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Saya mau membaca artikel tentang planet dan galaksi di perpustakaan.

Saya mau membaca artikel tentang planet dan galaksi di perpustakaan.
I want to read an article about planets and galaxies in the library.
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Questions & Answers about Saya mau membaca artikel tentang planet dan galaksi di perpustakaan.

Can I leave out Saya? Do I always need to say Saya for “I”?

You don’t always need to say Saya.

  • Saya is the neutral, polite word for I.
  • In Indonesian, the subject is often dropped when it is clear from context.

So these can all be correct, depending on context:

  • Saya mau membaca artikel… – I want to read an article… (full, clear)
  • Mau membaca artikel… – (I) want to read an article… (subject understood)
  • Nanti di perpustakaan mau membaca artikel… – Later at the library (I) want to read an article…

In writing or in formal speech, using Saya is safer and clearer. In casual conversation, dropping it is common.

What’s the difference between mau, ingin, and akan?

All three are common, but they’re not the same:

  • mau

    • Basic meaning: want (to).
    • Very common in everyday speech.
    • Also often suggests a near future: about to / going to.
    • In this sentence: Saya mau membaca… = I want to read / I’m going to read…

  • ingin

    • More polite / formal / soft than mau.
    • Focuses more on desire, less on immediate plan.
    • Saya ingin membaca artikel… feels slightly more formal: I would like to read…

  • akan

    • A future marker, like will or going to.
    • It doesn’t mean “want”; it marks future tense.
    • Saya akan membaca artikel… = I will read an article… (future plan, not about desire)

So:

  • Desire + maybe near future: mau, ingin
  • Pure future: akan
Why is it membaca and not just baca?

Baca is the root verb “read”. Membaca is the meN- form of that verb.

  • baca

    • Root form
    • Used in: dictionaries, some informal speech, commands
    • Example (imperative): Baca artikel ini! – Read this article!

  • membaca

    • Standard active verb form: “to read”, “reading”
    • Used after words like mau, ingin, akan, sedang, etc.
    • Example: Saya mau membaca artikel. – I want to read an article.

In a full sentence with a subject, membaca is the normal, grammatically complete choice:

  • Saya membaca artikel. – I read / am reading an article.

Using Saya mau baca artikel is common in casual conversation, but Saya mau membaca artikel is more neutral/formal and textbook-correct.

Why is there no word for “a” or “the” before artikel?

Indonesian does not have separate words for “a/an” or “the”. The noun by itself can mean:

  • an article
  • the article
  • articles (plural), depending on context.

So:

  • Saya mau membaca artikel…
    can be translated as:
    • I want to read an article…
    • I want to read the article…
    • I want to read articles…

If you really need to emphasize “one article”, you can say:

  • satu artikel – one article

For plural you can:

  • use context, or
  • reduplicate: artikel-artikel = articles (more explicit plural, often more formal or when you really want to stress “many / more than one”).
Should it be artikel or artikel-artikel if I mean “articles” (plural)?

Both can be used; it depends on what you want to emphasize.

  • artikel (no reduplication)

    • Can already mean article or articles from context.
    • Saya mau membaca artikel tentang planet dan galaksi.
      – I want to read (an) article / articles about planets and galaxies.

  • artikel-artikel

    • Clear, explicit plural: articles.
    • Often used in somewhat more formal or careful speech/writing.
    • Saya mau membaca artikel-artikel tentang planet dan galaksi.
      – I want to read articles (various articles) about planets and galaxies.

In normal conversation, people often just say artikel, and the listener uses context to decide whether it’s one or more.

What does tentang mean exactly, and can I use other words instead?

Tentang means “about / regarding / concerning” when you talk about a topic.

  • artikel tentang planet dan galaksi
    = an article about planets and galaxies

Common alternatives:

  • mengenai – about/regarding (a bit more formal)

    • artikel mengenai planet dan galaksi

  • soal – about / on the topic of (more casual, often spoken)

    • artikel soal planet dan galaksi

In this sentence, tentang is the most neutral and textbook-friendly choice.

Why are planet and galaksi not marked as plural? How do I say “planets” and “galaxies”?

Indonesian usually does not mark plural with a special ending like English -s.

  • planet can mean planet or planets.
  • galaksi can mean galaxy or galaxies.

To make it clearly plural, you have a few options:

  1. Reduplication (repeating the noun)

    • planet-planet – planets
    • galaksi-galaksi – galaxies

  2. Use a number or quantity word

    • banyak planet – many planets
    • beberapa galaksi – several galaxies
    • dua planet – two planets

  3. Use context (most common)

    • In tentang planet dan galaksi, we naturally understand planets and galaxies as general categories, so singular/plural usually isn’t important.
What’s the difference between di perpustakaan and ke perpustakaan?

  • di = in / at / on (location: where something is)

    • di perpustakaan = at / in the library
    • In the sentence: Saya mau membaca … di perpustakaan.
      – I want to read … at the library.

  • ke = to / towards (direction: where something is going)

    • ke perpustakaan = to the library
    • Saya mau pergi ke perpustakaan. – I want to go to the library.

So don’t use ke in the original sentence, because you’re describing where you will do the reading, not where you are going:

  • Correct: Saya mau membaca artikel … di perpustakaan.
  • Different meaning: Saya mau pergi ke perpustakaan. – I want to go to the library.
Can I move di perpustakaan to the front of the sentence?

Yes. Indonesian word order is flexible for adverbials like place and time.

All of these are grammatical:

  1. Saya mau membaca artikel tentang planet dan galaksi di perpustakaan.
    – Neutral word order.

  2. Di perpustakaan, saya mau membaca artikel tentang planet dan galaksi.
    – Emphasizes the location: At the library, I want to read…

  3. Nanti di perpustakaan saya mau membaca artikel tentang planet dan galaksi.
    – Adds a time word and still works fine.

Just keep the core order:

  • Subject (Saya) + verb phrase (mau membaca artikel…)
    and move the time/place parts around it as needed.
Is mau too casual? Should I use ingin or something else to be polite?

Mau is very common and generally acceptable, even in many semi-formal situations.

Nuances:

  • mau

    • Everyday, neutral in speech
    • Fine with friends, coworkers, many teachers, etc.
    • In written formal documents, people tend to avoid it.

  • ingin

    • Slightly more formal / polite / soft
    • Often used in polite requests or formal writing:
      • Saya ingin membaca artikel tentang… – I would like to read an article about…

  • hendak

    • More formal, literary, or official. Rare in everyday talk.

For most normal situations (classroom, casual writing, daily conversation), mau is not impolite. If you want extra politeness or formality, choose ingin.

What is perpustakaan made from? It looks long and complicated.

Perpustakaan is built from a root and affixes:

  • Root: pustaka = book / written work (a bit old-fashioned / formal)
  • Prefix per-
    • suffix -an often make a place noun:
      • perpustakaan = a place related to books
      • So it means library.

Similar patterns:

  • tani (farming) → pertanian (agriculture, farming)
  • ikan (fish) → perikanan (fishery)

So perpustakaan literally has the idea of “place of books”, i.e., a library.