Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Dia duduk di kursi keempat.

Add a name: Dia (Rina) duduk di kursi keempat.
Use a descriptive phrase: Dia, perempuan itu, duduk di kursi keempat.
(“She, that woman, is sitting in the fourth chair.”)

But in normal conversation, dia is enough, and listeners work out the gender from context.

Does duduk mean “sits” or “is sitting”? Where is the tense?

Duduk literally means “to sit / sitting.” Indonesian verbs usually do not change form for tense.

Dia duduk di kursi keempat.
can mean:
- “He/She is sitting in the fourth chair.” (right now)
- “He/She sits in the fourth chair.” (habitually, depending on context)

If you really want to emphasize time, you add time words, not change the verb:

Tadi dia duduk di kursi keempat. – He/She was sitting in the fourth chair (earlier).
Sekarang dia duduk di kursi keempat. – He/She is sitting in the fourth chair (now).
Nanti dia akan duduk di kursi keempat. – He/She will sit in the fourth chair.

Can dia be left out, like just Duduk di kursi keempat?

Yes, sometimes Indonesian drops the subject when it’s already clear from context.

Dia duduk di kursi keempat. – Full sentence.
(Dia) duduk di kursi keempat. – In conversation, if everyone knows who you’re talking about, dia might be omitted in follow‑up sentences.

However, as a standalone sentence, the most natural and clear version is with dia included. Duduk di kursi keempat without subject can sound like:

An instruction: “(You) sit in the fourth chair.”
A fragment or note, rather than a complete narrative sentence.

What’s the difference between di as in di kursi and di- as a passive prefix?

There are two different di in Indonesian:

Preposition di (separate word, usually location):
- di kursi – on/at the chair
- di rumah – at home
- di sekolah – at school
It always stands alone and is followed by a noun of place.
Prefix di- (attached to verbs, passive voice):
- dikerjakan – is done / was done
- dibaca – is read / was read
It is written together with the verb.

In Dia duduk di kursi keempat, di is the preposition showing location, not the passive prefix.

Why is it di kursi and not di atas kursi for “on the chair”?

For sitting, di kursi is the normal, idiomatic phrase. You can think of it as “in the seat” or “on the chair,” depending on how you visualize it.

Dia duduk di kursi keempat. – He/She is sitting in/on the fourth chair.

You would use di atas kursi when you really mean physically on top of the chair in a non‑normal way, e.g. standing or climbing:

Anak itu berdiri di atas kursi. – The child is standing on the chair.

So:

duduk di kursi – natural, normal sitting.
duduk di atas kursi – possible, but sounds like emphasizing the surface; usually unnecessary and less idiomatic.

How is kursi keempat structured? Why is the number after the noun?

In Indonesian, ordinal numbers usually come after the noun:

kursi keempat – the fourth chair
orang pertama – the first person
bab ketiga – the third chapter

Structure:

kursi – chair
ke-
- empat – “fourth”

So kursi keempat literally feels like “chair number‑fourth.” You don’t say keempat kursi for “fourth chair”; that would sound like “the four chairs” or just unnatural.

To build other ordinals:

pertama – first (special form; not kesatu in common use)
kedua – second
ketiga – third
keempat – fourth
kelima – fifth
etc.

What’s the difference between kursi keempat and kursi yang keempat?

Both can be correct; the difference is nuance and style.

kursi keempat – short, neutral, very common.
kursi yang keempat – a bit more explicit or formal; can sound slightly more “pointing out” that it’s the fourth.

Examples:

Dia duduk di kursi keempat. – Normal everyday sentence.
Silakan duduk di kursi yang keempat dari kiri. – “Please sit in the fourth chair from the left.”
Here yang helps highlight or specify the particular chair.

In many contexts, yang can be omitted without changing the basic meaning:

di kursi (yang) keempat – both understandable; without yang is more common in casual speech.

How do I say “the fourth chair from the left/right” using this sentence?

You just add dari (“from”) and the direction:

Dia duduk di kursi keempat dari kiri.
– He/She is sitting in the fourth chair from the left.
Dia duduk di kursi keempat dari kanan.
– He/She is sitting in the fourth chair from the right.

You can also say:

Dia duduk di kursi keempat dari depan. – fourth chair from the front.
Dia duduk di kursi keempat dari belakang. – fourth chair from the back.

Do I need any plural marker or classifier with kursi here?

No. Kursi here is just “chair” as a countable noun; Indonesian usually doesn’t need:

Plural suffixes
A word like “a / the” in English
A classifier like in some other Asian languages

kursi keempat is naturally understood as one specific chair, the fourth one in a sequence. If you needed to emphasize plural, you would change the whole phrase, not just add a marker to kursi:

keempat kursi itu – those four chairs
empat kursi – four chairs

How would I say “They are sitting in the fourth chair” instead of “He/She”?

Use mereka for “they” (plural). The verb duduk doesn’t change:

Mereka duduk di kursi keempat.
– They are sitting in the fourth chair.

Context will decide if this means:

Several people somehow sharing that one “fourth chair,” or
They each have their own fourth chair (in different rows/places).
Usually you’d clarify if needed:
Mereka masing‑masing duduk di kursi keempat. – Each of them sits in the fourth chair.

When would I use beliau instead of dia?

Beliau is a respectful form of “he/she,” used for people you respect or for formal situations:

teachers
elders
leaders
important guests, etc.

For example:

Beliau duduk di kursi keempat.
– (The respected person) is sitting in the fourth chair.

Use dia for normal, neutral reference; use beliau when you want to show politeness and respect.