Breakdown of Kami mengunjungi kebun binatang besok.
Questions & Answers about Kami mengunjungi kebun binatang besok.
Indonesian has two common words for we:
- kami = we (not including you, the listener) → exclusive
- kita = we (including you, the listener) → inclusive
So Kami mengunjungi kebun binatang besok means:
- We (but not you) are visiting the zoo tomorrow.
If the speaker wants to include the listener (for example, inviting them), they would say:
- Kita mengunjungi kebun binatang besok.
→ We (you and I, and maybe others) are visiting the zoo tomorrow.
Indonesian verbs do not change form for tense. Time is usually shown by:
- time words: kemarin (yesterday), sekarang (now), besok (tomorrow), nanti (later), etc.
- optionally, the particle akan (will).
In this sentence, besok already shows that the action is in the future, so akan is not required:
- Kami mengunjungi kebun binatang besok.
= We are going to visit / will visit the zoo tomorrow.
You can add akan for emphasis or clarity, especially in more formal contexts:
- Kami akan mengunjungi kebun binatang besok.
Both are correct; the second just sounds slightly more formal or more explicitly future.
The base (root) is kunjung, which is related to visit.
mengunjungi is built like this:
- prefix meN- (here realized as meng-)
- root kunjung
- suffix -i
So:
- meN- + kunjung + -i → mengunjungi
Notes:
- The prefix meN- makes an active verb.
- The suffix -i often indicates doing the action to or at a location or object.
- There is a spelling change: meN-
- kunjung → mengunjungi (the initial k of kunjung disappears, and ng appears).
Meaning-wise, mengunjungi is a transitive verb: it takes a direct object.
- mengunjungi kebun binatang
= to visit the zoo
No. With mengunjungi, you do not use ke before the object.
- ✅ mengunjungi kebun binatang (visit the zoo)
- ❌ mengunjungi ke kebun binatang
Think of mengunjungi as already containing the idea of to or visit to.
If you want to use ke, you use a different verb such as pergi or berkunjung:
- pergi ke kebun binatang = go to the zoo
- berkunjung ke kebun binatang = pay a visit to the zoo
Both can describe going to the zoo, but with a slight nuance difference:
mengunjungi kebun binatang
Focus: the act of visiting as an event (often sounds a bit more formal or written).
Roughly: visit the zoo.pergi ke kebun binatang
Focus: the movement/going to that place.
Roughly: go to the zoo.
In everyday speech, pergi ke kebun binatang is very natural. mengunjungi kebun binatang is common too, especially in narration, reports, or a bit more formal contexts. Both are correct in this sentence.
Yes. Besok (tomorrow) is quite flexible in position. All of these are grammatical and natural:
- Kami mengunjungi kebun binatang besok.
- Besok kami mengunjungi kebun binatang.
- Kami besok mengunjungi kebun binatang. (less common, more spoken-style)
The first two are the most common and neutral.
Putting besok at the start (Besok kami…) slightly emphasizes tomorrow.
Indonesian normally does not use separate words for a or the. kebun binatang can mean:
- a zoo
- the zoo
- zoos (in general), depending on context.
In this sentence, the context (especially in English translation) makes us choose the zoo, but Indonesian itself does not mark that difference.
To make something clearly definite, you can optionally add itu (that) or tersebut (the said/aforementioned):
- kebun binatang itu = that zoo / the zoo (that we have in mind)
- kebun binatang tersebut = that particular zoo (more formal)
kebun binatang is the standard word for zoo in Indonesian.
Literally:
- kebun = garden, plantation
- binatang = animal
So kebun binatang literally means animal garden, but in usage it simply means zoo.
In casual speech, people sometimes shorten it to bonbin (from kebon binatang, a variant pronunciation), especially in Jakarta-style informal Indonesian.
By default, kebun binatang can be understood as singular or plural, depending on context.
If you specifically want to emphasize plural (zoos), you can:
- Use reduplication:
- kebun-kebun binatang = zoos (pluralized kebun)
- Add a number or quantity:
- beberapa kebun binatang = several zoos
- dua kebun binatang = two zoos
Example:
- Kami mengunjungi beberapa kebun binatang besok.
= We are visiting several zoos tomorrow.
In most normal contexts, you should keep kami here. Indonesian can drop subject pronouns when they are very clear from context, but:
- Mengunjungi kebun binatang besok. on its own sounds incomplete or like a fragment (Visiting the zoo tomorrow.) rather than a full sentence.
Better options:
- Kami mengunjungi kebun binatang besok. (full, natural sentence)
- In very informal chat, someone might write Besok ke kebun binatang. (Tomorrow [I/we] go to the zoo.), dropping both the subject and the verb, but that is quite colloquial and context-dependent.
Kami mengunjungi kebun binatang besok. is:
- neutral and standard
- fine in both spoken and written Indonesian
- slightly on the formal side for casual chat, but completely acceptable in everyday conversation.
More casual versions might be:
- Besok kita ke kebun binatang. (if the listener is going too)
- Besok kami ke kebun binatang. (without mengunjungi, very spoken)
More formal:
- Besok kami akan mengunjungi kebun binatang.
- Besok kami akan melakukan kunjungan ke kebun binatang. (quite formal/report style)
Pronunciation tips (using rough English-like hints):
mengunjungi: meh-ngoon-JOO-gee
- ng is like sing (one sound).
- Stress is usually on the second-to-last syllable: me-ngun-JU-gi.
kebun binatang: keh-BOON bee-NAH-tahng
- e in ke- and ke-bun is like the e in the (a relaxed sound).
- Final ng in binatang is again like in sing.
- Stress: ke-BUN bi-NA-tang (natural rhythm varies but often those syllables get prominence).
There are no silent letters, and vowel sounds are generally simple and consistent compared to English.