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Saya pergi ke kebun binatang pertama kali hari ini.

Saya pergi ke kebun binatang pertama kali hari ini.
I go to the zoo for the first time today.

Breakdown of Saya pergi ke kebun binatang pertama kali hari ini.

saya
I
hari ini
today
pergi
to go
ke
to
kebun binatang
the zoo
pertama kali
for the first time
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Questions & Answers about Saya pergi ke kebun binatang pertama kali hari ini.

Why doesn’t the sentence use any past tense ending, even though the meaning is I went to the zoo for the first time today?

Indonesian verbs do not change form for tense. The verb pergi stays the same whether it’s past, present, or future.

Tense is shown by:

  • Time words: hari ini (today), kemarin (yesterday), besok (tomorrow), tadi (earlier today), etc.
  • Context and surrounding sentences.

So:

  • Saya pergi ke kebun binatang hari ini.
    → Depending on context, it can mean:
    • I went to the zoo today (past), or
    • I’m going / I go to the zoo today (present/future plan).

If you really want to make it clearly past, you can add:

  • tadi:
    Saya tadi pergi ke kebun binatang. = I went to the zoo earlier today.
  • or use a past-time adverb like tadi pagi (this morning), tadi siang (earlier this afternoon), etc.
Why do we say pergi ke? Could we just say Saya ke kebun binatang pertama kali hari ini?

Pergi means to go, and ke is the preposition to (showing direction). So pergi ke is literally go to.

  • Saya pergi ke kebun binatang.
    = I go / went to the zoo.

In casual spoken Indonesian, people sometimes drop pergi and just say:

  • Saya ke kebun binatang hari ini.

This is understood, but:

  • With pergi, it’s clearer and more neutral.
  • Without pergi, it sounds more casual/colloquial and often relies heavily on context.

For a learner, Saya pergi ke … is the safest, most standard pattern.

What does kebun binatang literally mean? Why is “zoo” two words?

Kebun binatang is a compound noun:

  • kebun = garden, plantation, yard
  • binatang = animal

So it literally means “animal garden”, which corresponds to zoo in English.

Indonesian often uses two (or more) words to express what is a single word in English. These pairs are written as two separate words:

  • rumah sakit (house + sick) = hospital
  • pesawat terbang (plane + flying) = airplane
  • kartu kredit (card + credit) = credit card

So kebun binatang is written with a space, not joined into one word.

Why is it ke kebun binatang and not di kebun binatang?

ke and di are different:

  • ke = to (movement / direction)
  • di = at / in / on (location, where something is)

In this sentence, you are describing movement to the zoo:

  • Saya pergi ke kebun binatang.
    = I go / went to the zoo.

If you want to say you are already there, you use di:

  • Saya di kebun binatang.
    = I am at the zoo.
  • Saya bekerja di kebun binatang.
    = I work at the zoo.

So: pergi ke (go to) vs. berada di (be at).

Why does pertama kali come after kebun binatang? Can I move it?

The original sentence:

  • Saya pergi ke kebun binatang pertama kali hari ini.

Here, pertama kali (first time) comes after the place phrase ke kebun binatang. This is natural and common: go to [place] for the first time [time word].

You can move pertama kali, but the nuance changes slightly:

  1. Saya pertama kali pergi ke kebun binatang hari ini.

    • Emphasis feels more on the first time that I go to the zoo.
    • Very natural, especially in written or careful speech.

  2. Hari ini saya pergi ke kebun binatang pertama kali.

    • Starting with Hari ini (today) emphasizes today.
    • Still correct and natural.

All three are grammatically fine. Word order is quite flexible, but keeping pertama kali close to what it modifies (the whole event of going to the zoo) sounds most natural.

What is the function of pertama kali and how would I say “second time,” “third time,” etc.?

Pertama kali literally means first time.

Structure:

  • pertama = first
  • kali = time (as in occurrence, like “three times”)

To talk about other times, you replace pertama with a number:

  • kedua kali = second time
  • ketiga kali = third time
  • keempat kali = fourth time
  • kelima kali = fifth time, etc.

Example:

  • Saya pergi ke kebun binatang kedua kali hari ini.
    = I went to the zoo for the second time today.
What’s the difference between pertama kali and untuk pertama kalinya?

Both mean for the first time, but:

  • pertama kali is simpler and very common in everyday speech.

    • Saya pergi ke kebun binatang pertama kali hari ini.

  • untuk pertama kalinya is a bit longer and can sound a little more dramatic or narrative, like storytelling or writing.

    • Saya pergi ke kebun binatang untuk pertama kalinya hari ini.

