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Adik perempuan saya suka memainkan biola di ruang tamu setiap malam.

Adik perempuan saya suka memainkan biola di ruang tamu setiap malam.
My younger sister likes to play the violin in the living room every night.
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Questions & Answers about Adik perempuan saya suka memainkan biola di ruang tamu setiap malam.

Why is it adik perempuan saya and not saya adik perempuan like in English my younger sister?

In Indonesian, possession is usually noun + possessor, not possessor + noun.

  • adik perempuan = younger sister
  • saya = I / me / my

So adik perempuan saya literally is younger sister my → my younger sister.

Putting saya before the noun (saya adik perempuan) is not how possession is normally expressed and will sound wrong or at least very odd in standard Indonesian.

What exactly does adik mean? Does it always mean younger sister?

adik means younger sibling, not specifically sister.

  • adik by itself is neutral in terms of gender: it could be a younger brother or a younger sister.
  • To be clear about gender, you can add:
    • adik perempuan = younger sister
    • adik laki-laki = younger brother

In everyday speech, if the gender is already obvious from context, people often just say adik.

Why do we add perempuan here? Could I just say adik saya?

Yes, you can say adik saya, and it would usually be understood as my younger sibling (gender not specified).

Adding perempuan:

  • adik perempuan saya makes it explicit that it is your younger sister.
  • This is useful when:
    • You have both younger brothers and younger sisters, or
    • The listener does not know your family yet, or
    • You particularly want to emphasize that it is a girl.

So:

  • adik saya suka memainkan biola... = My younger sibling likes to play the violin... (gender unspecified)
  • adik perempuan saya suka memainkan biola... = My younger sister likes to play the violin...
Is suka a verb like to like in English? How does it work in a sentence?

Yes, suka works very much like to like in English, but it is simpler:

  • It does not change form:
    • saya suka (I like)
    • dia suka (he/she likes)
    • mereka suka (they like)
  • You can use it:
    • With a noun: saya suka musik (I like music)
    • With a verb: saya suka membaca (I like reading / to read)

In the sentence:

  • adik perempuan saya suka memainkan biola...
    → my younger sister likes to play the violin...

There is no extra word like to or -ing needed. Just suka + verb.

What is the difference between memainkan, main, and bermain?

All are related to playing, but they differ in formality and structure.

  • main
    • Colloquial, informal.
    • Often used in speech: saya mau main bola (I want to play ball).
  • bermain
    • More standard/neutral.
    • Often means to play in general: anak-anak bermain di taman (the children are playing in the park).
  • memainkan + object
    • More explicitly to play (an instrument / object).
    • Pattern: memainkan [something]
    • Example: memainkan biola, memainkan gitar, memainkan piano.

In your sentence:

  • memainkan biola emphasizes playing the violin as an object/instrument.
  • In natural speech, many people would also say suka main biola or suka bermain biola, which mean the same thing in context, just slightly more casual (main) or neutral (bermain).
Could I say suka bermain biola instead of suka memainkan biola? Is there any difference in meaning?

Yes, you can absolutely say:

  • adik perempuan saya suka bermain biola di ruang tamu setiap malam.

This is natural and correct.

Nuance:

  • suka memainkan biola
    • Slightly more formal and more clearly focuses on the instrument as an object you play.
  • suka bermain biola
    • Very standard and common.
    • Emphasizes the activity of playing.

In everyday conversation, suka bermain biola or suka main biola will probably be more common than suka memainkan biola, but all are understood and acceptable.

Why is the preposition di used in di ruang tamu? When do we use di instead of something else?

di is the basic preposition for location (meaning in, at, or on depending on context).

  • di ruang tamu = in the living room / at the living room
  • di rumah = at home
  • di sekolah = at school

Use di when you are talking about where something is happening (location, not movement).

Compare:

  • di = in/at/on (location)
    • dia belajar di kamar (he/she studies in the room)
  • ke = to (movement towards a place)
    • dia pergi ke kamar (he/she goes to the room)

You could also say di dalam ruang tamu (inside the living room), but usually di ruang tamu is enough.

Can I change the order of di ruang tamu setiap malam? For example, say setiap malam di ruang tamu?

Yes. Indonesian is quite flexible with the order of time and place phrases.

Both of these are natural:

  • adik perempuan saya suka memainkan biola di ruang tamu setiap malam.
  • adik perempuan saya suka memainkan biola setiap malam di ruang tamu.

You can also move the whole time phrase to the front for emphasis:

  • Setiap malam, adik perempuan saya suka memainkan biola di ruang tamu.

All keep the same basic meaning. The most common neutral pattern is often:

  • Subject – Verb – Object – Place – Time
    as in the original sentence.
Why is there no word like the or a in biola and ruang tamu?

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

  • biola can mean a violin, the violin, or violins depending on context.
  • ruang tamu can mean the living room or a living room depending on context.

Context tells you whether it is specific or general. So:

  • memainkan biola could be interpreted as:
    • play the violin
    • play a violin
    • play violin (in general)

English has to choose an article, but Indonesian simply uses biola without one.

How do I make this sentence plural, like my younger sisters like to play the violin?

To show plural for people, you often reduplicate the noun:

  • adik-adik perempuan saya = my younger sisters

So you can say:

  • adik-adik perempuan saya suka memainkan biola di ruang tamu setiap malam.

Notes:

  • The verb suka does not change; there is no s for third person plural.
  • memainkan biola can still refer to one violin or violins; Indonesian doesn’t mark that unless you add extra words like sebuah biola (a violin), beberapa biola (some violins), etc.
How do we know this means likes to play (habitually) and not liked or will like? There is no tense marker.

Indonesian verbs do not change form for tense. Context words show time and aspect.

In this sentence:

  • setiap malam = every night

This clearly indicates a habit in the present (and possibly continuing into the future). So we naturally interpret it as:

  • my younger sister likes to play the violin in the living room every night.

If you want to be more specific about time, you can add:

  • dulu (in the past, used to):
    • dulu adik perempuan saya suka memainkan biola...
  • nanti / akan (future):
    • nanti adik perempuan saya akan suka memainkan biola... (though this exact idea is rare: you more often talk about future actions than future likes)
Is this sentence formal, casual, or neutral? Would people really say it like this?

The sentence is neutral and perfectly natural, especially in writing or careful speech.

In very casual spoken Indonesian, people might simplify it a bit, for example:

  • Adik cewek aku suka main biola di ruang tamu tiap malam.
    • adik cewek = casual for younger sister
    • aku = informal I / me
    • tiap = informal form of setiap

But your original:

  • Adik perempuan saya suka memainkan biola di ruang tamu setiap malam.

is good, correct, and sounds natural in standard Indonesian, suitable for most situations.