Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Saya suka membaca buku sejarah Indonesia di perpustakaan sekolah. - I like reading books of Indonesian history in the school library.

Unlike English, suka doesn’t change form (no likes/liked). Tense or time is usually shown by context or by adding time words like kemarin (yesterday), sering (often), setiap hari (every day), etc.

Is membaca the same as “to read” or “reading” in English?

Membaca is the verb to read, but Indonesian doesn’t have a separate “-ing” form like English.

So Saya suka membaca can be translated both as:

I like to read.
I like reading.

The prefix me- (here mem-) marks it as an active verb. The basic root is baca (read).

Can I say Saya suka baca buku sejarah Indonesia instead of Saya suka membaca…?

Yes. In everyday, informal speech, people often drop the me- prefix and just say the root:

Saya suka membaca buku… (more neutral / standard)
Saya suka baca buku… (more casual / conversational)

Both are correct, but membaca sounds slightly more formal or “textbook”; baca feels more relaxed.

Why is it buku sejarah Indonesia and not something like Indonesia sejarah buku?

In Indonesian, the main noun comes first, and its descriptions come after it.

buku = book
sejarah = history
Indonesia (here) = Indonesian

So the structure is:

buku (book)
→ modified by sejarah (history)
→ further specified by Indonesia (Indonesian)

buku sejarah Indonesia ≈ Indonesian history book(s) or book(s) on Indonesian history.

The order in Indonesian is literally “book history Indonesian”, but that’s how noun phrases normally work: noun → description → more specific description.

Does Indonesia here refer to the country or the language?

Here Indonesia is linked to sejarah (history), so it means the history of Indonesia (the country).

So:

sejarah Indonesia = Indonesian history (history of the country of Indonesia)
buku sejarah Indonesia = a book (or books) about the history of Indonesia

If you wanted to say a book in Indonesian (language), you’d normally specify:

buku berbahasa Indonesia = a book in the Indonesian language
buku bahasa Indonesia = a (school) textbook of Indonesian language

Why isn’t there a word for “a” or “the” before buku?

Indonesian usually does not use articles like a/an/the. Context tells you whether it’s a book, books, or the book(s).

Saya suka membaca buku sejarah Indonesia… can mean:

I like reading Indonesian history books…
I like reading (the) Indonesian history book(s)…

If you really need to be specific:

sebuah buku sejarah Indonesia = one Indonesian history book
beberapa buku sejarah Indonesia = several Indonesian history books
buku-buku sejarah Indonesia itu = those Indonesian history books / the Indonesian history books (already known)

Why is it buku and not buku-buku if it means “books”?

Plural in Indonesian is usually understood from context. You can mark plural by doubling the noun (buku-buku), but it’s not required.

Saya suka membaca buku sejarah Indonesia.
→ Usually understood as I like reading Indonesian history books (in general).
Saya suka membaca buku-buku sejarah Indonesia.
→ Emphasizes the plural: I like reading (many) Indonesian history books.

In many natural sentences, speakers leave nouns in the singular form even when they mean “books” in general.

What is the function of di in di perpustakaan sekolah?

Di is a preposition meaning in / at / on (location).

di perpustakaan = in/at the library
di perpustakaan sekolah = in/at the school library

So di shows where the action membaca (reading) happens.
If you changed it to ke, it would mean to (movement toward), which doesn’t fit the original sentence:

Saya pergi ke perpustakaan. = I go to the library.
Saya membaca di perpustakaan. = I read in the library.

What is the difference between perpustakaan sekolah and perpustakaan di sekolah?

Both can be translated as school library, but there’s a nuance:

perpustakaan sekolah
→ literally school library (a library that belongs to / is part of a school).
→ a tighter noun phrase: [school library].
perpustakaan di sekolah
→ a library at the school.
→ could feel a bit more descriptive: [library] [at school].

In most everyday contexts, they can refer to the same place, and both sound natural. Perpustakaan sekolah is slightly more compact and sounds like a fixed label.

Could I say di perpustakaan sekolah saya to mean “in my school library”?

Yes. That’s a clear and natural way to say in my school’s library:

Saya suka membaca buku sejarah Indonesia di perpustakaan sekolah saya.
= I like reading Indonesian history books in my school library.

Adding saya shows that the school (and its library) belong to the speaker.

Can the subject Saya be dropped in this sentence?

Yes, if the subject is clear from context, you can drop Saya:

(Saya) suka membaca buku sejarah Indonesia di perpustakaan sekolah.

Spoken Indonesian often omits pronouns when they’re obvious. However, in isolation or in a first example sentence, including Saya is helpful and sounds completely natural.

What’s the difference between Saya and Aku?

Both mean I / me, but they differ in formality:

Saya
→ more formal / neutral
→ suitable for talking to teachers, strangers, in writing, etc.
Aku
→ informal / intimate
→ used with close friends, family, casual settings.

You could say:

Aku suka membaca buku sejarah Indonesia di perpustakaan sekolah.
This is fine with friends, but Saya is safer in general and in formal contexts.

Do I need to change anything in the verb to show that this is a habit, like “I often / usually like to read …”?

The verb does not change for aspect (habitual, ongoing, etc.). To show it’s a habit or frequency, you just add adverbs:

Saya sering membaca… = I often read…
Saya biasanya membaca… = I usually read…
Saya setiap hari membaca… = I read every day…

So you could say:

Saya sering membaca buku sejarah Indonesia di perpustakaan sekolah.
= I often read Indonesian history books in the school library.

Where would I put words like really or very if I want to say “I really like reading …”?

You usually put intensifiers before suka:

Saya sangat suka membaca… = I really / very much like reading…
Saya suka sekali membaca… = I really like reading…
Informal: Saya suka banget baca… = I really love reading…

So:

Saya sangat suka membaca buku sejarah Indonesia di perpustakaan sekolah.
= I really like reading Indonesian history books in the school library.

What’s the difference between buku sejarah Indonesia and buku tentang sejarah Indonesia?

Both can translate as book(s) on Indonesian history, but:

buku sejarah Indonesia
→ a compact noun phrase: Indonesian history book(s).
→ treats sejarah Indonesia as the specific subject of the book.
buku tentang sejarah Indonesia
→ literally book(s) about the history of Indonesia.
→ a bit more explicit and slightly more formal/clarified.

In practice, both are correct; buku sejarah Indonesia is shorter and very natural.