Kami melihat kambing di kandang belakang rumah nenek.

the house

Breakdown of Kami melihat kambing di kandang belakang rumah nenek.

• di: in
• kami: we
• melihat: to see
• nenek: the grandmother
• belakang: behind
• kandang: the pen
• kambing: the goat

Questions & Answers about Kami melihat kambing di kandang belakang rumah nenek.

What is the difference between kami and kita, and why is kami used in this sentence?

Indonesian has two words for we:

• kami = we (NOT including the person you’re talking to) → exclusive we
• kita = we (including the person you’re talking to) → inclusive we

In Kami melihat kambing di kandang belakang rumah nenek, kami suggests:

• The speaker and some other people saw the goat(s),
• but the listener was not part of that group.

If the speaker wanted to include the listener (for example “You and I saw the goats…”), they would say:

• Kita melihat kambing di kandang belakang rumah nenek.

Does melihat mean see or saw? Where is the past tense in Indonesian?

Melihat can mean see, saw, or to see, depending on context. Indonesian verbs do not change form for tense.

So:

• Kami melihat kambing… can be:
  • We see goats… (present),
  • We saw goats… (past),
  • in some contexts, We are seeing / were seeing goats…

To make the past clearer, Indonesians often add time words or aspect markers, for example:

• Tadi kami melihat kambing… = Earlier we saw goats…
• Kemarin kami melihat kambing… = Yesterday we saw goats…
• Kami sudah melihat kambing… = We have already seen the goats.

But grammatically, melihat itself doesn’t change.

Is kambing singular or plural here? How do I say a goat or goats in Indonesian?

On its own, kambing can mean goat or goats. Indonesian nouns are usually not marked for singular vs plural.

To be more specific:

• seekor kambing = one goat
  
  • se- = one
  • ekor = classifier for animals
• beberapa kambing = several/some goats
• banyak kambing = many goats

So:

• Kami melihat kambing = We saw goat(s). Context tells you if it’s one or more.
• Kami melihat seekor kambing = We saw one goat.
• Kami melihat beberapa kambing = We saw some goats.

Why is there no word like a or the before kambing?

Indonesian does not have articles like a, an, or the.

The bare noun kambing can cover:

• a goat
• the goat
• goats
• the goats

You use other words to add the meanings English expresses with articles:

• seekor kambing = a goat / one goat
• kambing itu = that goat / the goat
• kambing-kambing itu = those goats / the goats
• beberapa kambing = some goats

In Kami melihat kambing di kandang…, context tells you which makes most sense in English.

How is di kandang belakang rumah nenek structured? What exactly is behind what?

Break it down:

• di = at / in / on (location)
• kandang = pen / enclosure
• belakang = back / behind
• rumah = house
• nenek = grandmother

There are two main ways to read the phrase:

1. The usual, natural reading

   • kandang belakang rumah nenek is “the pen (that is) behind Grandma’s house.”
   • So di kandang belakang rumah nenek = in the pen behind Grandma’s house.

2. A more literal step-by-step breakdown

   • di kandang = in the pen
   • belakang rumah nenek = (which is) behind Grandma’s house

If you want to make the structure extra clear, you can say:

• di kandang di belakang rumah nenek = in the pen behind Grandma’s house

But in everyday Indonesian, di kandang belakang rumah nenek is perfectly natural and usually understood the same way.

What does rumah nenek literally mean, and how does possession work here?

Literally:

• rumah = house
• nenek = grandmother

So rumah nenek = grandmother’s house (Grandma’s house).

In Indonesian, putting two nouns together like this often expresses possession:

• rumah nenek = Grandma’s house
• buku Ali = Ali’s book
• mobil ayah = Dad’s car

You can make the possessor more explicit:

• rumah nenek saya = my grandmother’s house
• rumah nenekku = my grandma’s house (more informal/intimate)

But in context, rumah nenek is usually understood as Grandma’s house.

In English I would say my grandma’s house. Why is there no my in rumah nenek? Does nenek mean my grandma?

Kinship terms in Indonesian (like nenek, ayah, ibu, kakak, etc.) are often used without an explicit my, especially when it’s obvious whose relative is being referred to.

• rumah nenek is usually understood as my/our grandma’s house if the speaker is talking about their own family.
• Strictly speaking, nenek just means grandmother, not necessarily my grandmother, but context fills in the “my”.

If you need to be very clear:

• rumah nenek saya = my grandmother’s house
• rumah nenekmu = your grandmother’s house
• rumah nenek mereka = their grandmother’s house

Can I say kambing-kambing to clearly mean goats? When is this reduplication used?

Yes, kambing-kambing can mean goats (plural), but reduplication has some nuances:

• kambing (no reduplication)
  
  • goat / goats (number left unspecified; most common)
• kambing-kambing
  
  • goats (plural, often with a sense of “many goats” or emphasizing plurality as a group)

Typical patterns:

• With numbers or quantifiers, you usually don’t reduplicate:

  • tiga kambing (not tiga kambing-kambing) = three goats
  • banyak kambing = many goats

• To strongly emphasize the idea of “various / many separate individuals,” you might use reduplication:

  • Di sana ada kambing-kambing. = There are goats there (you see several animals).

In your sentence, Kami melihat kambing di kandang… is already natural; kambing-kambing is not necessary unless you really want to stress “lots of goats.”

Why is di used before kandang? What is the difference between di, ke, and pada?

These are common prepositions:

• di = at / in / on (for location, no movement)

  • di kandang = in the pen
  • di rumah nenek = at Grandma’s house

• ke = to / toward (movement to a place)

  • pergi ke kandang = go to the pen
  • pulang ke rumah nenek = go back to Grandma’s house

• pada = on / at / to (more abstract or for people, time, etc.)

  • pada hari Senin = on Monday
  • berbicara pada nenek = speak to Grandma

In di kandang belakang rumah nenek, we are talking about where the goats are seen (their location), not movement, so di is correct.

What is the difference between melihat and lihat? Could I say Kami lihat kambing…?

The root verb is lihat (see). The prefix me- turns it into a standard active verb:

• melihat = to see / sees / saw
• lihat = see (root form, also used as a command: Lihat! = Look!)

In standard full sentences, you normally use melihat:

• Kami melihat kambing… = We see/saw goats…

You can hear Kami lihat kambing…, especially in casual speech. It sounds more informal/colloquial or “shortened”. It’s not wrong in everyday conversation, but for learners and in writing, melihat is the safer, more standard choice.