Saya mengembalikan buku ke perpustakaan sore ini.

I return the book to the library this afternoon.

Breakdown of Saya mengembalikan buku ke perpustakaan sore ini.

• sebuah: a
• buku: the book
• saya: I
• ke: to
• perpustakaan: the library
• sore ini: this afternoon
• mengembalikan: to return

Questions & Answers about Saya mengembalikan buku ke perpustakaan sore ini.

Does this sentence mean “I am returning” or “I will return” the book?

Indonesian doesn’t mark tense the way English does, so Saya mengembalikan buku ke perpustakaan sore ini can match both:

• I am returning the book to the library this afternoon.
• I will return the book to the library this afternoon.

The time phrase sore ini (this afternoon) tells us the action happens this afternoon, but it doesn’t say clearly whether it’s:

• a planned future action, or
• something you are about to do very soon.

If you really want to emphasize the future, you can add akan:

• Saya akan mengembalikan buku ke perpustakaan sore ini.
  = I will return the book to the library this afternoon.

Why is it mengembalikan and not just kembali?

The base word is kembali (to return / to go back).

• kembali = intransitive: someone/something returns (by itself)

  • Saya kembali ke rumah. = I return / go back home.

• mengembalikan = transitive: to return something (to somewhere/someone)

  • Saya mengembalikan buku. = I return the book.

The prefix me- plus suffix -kan changes kembali into mengembalikan, which means to cause something to return / to give something back.

So Saya kembali buku would be wrong; you need mengembalikan when there is an object (buku) that you are returning.

Why is the preposition ke used with perpustakaan? Why not di?

• ke = to (movement towards a place)
• di = at / in (location, no movement implied)

In this sentence you are moving the book to the library:

• ke perpustakaan = to the library (the destination)

If you used di, you’d be focusing on location:

• Saya mengembalikan buku di perpustakaan sore ini.
  Literally: I return the book at the library this afternoon.

This version is grammatically possible, but the natural interpretation is:

• The returning happens at that location (library).
  The original ke version emphasizes the destination of the book.

Where is the word for “the” in buku? How do I know it’s “the book” and not “a book”?

Indonesian has no direct equivalent of English “the” or “a/an”. The noun buku can mean:

• a book
• the book
• simply book (in a general sense)

Context usually tells you which one fits.

If you want to make it clearly definite, you can add:

• buku itu = that book / the book (already known from context)

For example:

• Saya mengembalikan buku itu ke perpustakaan sore ini.
  = I will return the book (that we both know about) to the library this afternoon.

To emphasize “a book” (indefinite, one book), you can use a classifier, but it’s often omitted in everyday speech:

• Saya mengembalikan sebuah buku ke perpustakaan.
  = I return a book to the library.

Can I move sore ini to the beginning of the sentence?

Yes. Time expressions are quite flexible in Indonesian. All of these are natural:

• Saya mengembalikan buku ke perpustakaan sore ini.
• Sore ini saya mengembalikan buku ke perpustakaan.

Both mean: This afternoon I’ll return the book to the library.

Putting sore ini at the beginning just adds a bit of emphasis to the time (“As for this afternoon, I’m returning the book…”).

Can I drop the subject Saya and just say Mengembalikan buku ke perpustakaan sore ini?

Yes, in many contexts. Indonesian is often pro‑drop: if the subject is clear from context, it can be omitted.

• Mengembalikan buku ke perpustakaan sore ini.

On its own, this could sound like:

• a note to yourself (a reminder)
• part of a list of tasks
• an answer to “What are you doing this afternoon?”

In careful or formal sentences, or when you want to avoid ambiguity, keeping Saya is safer:

• Saya mengembalikan buku ke perpustakaan sore ini.

What’s the difference between saya and aku here?

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

• saya

  • more formal and neutral
  • safe in almost any context: talking to strangers, in class, at work, in writing.

• aku

  • more informal / intimate
  • used with friends, family, people your age or younger (depending on region and relationship).

In this sentence:

• Saya mengembalikan buku ke perpustakaan sore ini. = neutral / polite.
• Aku mengembalikan buku ke perpustakaan sore ini. = casual, to friends/family.

Is the word order Saya mengembalikan buku ke perpustakaan fixed? Can I move buku in front of mengembalikan?

Basic word order in Indonesian is Subject – Verb – Object – (Place/Time), similar to English:

• Saya (S) mengembalikan (V) buku (O) ke perpustakaan (Place) sore ini (Time).

You generally cannot move the object buku in front of the verb in a simple active sentence:

• ✗ Saya buku mengembalikan ke perpustakaan sore ini. (unnatural / incorrect)

You can move the time phrase (sore ini) or sometimes the place phrase for emphasis, but the core S–V–O order usually stays:

• Sore ini saya mengembalikan buku ke perpustakaan. (OK)
• Ke perpustakaan saya mengembalikan buku sore ini. (grammatical but more stylized/emphatic)

How would I say “I returned the book to the library this afternoon” (past), not future?

You keep the same verb form; you just change the time expression:

• Saya mengembalikan buku ke perpustakaan tadi sore.
  = I returned the book to the library this afternoon (earlier today).

Key time words:

• sore ini = this afternoon (later today, usually future or “later on today”)
• tadi sore = this afternoon (earlier today, already past)

Indonesian still doesn’t change the verb for past vs. future; time words and context do the work.

What exactly does sore ini mean? Is it the same as nanti sore?

Both are related but not identical:

• sore ini

  • literally: this afternoon
  • refers to this afternoon of today, within the current day.
  • neutral about whether it’s clearly in the future or already happening soon.

• nanti sore

  • literally: later this afternoon
  • emphasizes later (from now), more clearly future.

So:

• Saya mengembalikan buku ke perpustakaan sore ini.
  = I’m returning the book to the library this afternoon (today).

• Saya akan mengembalikan buku ke perpustakaan nanti sore.
  = I will return the book to the library later this afternoon (more clearly future).

How do I make buku clearly plural, like “books”?

Plurality in Indonesian is often understood from context, but there are a few ways to mark it:

1. Reduplication (repeating the noun):

   • buku-buku = books (in general, or more than one book)

2. Use a number:

   • dua buku = two books
   • beberapa buku = several books

3. Use semua:

   • semua buku = all the books

Examples:

• Saya mengembalikan buku-buku ke perpustakaan sore ini.
  = I’m returning (some) books to the library this afternoon.

• Saya mengembalikan tiga buku ke perpustakaan sore ini.
  = I’m returning three books to the library this afternoon.

Why is it ke perpustakaan, not kepada perpustakaan?

Indonesian has both ke and kepada, but their usage differs:

• ke

  • place (destination):
  • ke perpustakaan = to the library
  • ke rumah = to (the) house/home

• kepada is mainly used with people or organizations as recipients, often more formal:

  • kepada guru = to the teacher
  • kepada orang tua saya = to my parents

In this sentence, you’re talking about a physical place as the destination of the book, so you use ke perpustakaan, not kepada perpustakaan.