Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Di ladang itu, ibu menabur benih dan menambahkan pupuk ke tanah. - In that field, Mother scatters seeds and adds fertilizer to the soil.

di = at / in / on (location, no movement)
- di ladang itu = in/at that field
ke = to / toward / into / onto (movement or direction)
- ke tanah = to the soil / onto the soil

So the sentence contrasts:

di ladang itu – the place where the action happens
ke tanah – the direction where the fertilizer is added

Why is it ladang itu and not itu ladang if it means “that field”?

In Indonesian, demonstratives like ini (this) and itu (that) normally come after the noun they modify:

ladang itu = that field (noun + demonstrative)
ladang ini = this field

If you say itu ladang, it changes meaning to “that is a field” (a full sentence: itu = that, ladang = a field). So:

ladang itu – a noun phrase: that field
itu ladang – a simple sentence: that is a field

Does ibu here mean “my mother”, “a mother”, or just “a woman”?

ibu can mean several related things, depending on context and capitalization:

mother (as a common noun)
- ibu = mother (in general)
- ibu saya = my mother
Mother / Mom (as a specific person or respectful address)
- Often written Ibu (capital I), like a name or title.
- Used to respectfully address an older woman or a mother figure.

In a simple narrative sentence like this, ibu is usually understood as “(the) mother” in the story, often implying “my/our mother” from the narrator’s perspective, even when saya is not stated. If the writer wanted to be explicit, they could say:

Di ladang itu, ibu saya menabur benih… – my mother sowed seeds…

Why is there a comma after Di ladang itu?

Di ladang itu is a fronted prepositional phrase (it tells us where before telling us what happens). Indonesian often uses a comma after such an introductory phrase, especially in written, more formal style:

Di ladang itu, ibu menabur benih…
= In that field, mother sowed seeds…

You could also put it at the end without a comma:

Ibu menabur benih dan menambahkan pupuk ke tanah di ladang itu.

Both are grammatically correct; the version with the comma simply puts emphasis on the location first.

What is the difference between ladang, sawah, and kebun? Aren’t they all “fields”?

They’re all related to land for plants, but they differ:

ladang
- dry field, used for crops like corn, cassava, peanuts, etc.
- not flooded with water.
sawah
- rice paddy field, usually flooded; specifically for growing rice.
kebun
- garden / plantation / orchard (fruit trees, vegetables, tea, rubber, etc.)
- can also mean a small home garden.

So ladang in the sentence suggests a dry crop field, not a rice paddy.

What exactly does menabur mean, and how is it different from menanam?

Both involve putting plants or seeds into the ground, but the manner is different:

menabur (benih)
- to sow / scatter seeds, often by hand over the surface.
- suggests spreading many seeds over an area.
menanam
- to plant (seeds, seedlings, plants) more deliberately, one by one or in rows, often making holes.

So:

menabur benih = to sow seeds (by scattering them).
menanam benih/bibit = to plant seeds/seedlings (more individually).

In a ladang, both can be correct depending on the farming method; the sentence emphasizes the idea of sowing.

Why is it menabur and menambahkan, not just tabur and tambah?

tabur and tambah are root words. The meN- prefix turns them into active verbs:

tabur → menabur = to sow / to scatter
tambah → menambah / menambahkan = to add, to increase, to add something to something

Using bare roots like tabur or tambah is possible in certain fixed expressions, headlines, or imperative forms, for example:

Tabur benih di ladang! – Sow seeds in the field!
Tambah air. – Add water.

But in a normal full sentence in the meN- verb style, you say:

ibu menabur benih
ibu menambahkan pupuk

So menabur and menambahkan are just the standard, fully inflected verb forms here.

What’s the difference between menambah and menambahkan? Why use menambahkan here?

Both come from tambah (add/increase):

menambah [object]
- to add to / increase that object
- e.g. menambah pupuk = to increase the amount of fertilizer
menambahkan [thing] ke/pada [target]
- to add [thing] to [target] (two arguments: what and where)
- e.g. menambahkan pupuk ke tanah = to add fertilizer to the soil

In this sentence we clearly have two participants:

what is added: pupuk
where it is added: ke tanah

So menambahkan pupuk ke tanah is the natural pattern.

Why do we say menambahkan pupuk ke tanah, not di tanah or kepada tanah?

The choice of preposition signals the role of tanah:

ke tanah – direction / destination
add fertilizer *to the soil* (putting fertilizer into/onto it)
di tanah – location
would focus more on where the action happens:
add fertilizer on the soil (while being on the soil); less natural with menambahkan X di Y.
kepada tanah – “to” a recipient
kepada is usually for people or animate recipients (to someone), or abstract recipients:
- memberi makan kepada anak – give food to the child
- menulis surat kepada guru – write a letter to the teacher
  Using kepada tanah for literal soil sounds odd.

For physical things being added onto/into something, ke is the usual choice: menambahkan pupuk ke tanah.

Do benih and pupuk need plural markers to mean “seeds” and “fertilizer”?

No plural markers are required. Indonesian usually leaves nouns unmarked for number:

benih can mean a seed or seeds.
pupuk can mean fertilizer in general (uncountable) or fertilizers.

If you want to emphasize plurality or quantity:

banyak benih – many seeds
beberapa jenis pupuk – several types of fertilizer

Reduplication is possible but not common here:

benih-benih – seeds (emphasis on many individual seeds), but benih alone is normally enough.
pupuk-pupuk is rare; more natural is berbagai macam pupuk (various kinds of fertilizer).

What do benih, bibit, and biji each mean? They all seem like “seeds”.

They are related but used differently:

benih
- seed in the sense of propagation (for planting / breeding).
- used both literally and metaphorically:
  - benih padi – rice seed (for planting)
  - benih konflik – seeds of conflict (figurative).
bibit
- young plants / seedlings used for planting (often already sprouted), or young animals used for breeding.
- bibit mangga – mango seedlings
biji
- seed as a part of a fruit/nut, often not for planting, more like the kernel or pit:
  - biji jeruk – orange seed (inside the fruit)
  - biji semangka – watermelon seeds.

In menabur benih, benih is correct because we’re talking about seeds intended for growing crops.

Does tanah mean “ground”, “land”, or “earth”? Why use it here?

tanah has several related meanings:

soil / dirt – the material you plant in:
- pupuk ke tanah – fertilizer to the soil.
land / ground – as a surface:
- tanah lapang – open ground.
territory / land (legal or geographic sense):
- tanah milik negara – state-owned land.

In this sentence, tanah clearly means soil: the fertilizer is being added to the soil in the field. For Earth/planet, Indonesian would usually use bumi, not tanah.