Dia menempelkan stiker hijau di papan pengumuman.

He/She sticks a green sticker on the bulletin board.

Breakdown of Dia menempelkan stiker hijau di papan pengumuman.

• sebuah: a
• dia: he/she
• di: on
• hijau: green
• papan pengumuman: the bulletin board
• stiker: the sticker
• menempelkan: to stick

Questions & Answers about Dia menempelkan stiker hijau di papan pengumuman.

What does menempelkan literally mean, and how is it formed?

Menempelkan is built from:

• Root: tempel = stick, attach
• Prefix: meN- → menempel = to stick / to be stuck
• Suffix: -kan → menempelkan = to stick something (onto something)

So menempelkan means to attach / stick something (to a surface) and it normally takes a direct object (here: stiker hijau).

Why do we use menempelkan and not just menempel?

• Menempel often describes the state or intransitive action:
  
  • Stiker itu menempel di papan.
    = The sticker is stuck / sticks on the board.
• Menempelkan is transitive and emphasizes what someone is sticking onto something:
  
  • Dia menempelkan stiker hijau di papan pengumuman.
    = They stick a green sticker on the notice board.

Because the sentence focuses on what dia does to the sticker, menempelkan is preferred.

Does dia mean he or she here?

Dia is gender‑neutral. It can mean he, she, or even they (singular) depending on context.

Indonesian personal pronouns do not usually mark gender, so:

• dia → he / she
• You only know the gender from context or extra information, not from the word dia itself.

How do we know whether stiker hijau means a green sticker or the green sticker or green stickers?

Indonesian does not have articles like a or the, and singular vs. plural is often not marked on the noun itself. So stiker hijau by itself is neutral:

• It could be a green sticker, the green sticker, or (some) green stickers.

Context or extra words clarify if needed:

• sebuah stiker hijau = one green sticker (definitely singular)
• beberapa stiker hijau = some green stickers
• stiker-stiker hijau = green stickers (plural, using reduplication)
• stiker hijau itu = that/that specific green sticker (definite)

Why is it stiker hijau, not hijau stiker?

In Indonesian, adjectives normally come after the noun:

• noun + adjective
  
  • stiker hijau = green sticker
  • papan besar = big board
  • rumah baru = new house

Putting the adjective before the noun (hijau stiker) is ungrammatical in standard Indonesian.

What is papan pengumuman exactly? Is it one word or two?

It is a noun phrase made of two nouns:

• papan = board, plank, panel
• pengumuman = announcement, notice

Together papan pengumuman = notice board / bulletin board.

Pengumuman itself comes from:

• root umum = public
• prefix peN-
  • suffix -an → pengumuman = (something that is) announced to the public → announcement.

What does di mean in di papan pengumuman? Is it on or at?

Di is a general preposition meaning at / in / on depending on the noun and context.

In di papan pengumuman:

• English chooses on the notice board (because of how English uses prepositions)
• Indonesian just uses di for location.

So di papan pengumuman can be understood as at the notice board or on the notice board, but the most natural English is on the notice board.

What is the difference between di as in di papan and di- as a prefix in verbs?

There are two different di forms:

1. Preposition di (separate word, with a space)

   • Means at / in / on
   • Example: di papan pengumuman (on the notice board)

2. Prefix di- (attached to a verb, no space)

   • Forms the passive voice
   • Example: ditempelkan = is stuck / was stuck (by someone)

So:

• di papan = at/on the board (preposition)
• ditempelkan = is/was stuck (passive verb with prefix di-)

How is tense expressed in Dia menempelkan stiker hijau di papan pengumuman? Is it past, present, or future?

The verb form menempelkan itself does not show tense. Indonesian verbs usually do not change for past/present/future. The sentence can mean:

• He/She is sticking a green sticker on the notice board.
• He/She sticks a green sticker on the notice board.
• He/She stuck a green sticker on the notice board.

Context and time words show tense:

• tadi / kemarin → past
  
  • Tadi dia menempelkan stiker hijau di papan pengumuman.
• sekarang → present
  
  • Sekarang dia menempelkan stiker hijau di papan pengumuman.
• nanti / besok → future
  
  • Besok dia akan menempelkan stiker hijau di papan pengumuman.

Can the word order of the sentence change, for example putting di papan pengumuman at the beginning?

Yes, Indonesian allows some flexibility in word order for emphasis or style, though the basic pattern here is Subject–Verb–Object–Place:

• Dia menempelkan stiker hijau di papan pengumuman.

You can move the place phrase to the front for emphasis:

• Di papan pengumuman, dia menempelkan stiker hijau.
  = On the notice board, he/she stuck a green sticker.

The meaning stays essentially the same; the difference is just what is being highlighted.

Is papan pengumuman countable? How would you say on the school notice board?

Yes, papan pengumuman is countable like notice board in English.

To specify which board, you add more detail:

• di papan pengumuman sekolah
  = on the school notice board

You can also say:

• di papan pengumuman itu = on that notice board / on the notice board (specific)
• di papan pengumuman depan kelas = on the notice board in front of the class

Is there a shorter or more casual way to say this sentence?

In everyday speech, people might simplify or slightly change the verb:

• Dia lagi nempel stiker hijau di papan pengumuman.
  
  • lagi = currently (informal continuous marker)
  • nempel = colloquial form of menempel / menempelkan

Or more neutral but still natural:

• Dia memasang stiker hijau di papan pengumuman.
  (memasang = to put up / install, often used for posters, stickers, notices)