peta iklim global…?

You could move untuk kami, but not in that exact English-like order.

Natural options include:

Dia menunjukkan peta iklim global dan grafik sederhana untuk kami.
Dia menunjukkan peta iklim global dan grafik sederhana kepada kami.
Untuk kami, dia menunjukkan peta iklim global dan grafik sederhana. – For us, he/she showed… (more emphasis on for us, slightly more formal or rhetorical)

But Dia menunjukkan untuk kami peta iklim global… sounds unnatural.
In Indonesian, the direct object usually comes right after the verb; the prepositional phrase (untuk kami / kepada kami) usually comes after the object or at the very beginning for emphasis.

Is there a synonym for menunjukkan I could use in this sentence?

Yes, a common synonym is memperlihatkan (to show, to let someone see):

Dia memperlihatkan peta iklim global dan grafik sederhana untuk kami.

The overall meaning is very similar. Memperlihatkan can feel slightly more formal or descriptive, while menunjukkan is very common and neutral. In everyday speech, menunjukkan is often the default choice for “to show (something to someone).”