Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Mikroskop di meja menunjukkan sel kecil yang bergerak seperti hewan laut. - The microscope on the table shows small cells that move like sea animals.

Why is it “Mikroskop di meja” and not “Mikroskop di atas meja” for “microscope on the table”? What’s the difference between di and di atas here?

Both are possible, but they feel a bit different:

di meja literally: “at the table / on the table area”
- Very common, short, neutral.
- Often used when the exact spatial relation isn’t important; it just locates the object in relation to the table (on it, near it, at it).
di atas meja literally: “on top of the table”
- More specific: clearly says the microscope is on the surface of the table.
- Used if you want to emphasize on top of, not just generally “at the table”.

In everyday Indonesian, di meja is perfectly natural and usually understood as “on the table” unless context suggests otherwise.

Why is it “Mikroskop di meja menunjukkan …” and not “Mikroskop yang di meja menunjukkan …”? When do I need yang after a noun?

Yang is used to introduce a relative clause that describes a noun more specifically.

Mikroskop di meja
- di meja here is just a simple prepositional phrase giving location.
- It’s not structured as a full descriptive clause; it’s just “the microscope at the table”.
Mikroskop yang di meja
- Implies something like “the microscope that is on the table”, with an implied verb (yang berada di meja / yang ada di meja).
- Grammatically possible, but feels a bit incomplete/odd unless the rest of the clause is clear from context.

Because di meja already works smoothly as a location phrase modifying mikroskop, you don’t need yang. You would clearly use yang when the description is clause-like, e.g.:

Mikroskop yang rusak itu diperbaiki.
“The microscope that is broken is being repaired.”

What exactly does “menunjukkan” mean here? Is it always “to show”? How is it formed?

Menunjukkan is a verb that generally means “to show / to point out / to indicate”.

Morphologically:

Root: tunjuk = “point, indicate”
meN- + tunjuk + -kan → menunjukkan

Common meanings:

To show / present something
- Mikroskop menunjukkan sel kecil.
  “The microscope shows small cells.”
To indicate / demonstrate (often abstract)
- Data ini menunjukkan tren positif.
  “This data indicates a positive trend.”
To point something out to someone
- Dia menunjukkan jalan kepadaku.
  “He showed me the way.”

So in this sentence, menunjukkan is best understood as “to show / reveal” (what you can see through the microscope).

Why is it “sel kecil” and not “kecil sel” for “small cell(s)”?

In Indonesian, adjectives almost always come after the noun they describe.

sel kecil = “small cell(s)”
- sel (noun) + kecil (adjective)
kecil sel would be ungrammatical as a normal noun phrase.

More examples:

buku tebal = thick book
meja besar = big table
laut dalam = deep sea

So you say sel kecil, not kecil sel.

Does “sel kecil” mean one small cell or small cells (plural)? How do you know the number?

By itself, sel kecil is number-neutral. Indonesian usually doesn’t mark singular vs. plural unless needed. It can mean:

“a small cell”
“small cells”

Which one it is depends on context.

To specify:

One small cell:
- satu sel kecil
- or sebuah sel kecil (using a classifier, more formal/technical speech might just say satu sel kecil).
Several / many small cells:
- beberapa sel kecil = several small cells
- banyak sel kecil = many small cells
- sel-sel kecil = explicitly plural by reduplication (often used in writing, can sound more formal/technical).

In the sentence as given, sel kecil could naturally be understood as plural in context, because microscopes usually show many cells. But grammatically, it’s neutral.

What is the role of “yang” in “sel kecil yang bergerak …”?

Here, yang introduces a relative clause describing sel kecil.

Structure:

sel kecil = the small cells
yang bergerak seperti hewan laut = that move like sea animals

So the pattern is:

Noun + Adjective + yang + [verb phrase]

This is equivalent to English “… that / which …”:

sel kecil yang bergerak
= “the small cells that move”

Without yang, it would be ungrammatical:

✗ sel kecil bergerak seperti hewan laut (sounds like “small cells move like sea animals” as a full main clause, not describing which cells the microscope shows)

You need yang to attach the verb phrase bergerak seperti hewan laut as a description of sel kecil.

What is the difference between “bergerak” and “menggerakkan”? Why is “bergerak” used here?

Both come from the root gerak (“movement / motion”), but:

bergerak
- intransitive verb: “to move” (by itself)
- No direct object.
- Subject is the thing that moves:
  - Sel itu bergerak. = “The cell moves.”
menggerakkan
- transitive verb: “to move something” / “to cause to move”
- Needs an object (what you move):
  - Dia menggerakkan mikroskop. = “He moves the microscope.”

In the sentence:

sel kecil yang bergerak
“small cells that move”

The cells are moving by themselves, so the intransitive bergerak is correct. Using menggerakkan would wrongly mean the cells are causing something else to move.

Why is it “seperti hewan laut” and not “seperti seekor hewan laut”? Is there a difference in meaning?

Both are grammatically okay but slightly different in nuance:

seperti hewan laut
- Literally “like sea animals” or “like a sea animal” in a general sense.
- No classifier, so it’s more generic: “like marine animals in general.”
seperti seekor hewan laut
- seekor is a classifier used for animals (literally “one animal”).
- This sounds more like “like a (single) sea animal”, a bit more specific and concrete.

In practice:

For a general comparison about the style of movement, seperti hewan laut feels more natural and less wordy: “moving like sea creatures (in general).”
If you really want to emphasize “like one animal”, you can say seperti seekor hewan laut.

Could I say “Mikroskop di meja itu menunjukkan …”? What does adding “itu” change?

Yes, you can say:

Mikroskop di meja itu menunjukkan sel kecil yang bergerak seperti hewan laut.

Itu here functions like “that / the” in a more specific sense:

Mikroskop di meja
- “a/the microscope on the table” (neutral; context decides if it’s known/specific).
Mikroskop di meja itu
- “that microscope on the table” / “the microscope on the table (that we’ve been talking about)”

Adding itu marks the microscope as specific and known to both speaker and listener (or visible in the context). Without it, it’s still natural, just slightly less pointed.

Is it possible to move “di meja” to another position, like “Di meja, mikroskop menunjukkan …”? Does the meaning change?

Yes, you can move di meja for emphasis or style:

Mikroskop di meja menunjukkan sel kecil …
- Neutral, common word order.
- Focus is on the microscope (which one? the one at the table).
Di meja, mikroskop menunjukkan sel kecil …
- Puts topical emphasis on the location (“At the table, the microscope shows…”).
- More like setting the scene: “At the table, (what happens is:) the microscope shows…”

Both are grammatical; the difference is subtle and mostly about what you want to highlight first (location vs. the microscope itself). In everyday speech, the original order is more typical.