Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Kadang saya membuat diagram kecil di buku catatan, lalu memindahkan datanya ke tabel di komputer. - Sometimes I make a small diagram in my notebook, then move the data into a table on the computer.

kadang-kadang = the full, very common form for sometimes.
kadang = a shorter, more casual form of kadang-kadang. Often used in speech and informal writing.
terkadang = also sometimes, feels a bit more formal/literary.

All of these can usually replace each other without changing the basic meaning:

Kadang saya membuat…
Kadang-kadang saya membuat…
Terkadang saya membuat…

They all mean Sometimes I make…

Putting Kadang at the beginning and putting a comma after it (as in the sentence) is normal and sounds natural.

Can I move Kadang to a different place in the sentence?

Yes. Common possibilities:

Kadang saya membuat diagram kecil…
Saya kadang membuat diagram kecil…

Both are natural.

Subtle nuance (not very strong, and often interchangeable):

Kadang saya…: focuses a bit more on the time/frequency (Sometimes, I do this…).
Saya kadang…: focuses a bit more on the subject (I sometimes do this…).

Saya membuat diagram kecil kadang is possible but less natural; learners should stick to Kadang saya… or Saya kadang….

Why is it membuat and not menggambar for making a diagram?

Both can be used, but the nuance is slightly different:

membuat diagram kecil
- Literally: to make/create a small diagram.
- Neutral: can be hand-drawn or made with tools; focuses on creating it.
menggambar diagram kecil
- Literally: to draw a small diagram.
- Emphasizes the act of drawing (with a pen, pencil, etc.).

In the sentence, membuat diagram kecil di buku catatan is natural because we are talking about creating diagrams, not only the physical drawing action.

Why is the adjective kecil placed after diagram?

In Indonesian, adjectives normally come after the noun:

diagram kecil = small diagram
buku catatan = notebook (literally book notes)
meja besar = big table

Putting the adjective before the noun (like English small diagram) is not correct in Indonesian.

You could say diagram yang kecil, but that’s more like saying the diagram that is small, usually when contrasting it with other diagrams. For a simple description, use diagram kecil.

What exactly does buku catatan mean? Is it the same as notebook?

buku catatan literally means book of notes:

buku = book
catatan = notes

In context, buku catatan is indeed a notebook (the thing you write notes in).

Other related words:

buku tulis: school-style exercise book / lined notebook.
notebook (loanword): can mean a paper notebook, but very often means laptop in modern usage, so it’s ambiguous.

For clarity, buku catatan is a good choice for notebook as a place for handwritten notes.

Why is the preposition di used in di buku catatan and di komputer?

di usually corresponds to English in, on, or at, depending on context.

di buku catatan = in my notebook
You’re writing or drawing in the notebook.
di komputer = on the computer
You’re using the computer as the place where the table exists.

You generally don’t need pada or dalam here:

pada komputer sounds formal/technical and is uncommon in this everyday context.
dalam komputer (inside the computer) is too literal and only used in very specific situations.

So di buku catatan and di komputer are the natural choices.

What does memindahkan mean, and how is it related to pindah?

The root verb is pindah = to move (oneself or something changes place/state, often intransitive):

Saya pindah ke Jakarta. = I moved to Jakarta.

memindahkan is the me-…-kan form:

memindahkan = to move something / to transfer something
It makes pindah into a transitive verb that takes a direct object.

So:

pindah: to move (change place)
memindahkan data: to move/transfer the data (from one place to another)

In the sentence:

memindahkan datanya ke tabel di komputer
= move/transfer the data to a table on the computer.

Why is it datanya and not just data? What does -nya add?

data = data (generic).
datanya = the data / its data / that data we’re talking about.

The suffix -nya often works like:

a definite marker (similar to English the)
or a possessive (its, his/her, their, depending on context)

In this sentence:

memindahkan datanya = move the data (that I’ve just written/drawn)

We understand that -nya refers back to the data in the notebook. You could say memindahkan data ke tabel…, but datanya makes it more specific and natural: it’s that particular data, not just data in general.

Why is it ke tabel di komputer and not ke dalam tabel?

ke means to (indicating direction).

Here:

ke tabel di komputer = to a table on the computer

This is already clear in Indonesian. Saying ke dalam tabel (literally into the table) is not wrong, and you might hear it, especially in more technical or careful speech, but it’s not necessary.

So you have two acceptable patterns:

memindahkan datanya ke tabel di komputer
memindahkan datanya ke dalam tabel di komputer

The first is shorter and very natural in everyday language.

Does di komputer describe the tabel or the action memindahkan?

In this sentence, di komputer most naturally modifies tabel:

tabel di komputer = a table on the computer

So the structure is:

memindahkan [datanya] [ke [tabel di komputer]]

You’re moving the data to a table that is on the computer, not just moving the data on the computer in a vague way.

If you wanted di komputer to modify the action more clearly, you might say something like:

Saya memindahkan datanya di komputer.
(I move the data on the computer — less specific about to where.)

But the original sentence clearly focuses on moving it into a table.

How do we know this sentence is talking about a habitual action (what I sometimes do), not a single past event?

Indonesian usually doesn’t mark tense with verb changes. Instead, context and time words show whether it’s present, past, or future.

Kadang (sometimes) is an adverb of frequency. It suggests a habitual or repeated action.

So:

Kadang saya membuat diagram kecil di buku catatan, lalu memindahkan datanya ke tabel di komputer.
= Sometimes I make a small diagram in my notebook, then move the data to a table on the computer.

It can describe your general routine or habit.
If you wanted a clearly past, one-time event, you’d usually add a time expression like:

Kemarin saya membuat… = Yesterday I made…
Tadi malam saya membuat… = Last night I made…