Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Di museum, kami melihat lukisan kuno. - At the museum, we see an ancient painting.

Indonesian word order is quite flexible. Putting Di museum at the beginning is like English “At the museum, …” – it emphasizes the place. Putting it at the end is more neutral: “We saw ancient paintings at the museum.”

What’s the difference between di, ke, and pada? Why is it di museum, not something else?

di = at / in / on (location, no movement)
- di museum = at / in the museum
ke = to (movement towards a place)
- ke museum = to the museum
pada = at / on (more abstract or formal, especially with time or people)
- pada hari Senin = on Monday
- pada guru saya = to my teacher

In this sentence we are already in/at the museum, so di is correct. Ke museum would suggest going to the museum. Pada museum here would sound strange.

Why is there no word for “the” before museum or lukisan?

Indonesian does not use articles like “a/an” or “the”. Nouns are usually bare:

museum can mean a museum or the museum
lukisan can mean a painting or (the) paintings

Context tells you whether it’s specific or general. If you need to be more specific, you can add words like:

sebuah museum – a (single) museum
lukisan itu – that / the painting(s)
lukisan-lukisan itu – those / the paintings (plural + specific)

What’s the difference between kami and kita, and why is kami used here?

Both mean “we”, but:

kami = we (not including you, the listener)
kita = we (including you, the listener)

Using kami suggests the speaker’s group went to the museum, but the listener was not part of that group. If the speaker and listener went together, you’d say:

Di museum, kita melihat lukisan kuno.
At the museum, we (you and I) saw ancient paintings.

Why is it melihat and not just lihat?

The base verb is lihat (to see / look). The prefix me- (often written meN-) turns many verb roots into an active verb form:

lihat → melihat = to see, to look at

So melihat is the “normal” active verb you use in sentences with an explicit subject:

Kami melihat lukisan. – We saw / we see paintings.

Bare lihat is more like a root form; you might see it in commands (Lihat! = Look!) or dictionaries, or in some fixed expressions.

How can melihat mean “saw” if there is no past tense in the sentence?

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

see / are seeing (present)
saw / have seen (past)
will see (future), depending on context.

If you want to make the time clear, you add time words:

Kemarin kami melihat lukisan kuno.
Yesterday we saw ancient paintings.
Besok kami akan melihat lukisan kuno.
Tomorrow we will see ancient paintings.

In your sentence, the English translation uses “saw” because the context is past, not because of a change in the Indonesian verb.

How do I show that lukisan is plural (“paintings”) instead of singular (“a painting”)?

Indonesian usually leaves number (singular/plural) unmarked. Context tells you. Lukisan can be:

a painting
(some) paintings

If you need to be explicit:

banyak lukisan kuno – many ancient paintings
beberapa lukisan kuno – several ancient paintings
lukisan-lukisan kuno – paintings (plural emphasis, often “many paintings”)

So you could say:

Di museum, kami melihat banyak lukisan kuno.
At the museum, we saw many ancient paintings.

What’s the difference between lukisan and gambar?

Both relate to pictures, but they’re used differently:

lukisan = a painting (made with paint, usually artistic, on canvas, wall, etc.)
gambar = a picture / drawing / image (more general – can be a drawing, sketch, simple picture)

In a museum context, lukisan is natural because museums often show paintings. If they were drawings or just images in general, gambar could be used:

Di museum, kami melihat gambar kuno. – we saw ancient pictures/drawings.

Why is the adjective kuno after lukisan, not before it?

In Indonesian, adjectives usually follow the noun:

lukisan kuno – ancient painting(s)
rumah besar – big house
buku baru – new book

Putting the adjective before the noun, like kuno lukisan, is incorrect in standard Indonesian. So lukisan kuno literally is “painting(s) ancient” in structure, but it means “ancient painting(s).”

What’s the difference between kuno, tua, and lama?

All relate to “old,” but with different nuances:

kuno – ancient, very old and from a past era; often used for historical objects, styles, or cultures.
- lukisan kuno – ancient paintings
tua – old (age), especially for people, animals, or living things, but also for objects.
- orang tua – old person / parent (fixed expression)
lama – old / long-standing in the sense of having existed for a long time, or taking a long time.
- teman lama – old/longtime friend
- sudah lama – (it has been) a long time

For something like historical paintings in a museum, kuno is the most natural choice.

Is the comma after Di museum necessary?

In everyday Indonesian writing:

A comma after a fronted adverbial phrase (Di museum) is common and recommended, especially in more formal writing:
- Di museum, kami melihat lukisan kuno.
In casual texts, some people might omit it:
- Di museum kami melihat lukisan kuno.

So the comma is good style and helps readability, but the sentence is still understandable without it.

Can I leave out kami and just say Di museum, melihat lukisan kuno?

Normally, no. In standard Indonesian, a sentence like this needs a clear subject:

Di museum, kami melihat lukisan kuno. ✔

If you drop kami, melihat has no subject and it sounds incomplete or like a fragment. You can drop the subject only when it’s very obvious from previous context, and even then, it’s more natural in very informal speech or writing (like notes or captions):

(Caption under a photo) Di museum, melihat lukisan kuno. – understood as “(We) at the museum, (were) looking at ancient paintings.”

For normal full sentences, keep kami (or whatever subject you need).

What’s the difference between melihat and melihat-lihat?

melihat = to see / to look at (neutral)
melihat-lihat (reduplication) = to look around / to browse / to look at things casually or repeatedly

So:

Di museum, kami melihat lukisan kuno.
→ We (actually) saw / looked at ancient paintings.
Di museum, kami melihat-lihat lukisan kuno.
→ We were looking around / browsing ancient paintings, more like leisurely viewing many of them.

Can I say Ke museum, kami melihat lukisan kuno?

No, that’s not natural. Ke museum means “to the museum” (movement toward), so it doesn’t fit with melihat (seeing) in that position.

You could say:

Kami pergi ke museum dan melihat lukisan kuno.
We went to the museum and saw ancient paintings.

Here pergi ke museum is the movement, and melihat lukisan kuno is what you did there.