Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Kamera web di laptop dia rusak, sementara kamera di gawainya masih berfungsi. - The webcam on his/her laptop is broken, while the camera on his/her gadget still works.

Kamera web di laptop dia rusak, sementara kamera di gawainya masih berfungsi.

The webcam on his/her laptop is broken, while the camera on his/her gadget still works.

Breakdown of Kamera web di laptop dia rusak, sementara kamera di gawainya masih berfungsi.

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Questions & Answers about Kamera web di laptop dia rusak, sementara kamera di gawainya masih berfungsi.

Why is it di laptop dia and not something like di dia laptop, like in English in his laptop?

In Indonesian, possessors normally come after the noun they own.

laptop dia = his/her laptop
- laptop (thing) + dia (owner)
You cannot say dia laptop. That order is ungrammatical.

The preposition di goes before the noun phrase it governs:

di laptop dia = on his/her laptop
- di (at/on/in) + laptop dia (his/her laptop)

So the structure is:

kamera web (subject) di (preposition) laptop dia (prepositional phrase) rusak (predicate)

What exactly does sementara mean here? Is it “while”, “whereas”, or “meanwhile”? Can I use tetapi instead?

In this sentence, sementara links two contrasting situations that exist at the same time. It is close to English whereas or while (in a contrast sense):

kamera web di laptop dia rusak, sementara kamera di gawainya masih berfungsi
= The webcam on the laptop is broken, whereas the camera on the device still works.

Nuance of common options:

sementara – “while/whereas”, often used to contrast two simultaneous states or facts.
sedangkan – very similar to sementara in this function, often interchangeable here.
tetapi / tapi – “but”. Also correct, but it sounds like a more generic contrast, without the “two sides of a comparison” feel.

You could say:

… rusak, tetapi kamera di gawainya masih berfungsi. (perfectly fine)
… rusak, sedangkan kamera di gawainya masih berfungsi. (also fine)

Using sementara or sedangkan makes the sentence feel like a neat comparison between the laptop’s camera and the device’s camera.

What is gawai? Is it the same as “phone”? I don’t see this word much in textbooks.

Gawai is a relatively formal word meaning device / gadget, usually electronic. It is often used in:

news reports
government/official documents
more formal writing

In everyday spoken Indonesian, people are more likely to say:

HP (from “handphone”)
ponsel (cell phone)
handphone
smartphone

So, in casual speech, the sentence might become:

… sementara kamera di HP‑nya masih berfungsi.
… sementara kamera di ponselnya masih berfungsi.

Summary:

gawai = device/gadget (more formal, neutral about being a phone specifically)
HP / ponsel = specifically mobile phone, very common in speech

Why is it di laptop dia and di gawainya? Why dia in one place and ‑nya in the other? Are laptop dia and laptopnya different?

Both patterns express possession; the difference is subtle:

Noun + dia
- laptop dia = his/her laptop
- Slightly more “full” or explicit; dia is a standalone pronoun.
Noun + ‑nya
- laptopnya = his/her laptop
- ‑nya is an enclitic pronoun attaching to the noun.
- Often sounds more natural and compact in everyday speech.

In your sentence:

di laptop dia = on his/her laptop
di gawainya = on his/her device

You could very naturally say:

di laptopnya instead of di laptop dia
di gawai dia instead of di gawainya

All of these are grammatically correct. Often, speakers prefer to be consistent (both with dia or both with ‑nya), but mixing them like in this sentence is still acceptable.

Is di here “at”, “in”, or “on”? How do I know when to use di with things like laptop or gawai?

Di is a very general preposition meaning at / in / on / inside / on top of, depending on context. Indonesian doesn’t separate these as strictly as English or some other languages.

In tech contexts:

di laptop – on the laptop (physically on it, or logically on that device)
di gawainya – on his/her device

So:

kamera web di laptop dia can be understood as “the webcam on his/her laptop” (the one built into that laptop).
You don’t need a separate word for “on” vs “in” vs “at” here; di covers them.

