Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Tanaman hias di pot biru itu membuat kamar kos saya kelihatan lebih hidup. - The decorative plant in that blue pot makes my boarding room look more lively.

Tanaman hias di pot biru itu membuat kamar kos saya kelihatan lebih hidup.

The decorative plant in that blue pot makes my boarding room look more lively.

Breakdown of Tanaman hias di pot biru itu membuat kamar kos saya kelihatan lebih hidup.

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Questions & Answers about Tanaman hias di pot biru itu membuat kamar kos saya kelihatan lebih hidup.

What exactly does tanaman hias mean, and how is it different from just tanaman or bunga?

tanaman = plant (general word, from tanam “to plant” + suffix -an).
hias = decorate / decoration-related.

So tanaman hias literally means “decorative plant / ornamental plant”, i.e. a plant kept for decoration, often in a pot or garden.

Differences:

tanaman – any plant (could be rice, corn, trees, etc.).
tanaman hias – plants grown mainly for decoration (houseplants, pretty potted plants, decorative shrubs).
bunga – flower(s). This can be part of a tanaman hias, but bunga focuses on the flower itself, not the whole plant.

In your sentence, tanaman hias is best translated as “ornamental plant / decorative plant / houseplant”.

Why is it di pot biru itu and not dalam pot biru itu? Aren’t both “in the blue pot”?

Both di and dalam can be translated as “in”, but they differ slightly:

di = at / in / on (very general location preposition).
dalam = inside (more explicitly “inside the interior of something”).

For a plant in a pot, Indonesians very commonly say:

di pot
even though physically it’s “inside” the pot, because the pot is treated as a location for the plant, not an enclosed space like a box.

You can say dalam pot biru itu, and it’s still understandable, but:

di pot biru itu sounds more natural and everyday.
dalam pot biru itu might sound a bit more literal/physical (emphasising “inside the pot”) and is less common in casual speech.

So di pot biru itu is the most idiomatic here.

What is the function of itu in pot biru itu, and why does it come at the end instead of before the noun?

Itu is a demonstrative meaning “that” (or sometimes “the” in context).

In Indonesian, the pattern is usually:

noun + adjective + itu
not itu + noun for this meaning.

So:

pot biru itu = that blue pot / the blue pot (that one over there)

If you said:

itu pot biru
this would sound like you’re stressing/pointing: “that blue pot” (often with a gesture or contrast), and it’s less neutral as a noun phrase in the middle of a sentence.

So:

pot biru itu is the normal, neutral way to say “that blue pot” as a noun phrase.
itu here specifies which pot you are talking about, probably one that both speaker and listener can identify.

Why is the order pot biru, not biru pot like in English “blue pot”?

In Indonesian, descriptive adjectives normally come after the noun:

pot biru = blue pot
kamar kecil = small room
rumah besar = big house
buku baru = new book

So the pattern is:

noun + adjective

English does:

adjective + noun (“blue pot”)

So you just flip the order when going between Indonesian and English.

What does kamar kos mean, and how is it different from just kamar?

kamar = room (often bedroom).
kos (also written kost / indekos) = a boarding house system, very common in Indonesia, especially for students and workers who rent a room in someone else’s house/building.

So:

kamar kos = a rented room in a boarding house, usually small, with shared facilities (like bathroom, kitchen) or partly furnished.

In context, kamar kos saya is best translated as “my boarding room / my rented room”, especially a student room or similar, not just any random bedroom in your own house.

Why is it kamar kos saya and not saya kamar kos like “my boarding room”?

Indonesian generally places possessors after the noun:

kamar saya = my room
rumah kamu = your house
buku mereka = their book

So:

kamar kos saya = my boarding room
Structure: [kamar kos] [saya]
= [boarding room] [my]

You could also use:

kamar kosku (informal, with -ku suffix = “my”).
kamar kos milik saya (more explicit/formal: “the boarding room owned by me”).

But kamar kos saya is the most neutral and common.

What does membuat do in this sentence, and is it the same as English “make”?

Yes, membuat here works very similarly to English “make / cause”.

Pattern:

X membuat Y Z
= X makes Y (be) Z.

In your sentence:

Tanaman hias di pot biru itu (X)
membuat (makes)
kamar kos saya (Y)
kelihatan lebih hidup (Z)

So literally:

“That ornamental plant in the blue pot makes my boarding room look more alive.”

You can often replace membuat with:

menjadikan (more formal/literary “to make/turn into”)

Example:

Tanaman hias itu menjadikan kamar kos saya lebih hidup.
(still natural, a bit more formal/compact, but it drops kelihatan “look”.)

In everyday speech, membuat is very common and natural in this type of sentence.

What does kelihatan mean exactly, and how is it different from terlihat or tampak?

All three can often be translated as “to look / to seem / to appear (visually)”.

kelihatan
- from lihat (see) + prefix ke- -an,
- meaning “to be visible / to look / to seem (to the eye)”.
- Very common in spoken language; neutral and natural.
terlihat
- from lihat with ter- prefix,
- also “to be seen / visible / look”,
- sounds a bit more formal or written, but is still common in speech.
tampak
- verb meaning “to appear / to seem / to be seen”,
- also a bit more formal or literary.

