Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Saya senang karena guru juga memuji imajinasi saya ketika saya menggambar galaksi. - I am happy because the teacher also praises my imagination when I draw a galaxy.

Saya senang karena guru juga memuji imajinasi saya ketika saya menggambar galaksi.

I am happy because the teacher also praises my imagination when I draw a galaxy.

Breakdown of Saya senang karena guru juga memuji imajinasi saya ketika saya menggambar galaksi.

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Questions & Answers about Saya senang karena guru juga memuji imajinasi saya ketika saya menggambar galaksi.

Why is saya used here, and could I use aku instead?

Both saya and aku mean I / me, but the tone is different.

saya = neutral / polite, safe in most situations (formal or semi-formal)
aku = informal / intimate, often with friends, family, or people your age

In a sentence about a guru (teacher), saya feels more polite and is the default choice for learners.

You could say:

Aku senang karena guru juga memuji imajinasi aku ketika aku menggambar galaksi.

…but most native speakers would find the repeated aku clunky and would probably change some to ku-forms, for example:

Aku senang karena guru juga memuji imajinasiku ketika aku menggambar galaksi.

For a learner, using saya everywhere in this sentence is natural, correct, and appropriately polite.

How do I know if this means “I am happy” or “I was happy”? There’s no tense marker.

Indonesian verbs do not change for tense. Context tells you whether it is present, past, or future.

Saya senang karena guru juga memuji imajinasi saya ketika saya menggambar galaksi.
can be understood as:

I was happy because the teacher also praised my imagination when I was drawing a galaxy. (most natural, because of the past event of drawing)
or, in the right context:
I am happy because the teacher also praises my imagination when I draw a galaxy.

To make the past time clearer, Indonesian often adds time words, for example:

Tadi saya senang karena guru juga memuji imajinasi saya…
Earlier I was happy because the teacher also praised my imagination…
Saya senang kemarin, karena guru…
I was happy yesterday, because the teacher…

But the basic sentence is already fine; the time is usually understood from context.

What’s the difference between saya senang and using words like bahagia, gembira, or suka?

These all relate to positive feelings but are used differently:

senang
- general “glad / happy / pleased”
- very common and flexible
- Saya senang karena guru juga memuji… = I am pleased / happy because…
bahagia
- deeper, more lasting happiness (often emotional or life happiness)
- Saya bahagia dengan keluarga saya. = I am happy with my family (in life).
gembira
- cheerful, joyful (often used in writing, announcements, or more formal contexts)
- Anak-anak sangat gembira.
suka
- means to like, not to be happy
- Saya suka menggambar galaksi. = I like drawing galaxies.
- Saya senang menggambar galaksi. can be similar in meaning, but emphasizes the feeling of pleasure more than a stable preference.

In your sentence, saya senang is the most natural way to say “I’m happy / pleased” because the teacher praised you.

What does karena do, and can I move the because-part to the beginning of the sentence?

karena means because and introduces a reason clause.

Your original sentence:

Saya senang karena guru juga memuji imajinasi saya ketika saya menggambar galaksi.
I am / was happy because the teacher also praised my imagination when I was drawing a galaxy.

You can absolutely put the karena-clause first:

Karena guru juga memuji imajinasi saya ketika saya menggambar galaksi, saya senang.
Because the teacher also praised my imagination when I was drawing a galaxy, I am / was happy.

Notes:

When the karena-clause comes first, a comma is normally used after it.
The meaning is the same; you are just changing the order for emphasis or style.

Why is it just guru and not the teacher or my teacher? How do I say my teacher?

Indonesian does not use articles like the / a / an, so guru by itself can often mean a teacher or the teacher, depending on context.

In your sentence:

guru is understood as the (relevant) teacher, probably one already known from context.

To say my teacher, you add the possessor after the noun:

guru saya = my teacher
guru kamu = your teacher
guru mereka = their teacher

So you could say:

Saya senang karena guru saya juga memuji imajinasi saya…
I am / was happy because my teacher also praised my imagination…

Where should juga go in the sentence, and what exactly does it modify?

juga means also / too. In your sentence:

guru juga memuji imajinasi saya
literally: the teacher also praised my imagination

Here, juga comes just before the verb memuji, so it modifies the action:

The teacher also praised my imagination.

You could move juga a little, but not everywhere sounds natural. Compare:

Guru juga memuji imajinasi saya.
Most natural: The teacher also praised my imagination.
Guru memuji juga imajinasi saya.
Feels a bit odd; could be taken as emphasizing that my imagination is also among the things praised, but this is not a typical placement.

As a general guide:

Put juga before the verb or phrase you want to mark as “also”:
- Saya juga senang. = I am also happy.
- Guru saya juga baik. = My teacher is also kind.

