Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Saya suka menonton film di bioskop, sedangkan adik saya lebih suka membaca buku di rumah. - I like watching movies at the cinema, while my younger sibling prefers reading books at home.

In everyday speech, if the gender is clear from context, people just say adik. So adik saya = my younger sibling (brother or sister, depending on context).

Why is saya used here and not aku?

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

saya – more formal or neutral; safe in almost all situations (talking to strangers, in class, at work).
aku – more informal/intimate; used with friends, family, or in casual situations.

So:

Saya suka menonton film... – neutral, polite.
Aku suka nonton film... – casual, friendly.

The sentence chooses saya to sound neutral and slightly formal.

Why is it menonton and not just nonton?

Menonton is the standard / formal form; nonton is the colloquial / spoken form.

Base verb: tonton (to watch)
With meN- prefix: menonton (formal)
Everyday shortened form: nonton

In writing (especially formal or textbooks), you’ll usually see menonton. In conversation, you’ll mostly hear:

Saya suka nonton film di bioskop.

How does suka menonton work? Is it “like to watch” or “like watching”?

In Indonesian, suka + verb covers both English patterns:

saya suka menonton film can mean:
- I like to watch movies, or
- I like watching movies

Indonesian does not distinguish between to watch and watching the way English does; both are expressed with the verb alone (here: menonton or nonton).

What is the role of di in di bioskop? Why not ke bioskop?

di and ke are different prepositions:

di = at / in / on (location, where something happens)
ke = to (movement, going somewhere)

In the sentence:

menonton film di bioskop = watch movies at the cinema (focus on location)
If you said pergi ke bioskop = go to the cinema (movement toward the place)

So di bioskop is correct because the action (watching) happens at the cinema, not towards it.

What does sedangkan mean, and how is it different from sementara or just dan?

Sedangkan links two clauses and shows contrast between two subjects doing different things.

In the sentence:

Saya suka menonton film di bioskop, sedangkan adik saya lebih suka membaca buku di rumah.
= I like watching movies at the cinema, whereas / while my younger sibling prefers reading books at home.

Comparisons:

dan = and (just adds information, no contrast)
sementara can also mean while, but:
- sementara is more often about time (two actions happening at the same time)
- sedangkan highlights contrast (A does X, B does Y)

Here the focus is on the difference in preference, so sedangkan is the best choice.

How does lebih suka work? Is it like “more like” or “prefer”?

Lebih suka literally is:

lebih = more
suka = like

Together: lebih suka ≈ to like more, which is equivalent to to prefer.

In the sentence:

adik saya lebih suka membaca buku di rumah
= my younger sibling prefers reading books at home
(literally: my younger sibling more-likes reading books at home)

You can also say:

Saya lebih suka kopi daripada teh.
= I prefer coffee to tea.

Why is it membaca buku and not just membaca? Is buku necessary?

Grammatically, buku is not required. You could say:

...lebih suka membaca di rumah.
= ...prefers reading at home.

Adding buku makes it more explicit: reading books, not just reading things in general (messages, news, etc.). Both are natural; the sentence simply chooses the more specific version.

Why is there no word for the or a in film and buku?

Indonesian has no articles like a / an / the. The noun film or buku can mean:

a film / films / the film / the films
a book / books / the book / the books

The exact meaning depends on context. Here:

menonton film di bioskop is naturally understood as watch movies at the cinema
membaca buku di rumah as read books at home

If you need to be specific, you add extra words (e.g., film itu = that/the film; sebuah buku = one book/a book).

What is the typical word order in Saya suka menonton film di bioskop? Can I move things around?

Basic Indonesian word order here is:

Subject – Verb – Object – Place
Saya (subject) suka menonton (verb phrase) film (object) di bioskop (place).

You have some flexibility, but not all orders sound natural. For example:

Saya suka menonton film di bioskop. ✅ natural
Saya suka menonton di bioskop film. ❌ sounds wrong
Di bioskop saya suka menonton film. ✅ possible, emphasizes at the cinema

For beginners, stick to S – V – O – Place.

How is tense expressed here? How do we know if it’s present, past, or future?

Indonesian verbs do not change form for tense. Suka menonton is tenseless by itself.

The sentence can mean:

I like watching movies at the cinema. (present/habit)
I liked watching movies at the cinema. (past, if context is past)
I will like watching movies at the cinema. (rare but possible in the right context)

Tense is indicated by time words or context:

dulu (in the past), tadi (earlier), sekarang (now), nanti (later), etc.

Example:

Dulu saya suka menonton film di bioskop...
= In the past I liked watching movies at the cinema...

Does di rumah mean “at home” or “in the house”? Is there a difference?

Di rumah can mean both at home and in the house, depending on context. It generally refers to home as a place, not necessarily the physical building.

In this sentence:

membaca buku di rumah = read books at home

If you wanted to emphasize in the house (not outside), you would rely on context or add more detail, but di rumah is the normal way to say at home.

Can this sentence be made more casual, like how friends would say it?

Yes. A common casual version might be:

Aku suka nonton film di bioskop, sedangkan adikku lebih suka baca buku di rumah.

Changes:

saya → aku (more informal)
menonton → nonton (spoken form)
membaca → baca (spoken form)
adik saya → adikku (colloquial possessive)

All are very common in everyday conversation.

How do I specifically say “my younger brother” or “my younger sister” instead of the gender‑neutral adik saya?

You add a gender word:

adik laki-laki saya or adik saya yang laki-laki
= my younger brother
adik perempuan saya or adik saya yang perempuan
= my younger sister

So the sentence could become:

Saya suka menonton film di bioskop, sedangkan adik perempuan saya lebih suka membaca buku di rumah.
= I like watching movies at the cinema, whereas my younger sister prefers reading books at home.