In your sentence:

kelihatan lebih hidup = looks livelier / appears more lively.

You could also say:

kamar kos saya terlihat lebih hidup
kamar kos saya tampak lebih hidup

All are correct. Kelihatan feels slightly more casual; terlihat and tampak can feel a bit more formal or written, depending on context.

Does kelihatan lebih hidup literally mean “look more alive”? Is it okay to use hidup for a room?

Literally:

kelihatan = looks / appears
lebih = more
hidup = alive / living

So word-for-word it is “looks more alive,” but in Indonesian this is a normal figurative expression meaning “more lively, more vibrant, more full of life/energy/color.”

Using hidup with non-living things is common and natural:

Warna-warnanya kelihatan lebih hidup.
“The colors look more vivid.”
Suasananya terasa hidup.
“The atmosphere feels lively.”

So kamar kos saya kelihatan lebih hidup is very natural and is best translated as:

“my boarding room looks more lively / more vibrant / more alive.”

How does lebih work here? Is it always used for “more” in comparisons?

Yes, lebih is the standard word for “more / -er” in comparisons.

Pattern:

lebih + adjective = more + adjective / adjective-er

Examples:

lebih besar = bigger / larger
lebih cantik = more beautiful / prettier
lebih nyaman = more comfortable

In your sentence:

lebih hidup = more lively / more alive.

If you want to specify “than X”, you usually use daripada:

Kamar kos saya kelihatan lebih hidup daripada dulu.
“My boarding room looks livelier than before.”

Is there any tense in this sentence? How do we know if it means “makes” or “made” or “will make”?

Indonesian verbs usually do not show tense. Membuat is just “make / makes / made / will make” depending on context.

Your sentence by itself:

Tanaman hias di pot biru itu membuat kamar kos saya kelihatan lebih hidup.

could be:

“makes my boarding room look livelier” (present/habitual), or
“made my boarding room look livelier” (past), or
“will make my boarding room look livelier” (future),

depending on the surrounding context or time words.

To clarify time, speakers add adverbs:

tadi = earlier, just now (past)
kemarin = yesterday
besok = tomorrow
nanti = later

For example:

Kemarin saya beli tanaman hias. Sekarang tanaman hias di pot biru itu membuat kamar kos saya kelihatan lebih hidup.
→ Clearly present result of a recent action.

So tense is understood from context, not from changing the verb form.

Can any words be dropped? For example, can I omit itu or saya and still be correct?

Yes, you can drop some elements depending on what’s understood from context:

Dropping itu:
- Tanaman hias di pot biru membuat kamar kos saya kelihatan lebih hidup.
  This becomes “The ornamental plant in the blue pot makes my boarding room look livelier.”
- Now it just means “the ornamental plant in the blue pot” in general, without emphasizing “that specific one we both know.”
Dropping saya:
- Tanaman hias di pot biru itu membuat kamar kos kelihatan lebih hidup.
  This would mean “...makes the boarding room look livelier.”
- Without saya, it may be understood as “the boarding room (of the kos)” in general, not specifically my room, unless context already makes it clear.
Dropping other parts:
- You can shorten the sentence while staying grammatical, e.g.:
  - Tanaman hias itu membuat kamar kos saya lebih hidup. (omit di pot biru and kelihatan)
  - But each removed piece takes away some detail or nuance.

Grammatically, yes, some omissions are allowed, but they change how specific or personal the sentence feels.

Is this sentence formal or informal? In what situations is it appropriate?

The sentence is in neutral, everyday Indonesian:

It doesn’t use slang.
It doesn’t use highly formal words.
Pronoun saya is polite and neutral.

You can comfortably use it:

in conversation with friends, classmates, or colleagues,
in messages, social media captions,
in informal essays or descriptions.

For a very formal written style (e.g. academic writing), someone might prefer slightly more formal choices:

Tanaman hias di pot biru tersebut membuat kamar kos saya tampak lebih hidup.

But your original sentence is perfectly natural for most spoken and informal written contexts.

Could I also say Tanaman hias yang di pot biru itu? What’s the difference if I add yang?

You can say:

Tanaman hias yang di pot biru itu membuat kamar kos saya kelihatan lebih hidup.

Here, yang introduces a relative clause, similar to “that/which is” in English.

Literal structure:

Tanaman hias [yang di pot biru itu] ...
= “The ornamental plant that is in the blue pot ...”

Difference in nuance:

Tanaman hias di pot biru itu
→ “The ornamental plant in that blue pot” (simple noun phrase).
Tanaman hias yang di pot biru itu
→ “The ornamental plant that is in that blue pot” (a bit more explicit / slightly more formal or descriptive).

In everyday speech, without yang is shorter and more common. Adding yang is not wrong, just slightly more “explained” in structure.