Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Adik perempuan saya suka les piano di sekolah. - My younger sister likes piano lessons at school.

adik perempuan → a noun phrase: “younger sibling (who is) female”
adik perempuan saya → add the possessor saya after the noun phrase: “my younger sister”

In Indonesian, possessors (like saya, kamu, dia) usually go after the thing possessed:

rumah saya = my house
teman saya = my friend
adik perempuan saya = my younger sister

Can I say adik saya perempuan instead of adik perempuan saya? Do they mean the same thing?

They are related but not the same structure:

adik perempuan saya
→ noun phrase: “my younger sister” (a definite person)
adik saya perempuan
→ sounds like a full sentence: “My younger sibling is female.”

So:

Adik perempuan saya suka les piano.
= My younger sister likes piano lessons.
Adik saya perempuan.
= My younger sibling is female.

For “my younger sister” as a subject in a sentence, use adik perempuan saya, not adik saya perempuan.

Do I have to say perempuan? Can I just say adik saya suka les piano di sekolah?

You can say:

Adik saya suka les piano di sekolah.

That means “My younger sibling likes piano lessons at school.”
It does not specify whether the sibling is male or female.

Use:

adik perempuan saya = my younger sister
adik laki-laki saya / adik laki saya = my younger brother
adik saya = my younger sibling (gender unspecified)

So if the context already makes it clear she’s female, people may just say adik saya.

What’s the difference between adik and kakak?

They both refer to siblings, but with age relative to the speaker:

adik = younger sibling (could be brother or sister)
kakak = older sibling (could be brother or sister)

You can specify gender:

kakak perempuan = older sister
kakak laki-laki = older brother

So:

Kakak perempuan saya suka les piano.
= My older sister likes piano lessons.

What does suka mean here? Is it like “love” or “like”?

suka generally means “to like” (to enjoy something).

In this sentence:

Adik perempuan saya suka les piano di sekolah.
= My younger sister likes piano lessons at school.

Nuances:

suka: neutral “like / enjoy”
senang: “happy / pleased (with)”
gemar: “fond of / keen on” (a bit more formal/literary)

Example contrasts:

Dia suka kopi. = He/She likes coffee.
Dia gemar membaca. = He/She is fond of reading.

What exactly is les? Is it the same as “lesson” or “course”?

les is a very common Indonesian word (from Dutch/English) meaning:

private lesson
extra class
tutoring / tuition

In this sentence, les piano means piano lessons (usually extra, outside regular class, even if they happen at school).

Related words:

les piano = piano lessons
les bahasa Inggris = English tutoring / English lessons
kursus piano = a (more formal) piano course
pelajaran piano = piano subject/lessons (more general/formal)

les is everyday, informal–neutral and very common in speech.

Why is it les piano, not les piano-nya or something with a marker?

Indonesian often uses noun + noun directly:

les piano = piano lessons
les matematika = math lessons
guru matematika = math teacher

There is no article like “a / the” and usually no plural -s.

Context tells you whether it means “a piano lesson”, “piano lessons”, or “the piano lessons”. So les piano can correspond to all of these in English depending on context.

What does di sekolah add, and how is it different from ke sekolah?

di = in / at / on (location)
→ di sekolah = at school / in school
ke = to (movement towards a place)
→ ke sekolah = to school

In the sentence:

Adik perempuan saya suka les piano di sekolah.
= My younger sister likes piano lessons at school.

If you said ke sekolah, it would sound like you’re talking about going somewhere:

Adik perempuan saya pergi ke sekolah untuk les piano.
= My younger sister goes to school for piano lessons.

Why are there no words for “my” or “a/the” as in English “my younger sister likes (the) piano lessons at school”?

Both ideas are expressed differently:

“my”
→ expressed by putting saya after the noun:
- adik perempuan saya = my younger sister
- rumah saya = my house
“a / the / (no article)”
→ Indonesian usually has no articles.
les piano could mean:
- a piano lesson
- piano lessons
- the piano lessons

English needs an article; Indonesian doesn’t. Context does the job.

Is the word order fixed, or can I move di sekolah to another place?

The neutral order is:

Adik perempuan saya (subject)
suka (verb)
les piano (object)
di sekolah (location)

You can move di sekolah for emphasis or style, but some positions sound more natural than others:

Di sekolah, adik perempuan saya suka les piano.
= At school, my younger sister likes piano lessons. (emphasis on “at school”)

Still correct.
But you should not break phrases like adik perempuan saya or les piano:

✗ Adik perempuan saya di sekolah suka les piano.
→ Now di sekolah looks like it describes “my younger sister” (who is at school), which changes the nuance.

The original sentence is the clearest, standard order.

Does this sentence mean she is liking them right now, or that she generally likes them?

By default, suka without any time marker expresses a general, habitual liking:

Adik perempuan saya suka les piano di sekolah.
= My younger sister likes piano lessons at school (in general).

To show something happening right now, Indonesian often uses sedang or lagi plus a verb of action, but suka describes a state, not an ongoing action, so you normally keep it as is for general preference.