Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Di pesta kecil itu, kami bertukar hadiah manis di ruang tamu. - At that small party, we exchanged sweet gifts in the living room.

In Di pesta kecil itu, it’s most naturally at that small party.
You cannot omit di here. Without it, pesta kecil itu would just be that small party (as a noun phrase), not a location.
So:
- Di pesta kecil itu = At that small party (location phrase)
- pesta kecil itu = that small party (just a noun phrase)

Why is it pesta kecil itu and not itu pesta kecil, like that small party in English?

Indonesian noun phrase order is different from English:

Basic pattern: noun + adjective + determiner/demonstrative
So:
- pesta = party
- kecil = small
- itu = that / the (that specific one)

Put together: pesta kecil itu literally feels like party small that, but it means that small party / the small party.

itu usually comes after the noun (and its modifiers), not before like that in English.

What exactly does itu mean in this sentence? Is it that, the, or something else?

Itu here is a demonstrative that does two things at once:

Distance: often corresponds to that (farther / not near the speaker).
Definiteness: often works like the, referring to a specific party already known in context.

So pesta kecil itu can be understood as:

that small party (if you’re contrasting it with other parties, or it’s not near you), or
the small party (a specific, known party).

In many contexts, English speakers will just translate it as at the small party, even though itu is literally that.

Why is kami used instead of kita? What’s the difference?

Both mean we / us, but:

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

In this sentence, kami suggests:

The speaker is talking about their group, and the listener was not part of that group (didn’t attend the party or wasn’t involved in the gift exchange).

If the listener had also been at that party, the speaker would more naturally use kita:
Di pesta kecil itu, kita bertukar hadiah manis di ruang tamu.
= At that small party, we (you and I) exchanged sweet gifts in the living room.

What does bertukar mean, and how is it different from menukar?

Both come from the root tukar (to exchange / swap).

bertukar (with prefix ber-) often means to exchange with each other, a mutual or reciprocal action.
- kami bertukar hadiah = we exchanged gifts (with each other).
menukar (with prefix meN-) means to exchange / change something, more like to swap X for Y, often with an object:
- Saya menukar uang di bank. = I exchanged money at the bank.
- Dia menukar kado itu. = He/She exchanged that gift.

In your sentence, bertukar is natural because everyone is giving and receiving gifts in a reciprocal way.

Where is the past tense here? How do we know this happened in the past?

Indonesian does not usually mark tense with verb endings like English does.

bertukar itself is tenseless. It can mean:
- exchange / are exchanging / exchanged
Past, present, or future time is mostly shown by:
- context (we know parties usually happen at specific times, often in the past)
- time words (like kemarin = yesterday, tadi malam = last night, besok = tomorrow)

So if you want to be explicit:

Kemarin, di pesta kecil itu, kami bertukar hadiah manis di ruang tamu.
= Yesterday, at that small party, we exchanged sweet gifts in the living room.

Does hadiah manis mean physically sweet gifts, like candy, or just nice gifts?

Manis literally means sweet (taste), but it also has a figurative meaning: sweet / cute / lovely / endearing.

So hadiah manis can mean:

sweet-tasting gifts (e.g., cookies, candies, chocolates), or
sweet / cute gifts emotionally (e.g., a thoughtful letter, a cute mug, a handmade item).

The sentence itself doesn’t force one meaning; context decides. If you’re talking about snacks or food, it’s likely literally sweet. If you’re talking about romance or friendship, it may be emotionally sweet.

Why is it hadiah manis and not manis hadiah?

In Indonesian, adjectives normally come after the noun:

hadiah manis = sweet gift(s)
rumah besar = big house
baju baru = new clothes

So the standard order is:

noun + adjective

Putting the adjective before the noun (like manis hadiah) is not correct in normal Indonesian grammar.

What exactly is ruang tamu? Is it the same as living room?

Literally:

ruang = room
tamu = guest

So ruang tamu is the guest room in the sense of the room where you receive guests.
In most houses, that’s what English speakers call the living room or sitting room.

In everyday translations, ruang tamu = living room is perfectly natural.

Is it okay to use di twice in one sentence like Di pesta kecil itu ... di ruang tamu? It sounds repetitive to me in English.

Yes, this is completely natural in Indonesian.

The sentence has two location phrases:

Di pesta kecil itu = at that small party (time/place frame)
di ruang tamu = in the living room (more specific location in that party)

Indonesian repeats di for each location phrase. It does not sound awkward.

In English you might say:

At that small party, we exchanged sweet gifts in the living room.

In Indonesian, the repetition of di is normal and often clearer:

Di pesta kecil itu, kami bertukar hadiah manis di ruang tamu.

Could I say Pada pesta kecil itu or Dalam pesta kecil itu instead of Di pesta kecil itu? Are they different?

They are possible but have slightly different feels:

Di pesta kecil itu
- Most natural and common.
- Neutral at that small party.
Pada pesta kecil itu
- More formal/written; often used in official or literary style.
- Still means at that small party.
Dalam pesta kecil itu
- Literally inside that small party.
- Sounds a bit more figurative or descriptive, as if focusing on what happened within the event itself.
- Less common in casual speech; might appear in more narrative or literary contexts.

For everyday use, Di pesta kecil itu is the best default.