Is rusak a verb or an adjective? Does it mean “is broken” or “to break”?

Rusak is a stative word; in practice it works like an adjective meaning broken / damaged / not functioning.

In the sentence:

kamera web di laptop dia rusak
= the webcam on his/her laptop is broken.

Notes:

Indonesian doesn’t require a verb like “to be” here.
You just say [subject] + rusak.
To express the action of causing damage, you use a different form:
- merusak = to damage, to break something
  - Air masuk dan merusak kameranya.
    (Water went in and damaged the camera.)
kerusakan = damage (noun)
- Ada kerusakan pada kamera.

So:

rusak – broken (state)
merusak – to damage/break (action)
kerusakan – damage (noun)

What does berfungsi mean exactly? Why not just say bekerja or jalan?

Berfungsi literally means to function / to be in working order. It is typically used for devices, systems, features, components.

In the sentence:

kamera di gawainya masih berfungsi
= the camera on his device still functions / still works.

Compare common verbs:

berfungsi – functions, is operational (very suitable here)
bekerja – works, to work (often for people, but can be used for machines in some styles)
jalan – literally “walk/go/run”; colloquial for “to work / to run”:
- Laptopnya masih jalan. = His laptop still works. (informal)
menyala – to be on / lit / switched on (esp. for lights, screens, devices):
- Lampunya menyala, tapi tidak berfungsi dengan baik.

Your sentence could also (more casually) be:

… sementara kamera di gawainya masih jalan. (informal speech)

How does masih work here? Could I move it to another position in the sentence?

Masih means still (continuing from before). The normal position is before the verb or adjective it modifies.

In this sentence:

masih berfungsi = still functions / still works

Correct, natural patterns:

kamera di gawainya masih berfungsi
kamera di gawainya masih bisa berfungsi (still can function)

Bad or unnatural placements:

kamera di gawainya berfungsi masih ✗ (wrong word order)
masih kamera di gawainya berfungsi ✗ (sounds very odd)

Position rule:

masih + predicate (verb/adjective)

Can I drop dia or ‑nya and just say kamera web di laptop rusak? Will people still understand?

You can drop the possessor, but the meaning changes:

kamera web di laptop dia rusak
– specifically, the webcam on his/her laptop is broken.
kamera web di laptop rusak
– the webcam on the laptop is broken (some laptop that is clear from context, but not clearly “his/her laptop”).

If the context already makes it obvious whose laptop and device you’re talking about, speakers might omit dia/‑nya, especially in follow‑up sentences. For example:

Laptop dia ketinggalan di rumah. Kamera web di laptop rusak, sementara kamera di gawai masih berfungsi.
Here, after laptop dia, a listener can infer it still refers to that person.

But if you’re talking about multiple people/devices, it’s safer to keep dia or ‑nya to avoid confusion.

In English we know if it’s “his laptop” or “her laptop”. Dia is gender‑neutral; how do Indonesians make the gender clear if they need to?

By default, dia (and ‑nya) is gender‑neutral: it can mean he or she, his or her. Often, context is enough.

If you really need to make gender explicit, speakers can:

Use a noun phrase instead of dia:
- laki‑laki itu (that man)
- perempuan itu (that woman)
- pacar saya (my boyfriend/girlfriend)
- ibu itu, bapak itu, etc.

Examples:

Kamera web di laptop laki‑laki itu rusak… (the webcam on that man’s laptop…)
Kamera web di laptop perempuan itu rusak… (the webcam on that woman’s laptop…)

But in most everyday situations, dia/‑nya is enough, and people understand from context who you’re talking about.

Is kamera web the normal way to say “webcam”? Could I just say webcam?

Both are used:

kamera web – a more “translated” form (kamera = camera, web = web)
webcam – direct loan from English, also very common in speech and writing.

You can say:

Kamera web di laptop dia rusak…
Webcam di laptop dia rusak…

Both sound natural. In more formal or standardized Indonesian, kamera web might be slightly preferred, but webcam is widely accepted and understood.