Breakdown of Anak-anak suka permainan sederhana di halaman belakang.
Questions & Answers about Anak-anak suka permainan sederhana di halaman belakang.
In Indonesian, repeating a noun (with a hyphen) often marks plural.
- anak = child
- anak-anak = children
So anak-anak shows there is more than one child. Using just anak could mean “a child” or “the child” (depending on context), while anak-anak clearly means “children” or “kids” in general or as a group.
It can do either, depending on context, because Indonesian doesn’t use articles like a/the:
- In a general sense: Anak-anak suka permainan sederhana di halaman belakang.
→ “Children (in general) like simple games in the backyard.” - In a specific context (e.g., you’re talking about your own kids):
→ “The children like simple games in the backyard.”
The sentence itself is neutral; the context decides whether it means “children” or “the children.”
Both are possible but slightly different in focus:
- suka permainan → focuses on the games (as things).
- literally: “(They) like simple games in the backyard.”
- suka bermain → focuses on the activity of playing.
- Anak-anak suka bermain di halaman belakang.
- “Children like to play in the backyard.”
Your sentence talks about the types of games they like (simple games), not just the act of playing.
Permainan is a noun meaning “game” or “games” (no separate plural form).
It comes from the root main (to play):
- main = to play
- bermain = to play (verb with prefix ber-)
- permainan = game / games (noun with per-…-an)
So permainan sederhana is “simple games.”
In Indonesian, the normal order is: NOUN + ADJECTIVE.
- permainan sederhana = simple games
- rumah besar = big house
- buku baru = new book
So sederhana (simple) naturally comes after permainan (games). Putting it before would be ungrammatical.
Sederhana mainly means simple / modest / not elaborate. Depending on context, it can also imply:
- not fancy / plain
- modest (in lifestyle, behavior, etc.)
In permainan sederhana, it suggests games that are not complicated or elaborate—easy, simple, low-tech kinds of games. It does not necessarily mean “cheap,” though simple games often are.
For physical locations, Indonesian uses di:
- di rumah = at home
- di sekolah = at school
- di halaman belakang = in the backyard
Pada is used more for abstract locations, time, or recipients (e.g., pada hari Senin, pada mereka) and would sound unnatural here. In this sentence, only di halaman belakang is correct.
Both can be translated as “backyard,” but they have slightly different structures:
- halaman belakang
- literally: “back yard”
- a set phrase for backyard as a part of a house area
- belakang rumah
- literally: “the back of the house”
- could mean the area behind the house in general, not necessarily a proper yard
Often in everyday speech, people also say halaman belakang rumah (“the backyard of the house”). Your sentence uses the common, natural phrase di halaman belakang.
We don’t explicitly know from the word itself—Indonesian normally doesn’t mark singular vs plural. Permainan can mean:
- a game
- the game
- games
Context tells you. With anak-anak (plural) and a general statement, it’s most natural to translate as “simple games.”
You could say para anak, but it’s:
- more formal and less common in everyday speech
- usually used with certain nouns in a group sense, like para siswa (the students), para tamu (the guests)
For “children,” the most natural everyday plural is anak-anak.
Para anak may sound a bit stiff or unusual in casual conversation.
The hyphen is required in standard writing to show reduplication:
- anak-anak (correct)
- anak anak (incorrect in standard spelling; it looks like two separate words)
So always write reduplicated nouns like anak-anak, buku-buku, orang-orang with a hyphen. In informal texting, some people may drop it, but it’s not standard.