Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Di perpustakaan, saya membaca artikel tentang beberapa spesies langka. - In the library, I read an article about several rare species.

Di perpustakaan can be translated as either “in the library” or “at the library.”
Indonesian doesn’t sharply distinguish “in” vs “at” the way English does; di just marks a place.

So you choose “in” or “at” in English based on what sounds more natural, but in Indonesian it’s just di.

Why is there no word for “the” or “a/an” before “perpustakaan” and “artikel”?

Indonesian does not use articles like “a/an” and “the.”

Perpustakaan can mean “a library” or “the library”
Artikel can mean “an article” or “the article”

If you really need to make things specific, you use other words or context, for example:

artikel itu = that article / the article
perpustakaan ini = this library / the library

But in most cases, context alone is enough.

Why is there a comma after “Di perpustakaan”? Is that necessary?

The comma separates a fronted location phrase from the main clause.

Di perpustakaan, saya membaca artikel…
- Literally: At the library, I read an article…

You don’t have to put the location at the front. You can also say:

Saya membaca artikel tentang beberapa spesies langka di perpustakaan.

In that case, you normally don’t use a comma. The meaning is the same; putting “Di perpustakaan” first is more like emphasizing the place (or setting the scene).

What’s the difference between “saya” and “aku”? Could I use “aku” here?

Both mean “I/me,” but they differ in politeness and formality:

saya
- More formal and neutral
- Safe for talking to strangers, older people, in writing, etc.
aku
- More informal / intimate
- Used with close friends, family, or in casual contexts

You could say:

Di perpustakaan, aku membaca artikel tentang beberapa spesies langka.

Grammatically it’s fine. It just feels more casual and personal.

Why is it “membaca” and not just “baca”? What does the me- prefix do?

Baca is the root verb meaning “read.”
Membaca is the active verb form formed with the prefix meN- (here realized as mem-).

In standard Indonesian sentences with an explicit subject, you normally use the meN- form:

Saya membaca artikel. = I read an article.

Using just the root (baca) like “saya baca artikel” is:

Colloquial / informal, especially in spoken Indonesian
Still very common in daily conversation and some informal writing

So:

membaca = neutral/standard
baca = more casual

How do I know if “saya membaca” means “I read” (past), “I am reading” (present), or “I will read” (future)?

Indonesian verbs do not change form for tense. Saya membaca by itself can mean:

I read (yesterday / earlier).
I am reading (now).
I will read (later).

The time is usually shown by time words or context:

Kemarin saya membaca artikel… = Yesterday I read an article…
Sekarang saya sedang membaca artikel… = Right now I am reading an article…
Nanti saya akan membaca artikel… = Later I will read an article…

In your sentence, context would tell whether the action is past, present, or habitual.

Is there any difference in meaning between:

Di perpustakaan, saya membaca artikel…
Saya membaca artikel… di perpustakaan.

The basic meaning is the same: you read an article and it happened in the library.

The difference is emphasis / focus:

Di perpustakaan, saya membaca artikel…
- Slightly emphasizes the place; like setting the scene: “At the library, I read…”
Saya membaca artikel… di perpustakaan.
- Feels more neutral; similar to English: “I read an article … in the library.”

Both are fully natural. Indonesian word order is fairly flexible for location/time phrases, which can go at the beginning or the end.

What does “tentang” mean, and could I replace it with “mengenai” or “soal”?

Tentang means “about / concerning / regarding.”

artikel tentang beberapa spesies langka
= an article about some rare species

You can often replace tentang with:

mengenai – a bit more formal or written-style
soal – more informal / casual, literally “about the matter of”

Examples:

Saya membaca artikel mengenai beberapa spesies langka.
Saya baca artikel soal beberapa spesies langka.

The core meaning is very similar; choice mainly depends on style and formality.

What exactly does “beberapa” mean? Is it “some,” “a few,” or “several”?

Beberapa indicates a small, but more than one, number. It can be translated as:

“some”
“a few”
“several”

It doesn’t specify an exact number, but it implies plural (more than one).

In your sentence, beberapa spesies langka = some / several rare species.

Does “beberapa spesies langka” mean more than one species even though “spesies” has no plural ending?

Yes. Indonesian usually doesn’t add endings to mark plural. Plurality is shown by:

plural words like beberapa (some), banyak (many)
context, or
reduplication (e.g. buku-buku = books, though not always necessary)

Here:

beberapa spesies langka = clearly more than one species because of beberapa.

The noun spesies itself doesn’t change form for singular or plural, just like English “sheep.”

Why is it “spesies langka” and not “langka spesies”? Where do adjectives usually go?

In Indonesian, adjectives usually come after the noun they describe.

spesies langka = rare species
buku baru = new book
perpustakaan besar = big library

So “langka spesies” would be incorrect in this context. The normal pattern is:

noun + adjective

Is “spesies” just an English loanword “species”? Is the plural the same?

Yes, spesies is a loanword from “species.”

Pronunciation in Indonesian is roughly: speh-see-es (3 syllables).
The form is the same for singular and plural.

Plural is indicated by context or words like beberapa (some), banyak (many), etc.:

satu spesies langka = one rare species
beberapa spesies langka = some rare species

No additional plural ending is used.

Could I drop “saya” and just say “Di perpustakaan, membaca artikel tentang beberapa spesies langka”?

That sounds incomplete in standard Indonesian. Normally, you keep the subject pronoun:

Di perpustakaan, saya membaca artikel…

Dropping saya like that is sometimes heard in very informal speech, or in notes/headlines where the subject is obvious, but in a normal sentence it’s better to include saya (or another clear subject).

Is “perpustakaan” specifically a building, or can it also mean a digital/online library?

Perpustakaan primarily means “library” as an institution or place, traditionally a physical library.

In modern usage, it can also refer to a digital or online library, especially if you clarify it:

perpustakaan digital = digital library
perpustakaan online = online library

In your sentence, without extra context, most listeners will imagine a physical library building.