Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Dia menjahit kancing baju dengan benang putih. - He/She sews the shirt button with white thread.

Indonesian doesn’t mark gender in pronouns the way English does. To know whether dia is male or female, you would normally rely on earlier context in the conversation or on extra information (e.g. you already know which person they’re talking about).

Why is there no word for a, an, or the in this sentence?

Indonesian generally does not use separate words for a / an / the the way English does.

In Dia menjahit kancing baju dengan benang putih, the noun phrases:

kancing baju → (the / a) button of the shirt / shirt button
benang putih → (the / some) white thread

can be understood as definite or indefinite depending on context. If the context implies a specific button and a specific piece of thread, the English translation would likely use the. If it’s more general, you might say a or some.

Why is the verb menjahit used instead of just jahit?

Jahit is the basic verb root meaning to sew.

Menjahit is the active transitive form created by adding the prefix meN- to the root:

jahit → menjahit (meN- + jahit)

In standard Indonesian, when you have a clear subject and a direct object (here: dia as the subject and kancing baju as the object), you normally use the meN- form:

Dia menjahit kancing baju.
He/She sews/is sewing the shirt button.

You might see people say Dia jahit kancing baju in casual speech, but menjahit is the grammatically standard form.

Where is the tense in this sentence? How do I know if it’s past, present, or future?

Indonesian verbs generally do not change form for tense. Menjahit itself does not indicate past, present, or future.

Dia menjahit kancing baju dengan benang putih can mean:

He/She sewed the shirt button with white thread. (past)
He/She is sewing the shirt button with white thread. (present)
He/She sews the shirt button with white thread. (habitual)

To clarify time, you add time words:

tadi (earlier) → Dia tadi menjahit kancing baju… (He/She sewed…)
sedang (in the middle of doing) → Dia sedang menjahit kancing baju… (He/She is sewing…)
nanti (later) → Dia nanti menjahit kancing baju… (He/She will sew…)

What does kancing baju literally mean? Why not just kancing?

kancing = button (in general)
baju = shirt / clothes / top

kancing baju is a noun–noun combination that literally means button of the shirt, usually understood as shirt button.

You could say only kancing if the context already makes it clear which button you mean. Adding baju makes it explicit that it’s the button of the shirt, not, for example, a button on a bag or a jacket.

Why isn’t there a preposition like of or on between kancing and baju?

In Indonesian, a very common pattern is Noun + Noun, where the second noun modifies the first. This often corresponds to English X of Y, Y’s X, or compound nouns:

kancing baju → button of a shirt / shirt button
tas sekolah → school bag
rumah sakit → hospital (literally: sick house)

So you don’t need a word like of or on; baju directly modifies kancing.

Why is it benang putih and not putih benang for white thread?

In Indonesian, adjectives almost always come after the noun they describe.

benang = thread
putih = white
benang putih = white thread (literally: thread white)

Other examples:

baju baru → new shirt (shirt new)
mobil merah → red car (car red)
rumah besar → big house (house big)

Putting the adjective first (e.g. putih benang) is ungrammatical in standard Indonesian.

What is the function of dengan in this sentence?

Dengan is a preposition that often means with, using, or by means of.

In Dia menjahit kancing baju dengan benang putih:

dengan benang putih = with white thread / using white thread

It introduces the instrument used to perform the action. Compare:

Dia menulis dengan pensil. → He/She writes with a pencil.
Dia memotong kertas dengan gunting. → He/She cuts the paper with scissors.

Is dengan benang putih an object like kancing baju, or something else?

Kancing baju is the direct object of the verb menjahit (what is being sewn).

Dengan benang putih is a prepositional phrase expressing the instrument used to perform the action. It is not a direct object; it answers the question “with what?” rather than “what is being sewn?”

So the structure is roughly:

Subject: Dia
Verb: menjahit
Direct object: kancing baju
Instrument phrase: dengan benang putih

Could the subject dia be left out here?

Yes, in many contexts Indonesian can drop the subject when it is clear from context.

If everyone already knows which person is being talked about, you could say:

Menjahit kancing baju dengan benang putih.

This would be understood as (He/She) is sewing the shirt button with white thread, if the subject is obvious from the situation or previous sentences. However, in an isolated example sentence (like in a textbook), dia is included to make it clear that there is a subject.

Is menjahit always used with a direct object like kancing or baju, or can it stand alone?

Menjahit is normally a transitive verb (it usually takes an object):

Dia menjahit baju. → He/She sews the shirt.
Dia menjahit kancing. → He/She sews the button (on).

However, in casual speech, if the object is obvious from context, it might be left out:

Dia sedang menjahit. → He/She is sewing. (We assume we know what is being sewn.)

So grammatically it is transitive, but in practice the object can be omitted when it’s understood.

Is baju specifically shirt, or can it mean clothes in general?

Baju can mean both:

Shirt / top (in many contexts, especially when talking about upper-body clothing with buttons, sleeves, etc.)
More broadly, clothing or garment, especially in everyday speech.

In kancing baju, it will usually be interpreted as shirt button, because shirts commonly have buttons and this is a very natural collocation. For a fully general word for clothes, you might also see pakaian, but baju is extremely common in daily language.