Bukti baru itu disimpan di map hijau.

That new evidence is stored in the green folder.

Breakdown of Bukti baru itu disimpan di map hijau.

• itu: that
• di: in
• baru: new
• hijau: green
• disimpan: to be stored
• map: the folder
• bukti: the evidence

Questions & Answers about Bukti baru itu disimpan di map hijau.

What does each word in Bukti baru itu disimpan di map hijau mean literally?

Word-by-word:

• bukti = evidence, proof
• baru = new, recent
• itu = that / the (demonstrative, points to something known)
• disimpan = is kept / is stored / was kept / was stored
  
  • base verb: simpan = to keep, to store
  • prefix di- marks passive voice
• di = in, at, on (location preposition, like in/at)
• map = folder (stationery item, not a geographic map)
• hijau = green

Natural English: The new evidence was stored in the green folder.

Why is it bukti baru and not baru bukti?

In Indonesian, most adjectives come after the noun:

• bukti baru = new evidence
  
  • bukti (noun) + baru (adjective)

Putting baru before a noun usually has a different meaning, like just now / only just:

• baru bukti could be understood as only evidence / just evidence or be confusing, not as the normal new evidence.

So for new X, the normal pattern is X + adjective:

• rumah besar = big house
• buku lama = old book
• bukti baru = new evidence

What exactly does itu mean here? Is it the or that?

Itu is a demonstrative that can mean:

• that (pointing): bukti baru itu = that new evidence
• the (specific, already known): bukti baru itu = the new evidence (the one we’ve been talking about)

Indonesian doesn’t have a separate word for the; itu often fills that role when we want to indicate a specific, known thing.

So bukti baru itu = that/the (specific) new evidence. Context decides whether you translate it as that or the in English.

What is disimpan grammatically? Why not just simpan?

Disimpan is the passive form of simpan:

• simpan = to store / to keep (base verb)
• disimpan = is stored / was stored (passive)

di- + verb is a common passive pattern:

• buka → dibuka = is opened / was opened
• tulis → ditulis = is written / was written
• simpan → disimpan = is stored / was stored

Using disimpan means:

• focus on the object (the evidence), not on who did the storing
• subject of the sentence is bukti baru itu (the thing being stored)

An active version would be:

• (Mereka) menyimpan bukti baru itu di map hijau.
  • menyimpan = to store (active)

How do we know the tense (past vs present) from disimpan?

We actually don’t know the tense from disimpan alone.

Indonesian verbs normally don’t change form for tense. Disimpan can mean:

• is stored / is being stored (present)
• was stored / was being stored (past)
• even will be stored (future) in the right context

The English translation was stored is chosen because it sounds natural in a typical context (talking about evidence that has already been handled), but grammatically:

• Bukti baru itu disimpan di map hijau.
  could be:
  • The new evidence is stored in the green folder.
    or
  • The new evidence was stored in the green folder.

Context or extra time words (like tadi, kemarin, sudah) would make the time clear.

Why do we use di before map hijau? Could we say dalam map hijau instead?

di and dalam are both used for locations, but:

• di = at / in / on (very general location)
• dalam = inside (focus on the inside part)

In everyday Indonesian:

• di map hijau is very natural and common for “in the green folder”.
• dalam map hijau is also correct, with a bit more sense of inside the folder (slightly more explicit/formal).

So both are grammatically fine:

• Bukti baru itu disimpan di map hijau.
• Bukti baru itu disimpan dalam map hijau.

In many situations, they’ll be understood the same way, and di is more common.

What does map mean in Indonesian? Is it the same as English map?

No, it’s usually not the same as English map (a drawing of an area).

In Indonesian:

• map (from Dutch map) = folder / file (stationery to hold papers)
• peta = map (geographical map of a place)

So:

• map hijau = a green folder, not a green geographic map
• peta dunia = world map

If you say bukti baru itu disimpan di map hijau, Indonesians will understand a folder, not a geographical map.

Why is it map hijau, not hijau map?

As with bukti baru, adjectives usually come after the noun:

• map hijau = green folder
  
  • map (noun) + hijau (adjective)

Putting the adjective first like English (green folder) is not how Indonesian works. The pattern is:

• buku merah = red book
• mobil baru = new car
• map hijau = green folder

Can we say di map yang hijau instead of di map hijau? What’s the difference?

You can say di map yang hijau, but there’s a nuance:

• di map hijau

  • simple description: in a green folder (green is just an ordinary adjective)

• di map yang hijau

  • yang adds a slight sense of identifying or contrasting:
    • in the one that is green (maybe there are several folders, and you mean specifically the green one)

In practice:

• For neutral description: di map hijau is more natural and common.
• Use yang more when:
  • you’re making a clear contrast (map yang hijau, bukan yang merah)
  • or building a longer phrase (map yang hijau di atas meja itu = that green folder on the table).

Could itu go somewhere else, like itu bukti baru or bukti itu baru? Would that mean the same thing?

Position of itu matters.

1. bukti baru itu

   • standard: that/the new evidence (specific new evidence)

2. itu bukti baru

   • usually: that is new evidence / that’s the new evidence
   • itu works more like that (thing) as the subject:
     • Itu bukti baru. = That is new evidence.

3. bukti itu baru

   • could mean: that evidence is new
   • here itu is attached to bukti (that evidence), and baru is more like a predicate (is new).

So:

• bukti baru itu = that/the new evidence (one noun phrase)
• itu bukti baru = that is new evidence (full sentence)
• bukti itu baru = that evidence is new (full sentence)

Can we drop itu and just say Bukti baru disimpan di map hijau?

Yes, you can say:

• Bukti baru disimpan di map hijau.

Without itu, it becomes more non-specific / general:

• bukti baru itu = the/that new evidence (some particular new evidence)
• bukti baru = new evidence (could be any new evidence, more general or newly mentioned)

In many contexts, both could be used, but:

• If you mean specific evidence that everyone in the conversation already knows about, bukti baru itu is more precise.
• If you’re talking about new evidence in general, or introducing it for the first time, bukti baru can be fine.

How would I say this sentence in the active voice, mentioning who stored the evidence?

Base passive sentence:

• Bukti baru itu disimpan di map hijau.
  = The new evidence was stored in the green folder.

Active version with a subject:

• Polisi menyimpan bukti baru itu di map hijau.
  = The police stored the new evidence in the green folder.

Structure:

• Polisi (subject)
• menyimpan (active verb: meN- + simpan)
• bukti baru itu (object)
• di map hijau (location phrase)

If you want to keep it passive but mention the agent, you can say:

• Bukti baru itu disimpan di map hijau oleh polisi.
  = The new evidence was stored in the green folder by the police.