In normal conversation, people usually just say pertama kali.
Untuk pertama kalinya is fine too; it just adds a tiny bit of emphasis or “story” feel.

Can hari ini go at the beginning of the sentence, or must it stay at the end?

Yes, hari ini (today) can move around. Common positions:

  1. Hari ini saya pergi ke kebun binatang pertama kali.
  2. Saya hari ini pergi ke kebun binatang pertama kali.
  3. Saya pergi ke kebun binatang pertama kali hari ini.

All are grammatically correct. Differences are mainly in emphasis:

  • Starting with Hari ini emphasizes today (good in narratives: “Today, I went to the zoo for the first time”).
  • Putting hari ini at the end sounds very natural and neutral:
    • Saya pergi ke kebun binatang pertama kali hari ini.

Word order with time expressions is flexible in Indonesian.

Does hari ini always mean “today,” or can it mean “this day / these days”?

Most commonly, hari ini means today.

However, in certain contexts it can be more like nowadays / in this period, similar to English “today” in sentences like “Kids today are different”:

  • Anak-anak hari ini berbeda dengan dulu.
    = Kids today are different from before.

In your sentence, hari ini clearly means today (this day) because it’s attached to a specific event: going to the zoo for the first time.

Why is the subject Saya? Could I use Aku or something else?

Indonesian has several common words for I / me:

  • saya: neutral–polite, standard, safe in almost all situations (formal and semi‑formal).
  • aku: informal, used with friends, family, people of the same age.
  • gue / gua (Jakarta slang) and others depending on region: very informal.

So you could say:

  • Saya pergi ke kebun binatang pertama kali hari ini. (neutral / polite)
  • Aku pergi ke kebun binatang pertama kali hari ini. (casual / friendly)

Both are grammatically correct. Choice depends on:

  • How well you know the listener.
  • Regional speech style.
  • The formality of the situation.

For learners, saya is the safest default until you’re comfortable with social nuances.

Could the sentence also mean “I am going to the zoo for the first time today” (future plan)?

Yes, it can.

Because Indonesian verbs don’t mark tense, Saya pergi ke kebun binatang pertama kali hari ini can be understood as:

  • Past: I went to the zoo for the first time today.
  • Near future/present plan: I’m going / I’ll go to the zoo for the first time today.

Context usually makes it clear:

  • Said in the evening, after you’ve been there: past.
  • Said in the morning, before going: future plan.

If you want to make it clearly future, add akan (will) or another indicator:

  • Saya akan pergi ke kebun binatang pertama kali hari ini.
    = I will go to the zoo for the first time today.
  • Nanti siang saya pergi ke kebun binatang pertama kali.
    = Later this afternoon I’m going to the zoo for the first time.
How would I say “This is my first time going to the zoo” without mentioning “today”?

A few natural ways:

  1. Ini pertama kali saya pergi ke kebun binatang.
    = This is the first time I go / I’ve gone to the zoo.

  2. Ini pertama kalinya saya pergi ke kebun binatang.

    • pertama kalinya (with -nya) adds a small sense of “this particular first time.”
    • Slightly more emphatic, but still very natural.

  3. More casual:

    • Baru pertama kali saya ke kebun binatang.
      = It’s my first time ever going to the zoo.

All of these are good ways to express that it’s your first experience at the zoo.

Why is it kebun binatang and not kebun binatangnya here? What does adding -nya do?

The suffix -nya can mean several things (possessive, definiteness, etc.).

  • kebun binatang = a zoo / the zoo (context decides)
  • kebun binatangnya can mean:
    • the zoo (in focus / specific one)
    • his/her/their zoo (less common here)

Examples:

  • Saya pergi ke kebun binatang hari ini.
    = I went to a/the zoo today. (neutral)
  • Saya suka kebun binatangnya.
    = I like the zoo (that we’re talking about).
    Here -nya makes it feel more like “that particular zoo” you have in mind.

In your original sentence, -nya is not needed. The simple kebun binatang is natural and correct.

Is there any difference between spoken and written Indonesian for a sentence like this?

Yes, mostly in pronoun choice and sometimes in omissions:

Spoken (casual):

  • Aku ke kebun binatang pertama kali hari ini.
    (drop pergi, use aku)
  • Gue ke kebun binatang pertama kali hari ini. (Jakarta slang)

Spoken (neutral):

  • Saya pergi ke kebun binatang pertama kali hari ini.
    (same as written, very common too)

Written (especially formal texts):

  • Saya pergi ke kebun binatang untuk pertama kalinya hari ini.
    (a bit more elaborate)

The basic grammar remains the same; changes are mostly in style and formality.