Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Saya mendengar podcast sains di ruang tamu malam ini. - I listen to a science podcast in the living room tonight.

dengar is the root verb: “to hear”.
mendengar is the standard, “proper” verb form with the prefix meN-, which often turns roots into active verbs.

In everyday speech, people often say Saya dengar podcast… (dropping meN-) and it’s still correct and very common, but mendengar sounds a bit more careful/standard.

What’s the difference between mendengar and mendengarkan?

Both are related to “hearing/listening”, but there’s a nuance:

mendengar = to hear / to listen (more general, can be passive or accidental).
mendengarkan = to listen to (more active, intentional, focusing on the object).

In many contexts, especially in casual speech, people use them almost interchangeably:

Saya mendengar podcast sains…
Saya mendengarkan podcast sains…

Both can be understood as “I’m listening to a science podcast…”. If you want to emphasize the act of listening actively, mendengarkan fits slightly better, but mendengar is very widely used.

In English we say “listen to a podcast”. Why is there no to in Indonesian?

Indonesian doesn’t need a preposition like to after mendengar/mendengarkan:

English: listen *to a podcast*
Indonesian: mendengar podcast / mendengarkan podcast

The verb directly takes the object without a preposition. Adding something like kepada here would be incorrect. So you just say mendengar podcast, not mendengar kepada podcast.

Does Saya mendengar podcast sains di ruang tamu malam ini mean present, past, or future?

Indonesian verbs don’t change form for tense. mendengar itself is “hear/listen” with no built-in time.

malam ini (“tonight/this evening”) suggests a time close to now, and can be either:

I’m listening to a science podcast in the living room tonight. (future plan / near future)
I’m listening to a science podcast in the living room tonight. (if said while doing it now)

If you want to be clearer:

Past: Saya tadi malam mendengar podcast sains di ruang tamu. (I heard it last night)
Ongoing now: Saya sedang mendengar podcast sains di ruang tamu. (I am currently listening)
Future: Saya akan mendengar podcast sains di ruang tamu malam ini. (I will listen tonight)

What exactly does malam ini mean? Is it literally “this night”?

Yes. malam = night/evening, ini = this.

malam ini literally “this night”, used like tonight. Other similar expressions:
pagi ini = this morning
siang ini = this midday / early afternoon
sore ini = this late afternoon / early evening
besok malam = tomorrow night

In the sentence, malam ini is naturally translated as tonight.

Where can I put malam ini in the sentence? Does it have to be at the end?

It doesn’t have to be at the end, but that’s a very common place for time expressions. You can say:

Saya mendengar podcast sains di ruang tamu malam ini.
Malam ini, saya mendengar podcast sains di ruang tamu.

Both sound natural. Typical orders for time phrases:

At the beginning (for emphasis): Malam ini, saya…
At the end (very common): … di ruang tamu malam ini.

Why is it podcast sains and not sains podcast like in English “science podcast”?

In Indonesian, the basic pattern is HEAD + MODIFIER:

podcast sains = literally “podcast (of) science” → “science podcast”
- podcast = head noun
- sains = noun used as a modifier

English often uses modifier + head (“science podcast”), but Indonesian usually puts the thing being described first, and the description after it.

Is podcast an Indonesian word? Does it change for plural?

podcast is a loanword from English, used as-is:

spelling is the same: podcast
plural is usually not marked by adding an s. You show plural by:
- context: Saya suka podcast. (I like podcasts.)
- explicit words: banyak podcast (many podcasts), beberapa podcast (several podcasts)
- or sometimes reduplication (less common for this loanword): podcast-podcast

So podcast sains can mean “a science podcast” or “science podcasts”, depending on context.

Why is there no word for “the” in di ruang tamu? How do you know it’s “in the living room”?

Indonesian has no articles like a/an/the.

ruang tamu = living room
di ruang tamu = in (the) living room

Whether you translate it as “in a living room” or “in the living room” depends on context in English, not on extra words in Indonesian. The phrase itself is neutral regarding definiteness.

What’s the difference between di ruang tamu and ke ruang tamu?

di marks a location (where something is):
- di ruang tamu = in the living room
ke marks a destination (movement to somewhere):
- ke ruang tamu = to the living room

So:

Saya mendengar podcast sains di ruang tamu.
= I listen to a science podcast in the living room.
Saya pergi ke ruang tamu.
= I go to the living room.

Can I drop Saya and just say Mendengar podcast sains di ruang tamu malam ini?

You can drop Saya in some contexts, but be careful:

Indonesian often drops pronouns when the subject is obvious from context or from earlier sentences.
Mendengar podcast sains di ruang tamu malam ini. by itself sounds like a sentence fragment or like a note (“Listening to a science podcast in the living room tonight.”) where the subject is understood.

In normal, clear sentences—especially as a learner—it’s safer to keep Saya:

Saya mendengar podcast sains di ruang tamu malam ini.

What’s the difference between Saya and Aku here?

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

Saya
- more formal / neutral
- safe in almost all situations (talking to strangers, in writing, in class, etc.)
Aku
- more informal, intimate
- used with friends, family, or in songs and literature

You could say:

Saya mendengar podcast sains di ruang tamu malam ini. (neutral/polite)
Aku mendengar podcast sains di ruang tamu malam ini. (more casual/intimate)

Grammar stays the same; only the level of formality changes.