Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Malam ini aku menonton dua episode terakhir serial favoritku dengan perangkat nirkabelmu. - Tonight I’m watching the last two episodes of my favorite series with your wireless device.

The time word malam ini (tonight) tells you it’s about the (near) future, so aku menonton here is understood as I’m going to watch / I will watch.

If you really want to make the future meaning explicit, you can add akan:

Malam ini aku akan menonton dua episode terakhir …
= Tonight I will watch the last two episodes …

But akan is optional; many Indonesians will simply say Malam ini aku menonton… the way your sentence does.

Why is it malam ini and not ini malam?

For time expressions, the usual pattern is:

time word + ini/itu
e.g. hari ini (today), pagi ini (this morning), malam ini (tonight)

Ini malam is not standard for “tonight” and sounds odd in Indonesian. Stick with malam ini.

What’s the difference between aku and saya here? Could I say Malam ini saya menonton…?

Both aku and saya mean I / me, but they differ in formality:

aku: informal, used with friends, family, people your age or younger, in casual writing, song lyrics, etc.
saya: neutral–polite, safe for almost any situation, especially with strangers, at work, or in more formal contexts.

So these are both correct:

Malam ini aku menonton … (informal, friendly)
Malam ini saya menonton … (more neutral/polite)

You usually match this choice with how you say you:

aku ↔ kamu / -mu (informal)
saya ↔ Anda (polite/formal)

What does the suffix -ku in favoritku mean, and why is it attached to the word?

The suffix -ku means my. It’s an enclitic pronoun that attaches to a noun or adjective:

buku (book) → bukuku (my book)
rumah (house) → rumahku (my house)
favorit (favorite) → favoritku (my favorite)

In serial favoritku, the structure is:

serial = series
favorit = favorite
-ku = my

So serial favoritku = my favorite series.

In writing, -ku is usually written as one word: favoritku, not favorit ku.

Similarly, what does -mu in nirkabelmu mean?

The suffix -mu means your (informal, singular). It’s the informal counterpart of -ku (my):

perangkat nirkabel = wireless device
perangkat nirkabelmu = your wireless device

Other examples:

bukumu = your book
rumahmu = your house

Like -ku, -mu attaches directly to the preceding word: nirkabelmu, not nirkabel mu.

Because -mu is informal, it fits naturally with aku/kamu style speech, not with very formal language.

Could I instead say perangkat nirkabel Anda? How would that change the tone?

Yes, you can say:

Malam ini saya menonton … dengan perangkat nirkabel Anda.

Changes:

-mu → Anda:
- -mu = informal your
- Anda = polite/formal you / your (written separately, not as a suffix)
Pronoun consistency:
If you use Anda, it’s more natural to also use saya instead of aku:
- Malam ini saya menonton dua episode terakhir serial favorit saya dengan perangkat nirkabel Anda.

This version sounds more polite/professional, suitable for talking to customers, clients, or people you don’t know well.

In English we’d usually say “on your wireless device”, not “with your wireless device”. Why is it dengan here and not di?

In Indonesian:

dengan often means with / by using, indicating the means or tool:
- menulis dengan pensil = write with a pencil
- mencuci dengan mesin cuci = wash with a washing machine

So:

… menonton … dengan perangkat nirkabelmu
literally: … watch … with your wireless device
i.e. using your wireless device.

If you said di perangkat nirkabelmu, it would sound like a location:

di = at / in / on (place)

Menonton di perangkat nirkabelmu is possible in some contexts but dengan is more natural when you emphasize the device as a tool/medium rather than a place.

What exactly does menonton mean? Is it different from nonton, melihat, or menyaksikan?

Menonton means to watch (especially something on a screen or a performance):

menonton TV = watch TV
menonton film = watch a movie
menonton serial = watch a series

Related words:

nonton: colloquial, shortened form of menonton.
- Malam ini aku nonton dua episode terakhir … (very casual speech/text).
melihat / lihat: to see / look (at), more general, not specifically about shows.
- melihat gambar = look at a picture
menyaksikan: to witness / to watch, a bit more formal or dramatic.
- menyaksikan pertandingan = watch/witness a match

In your sentence, menonton is the standard, neutral verb.

Why is there no plural ending on episode in dua episode terakhir? How do I know it’s plural?

Indonesian usually does not change the noun form for plural. Number is shown by:

a numeral (like dua = two)
quantifiers (like banyak = many)
or context.

So:

episode = episode / episodes
dua episode = two episodes
banyak episode = many episodes

You know it’s plural because of dua (two). No extra plural marker is needed.

Why does terakhir (last) come after episode? Could it go somewhere else?

In Indonesian, adjectives usually come after the noun:

episode terakhir = last episode
serial favorit = favorite series
baju baru = new clothes

So:

dua episode terakhir = the last two episodes

You don’t say terakhir dua episode here.

Terakhir can appear before a noun in some fixed expressions (e.g. terakhir kali = last time), but in a phrase like last two episodes, it naturally follows episode.

Is dua episode terakhir serial favoritku really the same as “the last two episodes of my favorite series”? Where is the word “of”?

Yes, that whole chunk:

dua episode terakhir serial favoritku

corresponds to:

the last two episodes of my favorite series

The structure is:

dua episode terakhir = the last two episodes
serial favoritku = my favorite series

Indonesian often shows possession or “of” relationships just by putting nouns next to each other:

rumah teman saya = the house of my friend / my friend’s house
tas kulit = leather bag (bag of leather)

So you don’t always need a word like of. The relationship is understood from the order and context.

Could I say dua episode terakhir dari serial favoritku instead? Is that more natural?

Yes, that’s also correct and very natural:

Malam ini aku menonton dua episode terakhir dari serial favoritku.

Here dari functions like “of / from”:

dua episode terakhir dari serial favoritku
= the last two episodes of my favorite series.

Both versions are fine:

Without dari:
- dua episode terakhir serial favoritku
  (slightly more compact, still natural)
With dari:
- dua episode terakhir dari serial favoritku
  (a bit more explicit; learners often find this easier to parse)

Native speakers use both patterns.

Is serial favoritku the same as seri favoritku? Which is more common?

Both serial and seri exist, but they have slightly different common uses:

serial: often used for TV shows / drama series:
- serial TV, serial drama, serial komedi
seri: often used for a series in a broader sense (books, products, games, etc.):
- seri buku, seri film, seri game, seri produk

In everyday speech, people might mix them, but:

serial favoritku is very natural for my favorite (TV) series/show.
seri favoritku can also be understood, but many speakers will associate serial more directly with an episodic show on TV/streaming.