Minggu lalu saya berlibur di Bandung.

Last week I went on vacation in Bandung.

Breakdown of Minggu lalu saya berlibur di Bandung.

• saya: I
• di: in
• berlibur: to go on vacation
• Bandung: Bandung
• minggu lalu: last week

Questions & Answers about Minggu lalu saya berlibur di Bandung.

What does Minggu lalu literally mean, and is it the same as last week?

Literally, Minggu lalu means week past or the past week. In normal use, it corresponds to English last week.

So:

• Minggu lalu saya berlibur di Bandung.
  = Last week I was on vacation in Bandung.

Could Minggu here also mean Sunday instead of week?

In Indonesian, Minggu can mean:

1. Sunday (the day of the week) – usually capitalized.
2. week – usually written minggu (lowercase) when it’s not at the start of a sentence.

In this sentence, Minggu is at the beginning, so it must be capitalized anyway, which makes it look like the day Sunday.

However, the phrase Minggu lalu is very commonly understood as last week, not last Sunday, especially if no date or other time word is given.

If you really wanted to say last Sunday, you would usually clarify with hari:

• Hari Minggu lalu saya berlibur di Bandung.
  = Last Sunday I was on vacation in Bandung.

So in the original sentence, context makes Minggu lalu almost always understood as last week.

Why is there no past tense marker like did or -ed in saya berlibur?

Indonesian verbs do not change form for tense.

The verb berlibur is the same for:

• past: Saya berlibur di Bandung. = I was on vacation in Bandung.
• present: Saya berlibur di Bandung (sekarang). = I am on vacation in Bandung (now).
• future: Besok saya berlibur di Bandung. = Tomorrow I will be on vacation in Bandung.

Time is shown by time expressions (like minggu lalu, besok, kemarin) and sometimes by aspect particles (like sudah, sedang, akan), not by changing the verb.

In your sentence, Minggu lalu already clearly makes it past, so nothing else is needed.

Do I need to add sudah (already) to show it’s in the past, like Minggu lalu saya sudah berlibur di Bandung?

You don’t need sudah here. Minggu lalu already tells us the event is in the past.

• Minggu lalu saya berlibur di Bandung.
  = Last week I was on vacation in Bandung. (neutral)

If you add sudah, you add a nuance of completion or emphasis:

• Minggu lalu saya sudah berlibur di Bandung.
  → more like: Last week I already went on vacation in Bandung (it’s done / it’s taken care of).

So it’s grammatically fine, but it slightly changes what you are emphasizing, and it isn’t necessary for simple past meaning.

What is the difference between berlibur, libur, and liburan?

All three relate to holiday / vacation, but they work differently:

1. berlibur – verb (with prefix ber-)

   • means to go on vacation / to be on holiday.
   • Saya berlibur di Bandung. = I was on vacation in Bandung.

2. libur – can be an adjective or verb-ish

   • as adjective: Hari ini saya libur. = I’m off today (no work/school).
   • it often means to be off / no school or work rather than going somewhere special.

3. liburan – noun (or colloquial verb)

   • as noun: Saya punya liburan seminggu. = I have a one-week vacation.
   • in casual speech, people also use it like a verb:
     Minggu lalu saya liburan di Bandung. (colloquial)
     This is very common in spoken Indonesian and is similar in meaning to berlibur.

So berlibur is a standard verb meaning to be on vacation, while liburan is more a noun (a holiday) but also used casually as a verb.

Could I change the word order and say Saya berlibur di Bandung minggu lalu instead?

Yes. Both are natural:

• Minggu lalu saya berlibur di Bandung.
• Saya berlibur di Bandung minggu lalu.

Differences:

• Putting Minggu lalu at the beginning emphasizes the time (“As for last week, I was on holiday in Bandung”).
• Putting minggu lalu at the end is slightly more neutral and common in conversation.

Both are correct and commonly used.

Why is it di Bandung and not ke Bandung?

di and ke have different roles:

• di = in / at (location, where something happens)
  
  • Saya berlibur di Bandung. = I was on vacation in Bandung.
• ke = to (direction, movement towards a place)
  
  • Saya pergi ke Bandung. = I went to Bandung.

In your sentence, the focus is where you spent your vacation, not the movement of going there, so di Bandung is the right choice.

If you wanted to emphasize the act of going, you could say:

• Minggu lalu saya pergi ke Bandung untuk berlibur.
  = Last week I went to Bandung to go on vacation.

Can I say berlibur ke Bandung instead of berlibur di Bandung?

Yes, you can, but the nuance changes slightly:

• berlibur di Bandung
  → emphasizes the place where the holiday takes place (you are there).

• berlibur ke Bandung
  → emphasizes the destination of the holiday (going to Bandung for a holiday).

Both are used and understood. Often, di Bandung sounds a bit more like I spent my vacation there, whereas ke Bandung sounds a bit more like I went there for a vacation.

Do I need the preposition pada before Minggu lalu, like Pada minggu lalu saya berlibur di Bandung?

In everyday Indonesian, you do not need pada here, and Minggu lalu saya berlibur di Bandung sounds more natural.

• Pada
  • time expression is technically grammatical, but for weeks, months, and years in simple sentences, it often sounds overly formal or unnatural if used everywhere.

Typical patterns:

• Minggu lalu saya berlibur di Bandung. ✅ (natural)
• Pada hari Minggu lalu saya berlibur di Bandung. ✅ (if you mean last Sunday – more specific)
• Saya lahir pada tahun 1995. ✅ (here pada is common and natural)

Can I drop saya and just say Minggu lalu berlibur di Bandung?

Grammatically, yes, Indonesian often allows the subject pronoun to be omitted if it is clear from context.

• In a conversation where it’s obvious you are talking about yourself,
  Minggu lalu berlibur di Bandung.
  can be understood as Last week (I) was on vacation in Bandung.

However:

• As a standalone sentence (without prior context), most teachers and textbooks would keep saya so it’s clear and complete:
  Minggu lalu saya berlibur di Bandung.

So: omission is possible in context, but as a learner it’s safer to keep saya until you’re very comfortable with when dropping it sounds natural.

Is saya formal? Could I use aku instead?

Yes:

• saya – neutral and polite; safe almost everywhere (formal and informal).
• aku – more intimate/informal; used with friends, family, or people your age or younger.

You can say:

• Minggu lalu aku berlibur di Bandung.

This sounds like you are speaking casually to friends. The rest of the sentence doesn’t change; only the pronoun does.

Are there other natural ways to express the same idea?

Yes, here are a few common variants with slightly different nuances:

• Minggu lalu saya liburan di Bandung.
  (colloquial, common in speech; same meaning as berlibur)

• Minggu lalu saya pergi ke Bandung untuk berlibur.
  (emphasizes the act of going to Bandung for vacation)

• Minggu lalu saya menghabiskan liburan di Bandung.
  = Last week I spent my vacation in Bandung. (a bit more formal/literary)

• Minggu lalu saya jalan-jalan di Bandung.
  = Last week I strolled around / went out and about in Bandung. (informal, emphasizes casual sightseeing/fun)

All of these keep the same basic idea as the original sentence.