Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Anak kedua saya suka membaca di perpustakaan. - My second child likes reading in the library.

Saya anak kedua would more naturally mean “I am the second child” (in my family), not “my second child.”
So the original sentence uses the normal word order for “my second child.”

Does anak kedua saya always mean “my second child,” or could it mean “my two children” or “both my children”?

Anak kedua saya means “my second child” (the child who is number 2 in birth order).

This is different from:

kedua anak saya = both of my children
dua anak saya = my two children

So:

anak kedua saya → one child, the second one
kedua anak saya → two children, all of them, both
dua anak saya → two of my children (maybe I have more than two in total)

Could I also say anak saya yang kedua? Is that the same as anak kedua saya?

Yes, anak saya yang kedua is also correct and means the same thing: “my second child.”

Nuance:

anak kedua saya – slightly more compact, very common in speech.
anak saya yang kedua – slightly more explicit/emphasized: literally “the child of mine who is second.”

Both are natural and widely used. In everyday conversation, anak kedua saya is very common.

What exactly does suka do here? How is suka different from senang or gemar?

In this sentence, suka means “to like / to enjoy (doing something)”.

Common options:

suka
- verb/noun
- Anak kedua saya suka membaca.
  My second child likes reading.
senang
- verb
  More about feeling happy when doing it; can overlap with suka, but can sound slightly more emotional.
- Dia senang membaca. = He/She is happy when reading / enjoys reading.
gemar
- verb/noun
  More formal or bookish; closer to “is fond of / has a hobby of.”
- Dia gemar membaca.

In neutral spoken Indonesian, suka is the most common and natural choice.

Why is it membaca and not just baca? What does the me- prefix do?

Baca is the root verb “read.”
Membaca is the me- form of that root.

In standard sentences with a subject, the me- form is usually used:

Saya membaca buku. = I read a book.
Dia menulis surat. = He/She writes a letter.

The bare root (baca, tulis, etc.) is used mostly in:

Commands: Baca ini! = Read this!
Dictionaries: entries are under the root.
Some fixed expressions and casual speech, mostly after auxiliaries or in very informal usage (e.g., lagi baca in colloquial speech).

So Anak kedua saya suka membaca is the normal, grammatically standard form.

How do I know this means “likes to read (generally)” and not “liked / will like / is liking”? There’s no tense marker.

Indonesian verbs do not change form for tense (no conjugation like in English). Membaca can cover read / reads / is reading / will read / was reading, depending on context.

Here, several cues tell us it’s a general habit:

The verb suka (likes) usually refers to a general preference.
There is no time expression (like kemarin = yesterday, besok = tomorrow), so the default reading is “in general / habitually.”

If you want to be explicit, you can add time words:

Dulu anak kedua saya suka membaca di perpustakaan.
My second child used to like reading in the library.
Sekarang anak kedua saya suka membaca di perpustakaan.
Now my second child likes reading in the library.

Can I move di perpustakaan to a different position, like Anak kedua saya di perpustakaan suka membaca?

The most natural position for di perpustakaan in this sentence is after the verb phrase:

Anak kedua saya suka membaca di perpustakaan. ✅

You can also put the place at the beginning for emphasis or context:

Di perpustakaan, anak kedua saya suka membaca. (more formal/written, or for contrast)

But:

Anak kedua saya di perpustakaan suka membaca. ❌
Sounds odd; it suggests “My second child who is in the library likes to read”, but even then you would normally say:
- Anak kedua saya yang di perpustakaan suka membaca.

So, for a neutral, simple sentence, keep di perpustakaan at the end.

What’s the difference between di and ke? Why is it di perpustakaan and not ke perpustakaan?

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

In the sentence:

membaca di perpustakaan = reading in/at the library (location)

If you wanted to talk about going there, you would use ke:

Anak kedua saya pergi ke perpustakaan.
My second child goes to the library.

So di perpustakaan is correct because it describes where the reading happens, not movement toward the library.

What does perpustakaan literally mean? Is it related to pustaka?

Yes. Perpustakaan is built from:

pustaka = text, book, writing (a bit literary)
per- … -an = a common place-forming circumfix

So perpustakaan literally means “place of books/texts”, which is exactly “library.”

You will see per- … -an in many place or institution nouns:

perkantoran = office area/complex (from kantor = office)
perumahan = housing complex (from rumah = house)

Can I drop saya and just say Anak kedua suka membaca di perpustakaan?

Yes, in the right context.

If it is already clear whose child you are talking about (for example, you are speaking about your own family and you have already established that), you can drop saya:

Anak kedua suka membaca di perpustakaan.

Listeners will usually understand it as “my second child” in that context.

But if the context is not clear (for example, in writing, or among people who don’t know your family), anak kedua saya is clearer.

How would I say “My two children like to read in the library” instead?

Several natural options:

Kedua anak saya suka membaca di perpustakaan.
= Both of my children like to read in the library.
Dua anak saya suka membaca di perpustakaan.
= Two of my children like to read in the library.
(Implies you might have more than two children.)
If you just want to say “my children” in general (without mentioning the number):
- Anak-anak saya suka membaca di perpustakaan.
  My children like to read in the library.

Note: anak kedua saya = my second child (one child). Do not use this form if you mean two or more children.

How do I say “My second daughter” or “My second son” instead of the gender-neutral anak kedua saya?

You can specify gender by changing anak to a more specific noun:

anak perempuan kedua saya = my second daughter
anak laki-laki kedua saya = my second son

The pattern is:

anak [gender] kedua saya

You can also say:

putri kedua saya = my second daughter (somewhat more formal)
putra kedua saya = my second son (somewhat more formal)