Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Saya mengerti reaksi kimia di laboratorium kecil itu. - I understand the chemical reaction in that small laboratory.

Saya means “I” and is the default, neutral–polite first-person singular pronoun in Indonesian. It’s used in most situations, especially with people you don’t know well, at work, at school, or in formal writing.

Aku also means “I”, but it’s more informal and intimate. It’s common:

with friends and close family
in songs, poems, and some casual writing
in some regional speech where it sounds natural

Using saya in this sentence keeps it neutral and polite:

Saya mengerti… = I understand…

In many conversations, especially if the subject is clear, speakers may even drop the pronoun:

Mengerti reaksi kimia di laboratorium kecil itu.
(Context would tell you the subject is I, we, etc.)

Does mengerti mean “understand” or “understood”? Why is there no tense ending?

Mengerti is the verb “to understand”, but in Indonesian it does not change form for tense. The same word can mean:

I understand (present)
I understood (past)
I will understand (future, if context says so)

Indonesian doesn’t use verb endings like English -ed or -s. Instead, tense and aspect are shown by time words or context:

Saya sudah mengerti… = I already understood / I have understood
Kemarin saya mengerti… = Yesterday I understood…
Saya akan mengerti… = I will understand…

So in your sentence, without extra time words, saya mengerti is most naturally read as “I understand”, but “I understood” is also possible if the context is past.

What’s the difference between mengerti, paham, memahami, and tahu?

All are related to knowing/understanding, but they’re used a bit differently:

mengerti – to understand, to “get” something
- Saya mengerti reaksi kimia itu. = I understand that chemical reaction.
paham – can be a verb or adjective; also means “to understand” but often slightly more about grasping the idea
- Saya paham reaksi kimia itu. = I understand that chemical reaction.
- Colloquial: Paham? = Got it?
memahami – often feels more formal or deeper, like “to comprehend” or “to understand in depth”
- Saya memahami reaksi-reaksi kimia yang kompleks.
  I understand / comprehend complex chemical reactions.
tahu – to know (a fact)
- Saya tahu reaksi kimia itu. = I know that chemical reaction (I know of it / I know what it is).
  This doesn’t necessarily say you deeply understand how it works.

In your sentence, mengerti is a natural choice for “I understand the chemical reactions…”.

Why is there no word for “the” or “a” in this sentence?

Indonesian has no articles like English “the, a, an”. Nouns stand without articles, and definiteness (whether you mean a or the) is usually understood from context or shown with other words.

In your sentence:

reaksi kimia = chemical reaction(s)
laboratorium kecil = (a/the) small laboratory

To make something clearly “that X / the X (that we talked about)”, Indonesian often adds itu (“that”) after the noun phrase:

laboratorium kecil itu = that small laboratory / the small laboratory

So Indonesian uses itu (and sometimes ini, “this”) where English often uses “the”. There is no separate word for “a/an”.

What exactly does itu mean in laboratorium kecil itu, and why is it at the end?

Itu basically means “that”, but it also often functions like “that/the (specific one)”.

laboratorium kecil = a/the small laboratory
laboratorium kecil itu = that small laboratory / the small laboratory (over there / that we know about)

In Indonesian, demonstratives (ini = this, itu = that) usually come after the noun phrase:

buku ini = this book
buku merah itu = that red book

So the pattern is:
[noun] + [adjective] + ini/itu

That’s why we say:

laboratorium kecil itu, not itu laboratorium kecil in standard usage.
(Itu laboratorium kecil can occur but usually in a different sentence structure, e.g. as a separate clause: Itu laboratorium kecil. = That’s a small laboratory.)

Why is kecil after laboratorium? In English we say “small laboratory,” not “laboratory small.”

In Indonesian, the default word order is:

noun + adjective

So:

laboratorium kecil = small laboratory
rumah besar = big house
reaksi kimia = chemical reaction
buku baru = new book

You usually don’t put the adjective before the noun, so kecil laboratorium would be incorrect in this context.

Your phrase follows the normal pattern:

laboratorium (noun) + kecil (adjective) + itu (demonstrative)
= that small laboratory

What does di mean in di laboratorium kecil itu? Is it “in,” “at,” or “on”?

Di is a location preposition. Depending on context, it can translate as:

In your sentence:

di laboratorium kecil itu = in/at that small laboratory

Examples:

di rumah = at home / in the house
di meja = on the table
di sekolah = at school

Important: di is not “to.” For movement towards a place, Indonesian uses ke:

Saya pergi ke laboratorium. = I go to the laboratory.
Saya belajar di laboratorium. = I study in/at the laboratory.

Is reaksi kimia singular or plural? Where’s the plural ending?

Indonesian usually does not mark plural with endings like English -s. The form is often the same for singular and plural, so:

reaksi kimia can mean:
- a chemical reaction
- chemical reactions (one or more)

Plural can be shown by:

Context
- Saya mengerti reaksi kimia di laboratorium kecil itu.
  Usually understood as “chemical reactions” in general, unless you’re clearly talking about just one.
Number words
- tiga reaksi kimia = three chemical reactions
Reduplication (repeating the noun) to emphasize plurality
- reaksi-reaksi kimia = chemical reactions (more explicitly plural)

In everyday speech, people often don’t bother duplicating when it’s obvious from context.

Can I move di laboratorium kecil itu to another part of the sentence?

Yes. Indonesian word order is relatively flexible as long as you keep phrases together. Your original sentence:

Saya mengerti reaksi kimia di laboratorium kecil itu.

Two common alternatives:

Di laboratorium kecil itu, saya mengerti reaksi kimia.
- Puts extra emphasis on the location (“In that small lab, I understand chemical reactions.”)
Saya di laboratorium kecil itu mengerti reaksi kimia.
- Possible, but less common; feels a bit heavier/stylistic.
- Standard, natural choices are usually either the original order or version (1).

Just keep the chunks intact:

reaksi kimia stays together
laboratorium kecil itu stays together

How would this sentence sound in more casual, spoken Indonesian?

In casual speech, Indonesians often:

shorten mengerti to ngerti
shorten laboratorium to lab
use informal I pronouns like aku, gue/guā (Jakarta), etc.

Some casual versions:

Aku ngerti reaksi kimia di lab kecil itu.
Gue ngerti reaksi kimia di lab kecil itu. (Jakarta-style informal)

These are suitable with friends or peers, but not in formal writing or exams, where your original sentence:

Saya mengerti reaksi kimia di laboratorium kecil itu.

is more appropriate.