What is memuji exactly? Why does it have me- at the beginning?

memuji is a verb meaning to praise.

Root: puji (praise)
With meN- prefix: memuji (to praise, active voice)

The meN- prefix (here becoming mem-) usually turns a root into an active transitive verb (needs an object).

Structure in your sentence:

guru (subject)
memuji (verb)
imajinasi saya (object)

So: guru memuji imajinasi saya = the teacher praised my imagination.

Compare:

pujian = praise (noun, “a praise / compliment”)
- Guru memberi pujian. = The teacher gave a compliment.

Why does the sentence repeat saya so many times? Can I leave some out, like in English “when drawing a galaxy”?

Indonesian can omit repeated subjects when they are clear from context, just like English can.

Your sentence:

Saya senang karena guru juga memuji imajinasi saya ketika saya menggambar galaksi.

This is completely correct and very clear, but a bit repetitive.

More natural alternatives that many natives might use:

Saya senang karena guru juga memuji imajinasi saya ketika saya menggambar galaksi. (original, fully explicit)
Saya senang karena guru juga memuji imajinasi saya ketika menggambar galaksi.
(drops the second saya; subject “I” is understood)
Saya senang karena guru juga memuji imajinasi saya waktu saya menggambar galaksi. (using waktu instead of ketika)

For learners, keeping saya is safe and grammatical. As you get more comfortable, you can start omitting repeated subjects where the meaning stays clear.

What’s the difference between imajinasi saya and imajinasiku?

Both mean my imagination, but the style and tone differ.

imajinasi saya
- neutral / polite
- fits well with using saya as the subject
- common in everyday speech, especially in formal or mixed situations
imajinasiku
- uses the suffix -ku (my) attached to the noun
- feels more informal, literary, or expressive
- often appears in songs, poems, stories, or casual speech with aku

Matching styles:

Saya senang karena guru juga memuji imajinasi saya… (polite, consistent)
Aku senang karena guru juga memuji imajinasiku… (more personal / informal)

For a learner using saya, imajinasi saya is the best choice.

Why is it ketika saya menggambar galaksi? How is ketika different from saat, waktu, or pas?

All of these can mean something like when (in time), but they differ in tone:

ketika
- neutral to slightly formal, very common in writing and speech
- good “standard Indonesian”
- ketika saya menggambar galaksi = when I was drawing a galaxy
saat
- similar to ketika, also common and slightly formal / neutral
- saat saya menggambar galaksi is almost equivalent in most contexts.
waktu
- literally “time”, but often used as “when” in spoken Indonesian
- slightly more casual: waktu saya menggambar galaksi
pas
- very colloquial, spoken Indonesian
- pas saya menggambar galaksi = right when I was drawing a galaxy
- avoid this in formal writing.

In your sentence, ketika is a very good and safe choice.

What is menggambar? How is it different from gambar?

gambar can be:
- a noun = picture, drawing
  - Ini gambar galaksi. = This is a drawing of a galaxy.
- a root for the verb “draw”
menggambar is the verb form = to draw (active verb):
- Saya menggambar galaksi. = I draw / I am drawing a galaxy.

The meN- prefix here (becoming meng-) turns the root gambar into the verb menggambar.

In your sentence, ketika saya menggambar galaksi clearly means when I was drawing a galaxy, not “when I picture a galaxy.”

Why is it just galaksi? Should I say sebuah galaksi for “a galaxy”?

Indonesian does not require an article like a/an. A bare noun can often be understood as “a” or “the” depending on context.

menggambar galaksi
can mean draw a galaxy or draw the galaxy.

sebuah is a classifier (literally “one [thing]”) and can be added for emphasis on one individual item:

menggambar sebuah galaksi
= draw a (single) galaxy

Both are correct:

ketika saya menggambar galaksi
ketika saya menggambar sebuah galaksi

The version without sebuah is shorter and very natural unless you specifically want to stress that it is one particular galaxy.

Why is it imajinasi saya and not saya imajinasi? How does possession and word order work with nouns?

In Indonesian, the typical pattern is:

[noun] + [possessor]

So:

imajinasi (imagination)
imajinasi saya (my imagination)
rumah saya (my house)
buku saya (my book)

Putting the pronoun before the noun, like saya imajinasi, is not correct for possession.

General rules:

Possessive pronouns come after the noun:
- guru saya = my teacher
- teman saya = my friend
Or they appear as suffixes:
- imajinasiku = my imagination
- rumahmu = your house
- bukunya = his/her/their book (or “the book”, depending on context)

So imajinasi saya is exactly the normal, correct word order for “my imagination.”