Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Saya suka menonton drama keluarga di televisi pada malam hari. - I like watching family dramas on television at night.

Saya is the neutral, polite word for I in Indonesian. It’s safe in almost all situations, especially with people you don’t know well, in writing, or in formal contexts.

You can say:

aku – more informal/intimate (friends, family, same age).
gue / gua – very informal, mainly in Jakarta-style slang.

In a textbook-style sentence, saya is the default choice.

What does suka do here? Is it like to like or to enjoy?

Suka means to like or to be fond of.

In Saya suka menonton…, the pattern is:

saya = I
suka = like
menonton = to watch / watching

So suka + verb means like to do [that action], similar to English I like to watch or I like watching. Both meanings are covered by the same structure in Indonesian.

Why is it menonton and not just tonton?

The basic root is tonton (to watch).
The prefix meN- turns it into an active verb: menonton.

General pattern:

root tonton
add meN- → menonton (the t disappears, a normal spelling change)

In standard Indonesian sentences, you usually use the meN- form (menonton, makan, membaca, etc.) for I/you/he/she/they doing an action.

Colloquially, people often shorten menonton to nonton, especially in speech or informal writing:

Saya suka nonton drama keluarga. (informal but very common)

What exactly does drama keluarga mean? Is it family drama in general or drama about my family?

Drama keluarga literally is family drama or family-themed drama.

In Indonesian, you often put two nouns together:

drama (drama) + keluarga (family) → drama keluarga (a type of drama)

By default, keluarga here is just describing the genre, not possession. It does not automatically mean drama about my family. To say about my family, you’d add saya:

drama tentang keluarga saya = drama about my family.

Why is it drama keluarga and not keluarga drama like in English family drama?

Indonesian noun order is usually the reverse of English.

Pattern:

Indonesian: [main noun] + [describing noun]
English: [describing noun] + [main noun]

So:

drama keluarga = family drama
rumah sakit = hospital (literally sick house)
toko buku = bookstore (literally book shop)

You put the type or main thing first (drama), then the classifier or descriptor (keluarga).

Why do we use di in di televisi but pada in pada malam hari?

Di is mainly for location (in, at, on).
Pada is more general but is very commonly used for time expressions in more formal or careful Indonesian.

di televisi = on TV → place/medium → use di
pada malam hari = at night → time → common to use pada

In everyday speech, people often drop pada and just say:

…di televisi malam hari.
But in textbooks and formal writing, pada malam hari is very normal.

Is pada malam hari different from just malam or malam hari?

They’re very close in meaning. All refer to night, but there are small nuances in formality and emphasis:

malam = night / evening; simple, common.
malam hari = literally night day, but idiomatically just nighttime; feels a bit more complete or formal.
pada malam hari = at night; adds a preposition, often used in careful or written Indonesian.

In casual speech, you’ll hear all of these, especially just malam or malam hari. The sentence would still be fine as:

Saya suka menonton drama keluarga di televisi malam hari.

How do I know this sentence is about something habitual (a routine) and not just one time?

Indonesian usually doesn’t mark tense with verb changes. Context and time expressions tell you if it’s habitual, present, or past.

Here, suka (like) and pada malam hari (at night) suggest a general habit or preference:

Saya suka menonton… → I like watching… (habit)

If you wanted to make it clearly past and one-time, you’d add a time word like:

Kemarin malam saya menonton drama keluarga di televisi.
(Last night I watched a family drama on TV.)

Can I drop saya and just say Suka menonton drama keluarga di televisi pada malam hari?

Yes, in context you can often drop the subject pronoun in Indonesian, especially in spoken language.

If it’s clear from context that you are talking about yourself,

Suka menonton drama keluarga di televisi pada malam hari.
can be understood as (I) like watching family dramas on TV at night.

In a standalone example sentence (like in a textbook), we usually keep saya so the subject is explicit.

Is televisi the only correct word, or can I say TV?

Both are acceptable:

televisi – more formal / standard spelling.
TV or tivi – very common in speech and informal writing.

So you can say:

Saya suka menonton drama keluarga di televisi… (neutral/formal)
Saya suka nonton drama keluarga di TV… (informal, very natural).