Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Nenek menyimpan benang dan jarum di kotak kecil di lemari. - Grandmother keeps thread and needles in a small box in the cupboard.

Nenek menyimpan benang dan jarum di kotak kecil di lemari.
can mean:
- Grandma keeps *the thread and the needle in the small box in the cupboard.*
- Grandma keeps *a thread and a needle in a small box in a cupboard.*

Whether it means the or a (or whether it’s specific or general) is decided by context, not by a separate word.

How do I know if nenek means “grandmother” or just “old woman”?

Nenek can mean both:

Family member:
- When you’re talking about your own or someone’s grandmother, nenek = grandma / grandmother.
- Indonesian often drops “my”, so:
  - Nenek menyimpan… can naturally mean My grandma keeps…
Old woman (general):
- In some contexts, nenek can mean an old lady (not necessarily your relative), especially with a qualifier:
  - Seorang nenek sedang duduk di taman.
    An old lady is sitting in the park.

In this sentence, if it appears in a story about a family, learners are usually meant to understand it as grandma / grandmother.

If the meaning is “My grandmother keeps…”, why is there no “my” (like saya)?

Indonesian often omits possessive pronouns when the context is clear.

English: My grandmother keeps thread and needle in a small box…
Indonesian: Nenek menyimpan benang dan jarum…

You can say nenek saya (my grandmother) for clarity:

Nenek saya menyimpan benang dan jarum di kotak kecil di lemari.

Both are correct. The short form nenek is very natural in conversation when it’s obvious you’re talking about your own grandmother.

What exactly does menyimpan mean? Is it just “to keep”, or also “to put”?

Menyimpan covers several meanings depending on context:

To keep / store (for some time)
- Nenek menyimpan benang dan jarum di kotak kecil.
  Grandma keeps/stores thread and needle in a small box.
- Saya menyimpan uang di bank.
  I keep/store money in the bank.
To put away (in a place where it will stay)
- Tolong simpan bukunya di rak.
  Please put the book away on the shelf.

Compared with similar verbs:

meletakkan / menaruh: more like “to put / place (something somewhere)” (focus on the action, not on long‑term storage).
menyimpan: stronger sense of “storing/keeping something in that place”.

In this sentence, menyimpan suggests Grandma regularly keeps/stores her sewing things there, not just a one‑time “putting”.

Why is kotak kecil and not kecil kotak for “small box”?

In Indonesian, adjectives usually come after the noun:

kotak kecil = small box
- kotak = box
- kecil = small

More examples:

rumah besar = big house
buku baru = new book
baju merah = red shirt

Kecil kotak is wrong in Indonesian; the normal order is noun + adjective.

What does di mean here, and why is it used twice: di kotak kecil di lemari?

Here di is a preposition meaning “in / at / on” (location).

di kotak kecil = in the small box
di lemari = in the cupboard / in the closet

You need di before each location phrase:

… di kotak kecil di lemari.
= … in a small box (which is) in the cupboard.

So the structure is:

menyimpan [object] di [place 1] di [place 2]

This makes it clear the box is inside the cupboard:

benang dan jarum are kept
in a small box,
and that box is in the cupboard.

Could I reverse the locations and say di lemari di kotak kecil?

You can say it, but it sounds unnatural and confusing.

Natural:

… di kotak kecil di lemari.
… in a small box in the cupboard.
→ Place 1 (smaller) is inside Place 2 (larger).

Less natural / odd:

… di lemari di kotak kecil.
This sounds like the cupboard is in the small box, which doesn’t make sense.

A good rule: go from smaller/more specific place to larger/general place:

di kotak kecil di lemari di kamar
in a small box in the cupboard in the room

What is the difference between di and di dalam? Could I say di dalam kotak kecil?

Yes, you can:

di kotak kecil
di dalam kotak kecil

Both are correct and both can mean “in the small box”.

Differences:

di = in/at/on (neutral, very common)
di dalam = literally “in the inside of”
- Often used when you want to emphasize “inside”:
  - Benang dan jarum disimpan di dalam kotak kecil.
    Thread and needle are stored *inside the small box.*

In everyday speech, di kotak kecil di lemari is perfectly natural and clear; you don’t need di dalam unless you want extra emphasis or formality.

Is benang dan jarum singular or plural? How would I say “threads and needles”?

Indonesian nouns usually do not change form for singular vs plural.

Benang dan jarum can mean:

thread and needle
threads and needles

Context tells the listener whether it’s one or many.

If you really need to emphasize the plural, you can use:

Reduplication (repeat the noun):
- benang‑benang dan jarum‑jarum = threads and needles (emphatically plural)
A quantifier:
- banyak benang dan jarum = many threads and needles
- beberapa jarum = several needles

But in normal conversation, benang dan jarum is fine for the general idea.

What exactly does lemari mean? Is it “cupboard”, “closet”, or “wardrobe”?

Lemari is a general word for a storage cabinet with doors, used for clothes, dishes, or other items.

Depending on context, it can be:

cupboard (for dishes, kitchen items)
wardrobe (for clothes)
closet/cabinet (more general)

So:

di lemari can be translated as:
- in the cupboard
- in the closet
- in the wardrobe

Choose the English word that best fits the context. In a sewing or bedroom context, “in the cupboard/closet” or “in the wardrobe” are all possible.

Why isn’t there any word to show tense, like “keeps” vs “kept” vs “will keep”?

Indonesian verbs do not change form for tense.

Menyimpan can mean:

keeps / is keeping (present)
kept (past)
will keep (future)

The tense is determined by context or by adding time words:

Kemarin nenek menyimpan benang dan jarum di kotak kecil.
Yesterday Grandma kept thread and needle in a small box. (past)
Besok nenek akan menyimpan benang dan jarum di kotak kecil.
Tomorrow Grandma will keep/put thread and needle in a small box. (future; akan = will)

Without a time word, Nenek menyimpan… usually sounds like a general/habitual action:

Grandma keeps (normally stores) thread and needle in a small box…

Is di here a preposition or the passive prefix (as in disimpan)?

In this sentence, di is a preposition (separate word) showing location:

di kotak kecil
di lemari

As a passive prefix, di‑ is attached to the verb with no space:

disimpan = is kept / was kept
- Benang dan jarum disimpan di kotak kecil.
  The thread and needle are kept in a small box.

So:

di kotak (with a space) → preposition (in the box)
disimpan (no space) → passive verb (is/are kept)

Can I move the place phrase to the beginning, like in English “In the cupboard, Grandma keeps …”?

Yes, Indonesian also allows fronting the location for emphasis:

Neutral order:
Nenek menyimpan benang dan jarum di kotak kecil di lemari.
With fronted location:
Di lemari, nenek menyimpan benang dan jarum di kotak kecil.
In the cupboard, Grandma keeps thread and needle in a small box.

Both are correct. The default, most common order is [subject] [verb] [object] [place], as in the original sentence.