Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Adik perempuan saya suka bernyanyi di ruang tamu. - My younger sister likes singing in the living room.

adik = younger brother or younger sister
To make it clear that it’s a girl, you add perempuan (female): adik perempuan = younger sister
To say “younger brother,” you’d say adik laki-laki

So in the sentence, adik perempuan saya = my younger sister.

Why is it adik perempuan saya and not saya adik perempuan for “my younger sister”?

In Indonesian, possession is usually shown by putting the possessor after the thing owned.

adik perempuan saya = my younger sister (literally: younger-sibling female my)
rumah saya = my house
buku saya = my book

Putting saya before the noun (e.g. saya adik perempuan) doesn’t mean “my younger sister”; it sounds like “I am the younger sister” (and even that would normally be saya adalah adik perempuan or saya adik perempuan in context).

Is perempuan required? Can I just say adik saya?

You don’t have to include perempuan if the gender is already clear from context.

adik saya = my younger sibling (gender not specified)
adik perempuan saya = my younger sister (explicitly female)

If everyone already knows you’re talking about a sister, adik saya is often enough.

What’s the difference between saya and aku here? Could I say adik perempuan aku?

Both saya and aku mean I / me / my, but they differ in formality:

saya – more formal / neutral; safe in most situations
aku – informal; used with friends, family, or people your age

For possession:

adik perempuan saya – formal/neutral
adik perempuan aku – grammatically possible, but sounds a bit odd in standard style; more natural is adik perempuanku (using the suffix -ku = my):
- adik perempuanku suka bernyanyi di ruang tamu

Why is it suka bernyanyi and not just suka nyanyi? Are both correct?

Both exist, but their tone/level is different.

suka bernyanyi – more standard/polite; uses the full verb bernyanyi (to sing)
suka nyanyi – more casual/colloquial; nyanyi is a reduced form commonly used in speech

In neutral written Indonesian, suka bernyanyi is preferred. In everyday conversation, suka nyanyi is very common.

What’s the difference between bernyanyi and menyanyi?

Both can mean to sing, but there is a nuance:

bernyanyi – the most common, neutral verb for “to sing”
menyanyi – also means “to sing,” but is less common in everyday speech; you’ll see it in some dictionaries and more formal/older texts

In practice, you can treat bernyanyi as the default standard verb.

Why do we need di before ruang tamu?

di is the preposition meaning “in / at / on” when talking about location.

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

Without di, ruang tamu is just a noun phrase (“living room”), not a location phrase.

What does ruang tamu literally mean, and is it always “living room”?

Literally:

ruang = room
tamu = guest

So ruang tamu = guest room, but in modern usage it usually refers to the living room / sitting room where you receive guests. It’s the normal, everyday word for “living room.”

If I want to say “My older sister likes to sing in the living room,” how would I change the sentence?

Use kakak instead of adik for “older sibling”:

Kakak perempuan saya suka bernyanyi di ruang tamu.
= My older sister likes to sing in the living room.

Similarly:

kakak laki-laki saya = my older brother

Where does the main verb go in an Indonesian sentence like this? Is word order like English?

Yes, basic Indonesian word order is similar to English: Subject – Verb – (Object/Complement).

In this sentence:

Subject: Adik perempuan saya (my younger sister)
Verb: suka bernyanyi (likes to sing)
Place complement: di ruang tamu (in the living room)

So the structure is very close to English:
[Subject] [likes to sing] [in the living room].

Can I move di ruang tamu to the front of the sentence?

Yes, you can, and it’s still correct. It just emphasizes the place:

Di ruang tamu, adik perempuan saya suka bernyanyi.

This sounds a bit more “written” or emphatic, but it’s grammatically fine. The basic meaning doesn’t change.