Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Guru memberi tanda dengan stabilo pada baris terakhir di tabel. - The teacher marks the last row in the table with a highlighter.

In context, memberi tanda on a line in a table is naturally understood as “to mark” it (for example, by circling, underlining, highlighting, etc.).

You could use:

Guru memberi tanda pada baris terakhir… = The teacher marks the last row…
A more compact verb is menandai (from the same root tanda):
- Guru menandai baris terakhir di tabel.

Both are correct; memberi tanda feels a bit more descriptive/literal, menandai is a single verb “to mark / to tag / to flag” something.

Why do we use dengan before stabilo? What does dengan do here?

dengan usually means “with” and often introduces the instrument used to do an action.

In memberi tanda dengan stabilo:

memberi tanda = to mark
dengan stabilo = with a highlighter

So dengan shows how or with what tool the marking is done.
This is similar to English: “The teacher marked the last row with a highlighter.”

What exactly is stabilo? Is it just any pen?

stabilo in Indonesian usually means a highlighter (pen), the kind used to color over text in bright yellow, green, etc.

It originally comes from the brand “Stabilo,” but in everyday Indonesian it’s widely used like a generic word for highlighters.
It’s not the same as a regular pen. A regular marker is more often called spidol, and a ballpoint pen is pulpen or bolpoin.

So in this sentence, dengan stabilo means “with a highlighter pen.”

Why is it pada baris terakhir di tabel and not just di baris terakhir di tabel? What’s the difference between pada and di here?

Both pada and di can sometimes be translated as “at / on / in”, but they have different typical uses:

di is more for physical locations:
- di meja = on the table
- di sekolah = at school
- di tabel = in the table (in the chart)
pada often marks:
- more abstract locations (in a text, in time, etc.): pada halaman ini, pada hari Senin
- the target of an action: berkata pada saya = say to me
- or, like here, a specific part: pada baris terakhir = at/on the last line/row

In pada baris terakhir di tabel:

pada baris terakhir = on the last row (focusing on that row as a part)
di tabel = in the table (the table as a physical/visual object)

You could say di baris terakhir di tabel and be understood, but pada baris terakhir di tabel sounds more natural and slightly more formal/precise in writing.

Could I move di tabel earlier, like pada baris terakhir tabel di or something like that?

No, di must come before the noun it governs, and the normal word order is:

[pada baris terakhir] [di tabel]

Correct alternatives:

pada baris terakhir di tabel (original)
pada baris terakhir tabel itu (“on the last row of that table” – with itu)
pada baris terakhir pada tabel itu (more formal, but a bit heavier)

Wrong or very unnatural:

baris terakhir tabel di
pada baris terakhir tabel di

So keep di directly before tabel.

Why is there no word for “the” or “a” in Guru memberi tanda…? How do I know if it’s “the teacher” or “a teacher”?

Indonesian usually does not use articles like “a” or “the”. The sentence:

Guru memberi tanda…

can mean:

“The teacher marked…”
or “A teacher marked…”

The meaning depends on context.

If you want to make it clearer:

seorang guru = a teacher (introducing someone, one teacher)
- Seorang guru memberi tanda…
guru itu = that / the teacher (specific, known from context)
- Guru itu memberi tanda…

But in many real situations, simply Guru memberi tanda… is perfectly natural, and listeners infer “the/a” from context.

Is guru always “teacher,” or does it have some special nuance?

guru is the standard word for teacher, especially in schools. Nuances:

guru on its own: neutral, can be “a teacher” or “the teacher.”
guru itu: that/the teacher, someone specific.
sang guru: more literary/poetic, often with a sense of respect or emphasis.
mengajar is the verb “to teach.”

So in this sentence, Guru memberi tanda… is a plain, neutral “The teacher marks…” type of sentence.

What’s the difference between tabel and meja? Both can be translated as “table,” right?

Yes, both can be translated as “table” in English, but in Indonesian they are clearly different:

tabel = a table/chart with rows and columns (in a document, spreadsheet, etc.)
- Example: tabel data penjualan = sales data table
meja = a piece of furniture, a table you put things on
- Example: meja makan = dining table

In di tabel, it must be tabel because we’re talking about a row (baris) in a data table, not a piece of furniture.

What does baris terakhir mean exactly? Is baris the same as “line,” and how is it different from “row” or “column”?

baris terakhir literally means “last row/last line.”

baris = row or line, depending on context:
- In a table/chart, baris = row.
- In text, you might also say baris for a line of writing or line of poetry.
kolom = column in a table.
garis = line as in a drawn line, a stripe, or boundary – different from baris.

So here, baris terakhir di tabel is naturally understood as “the last row in the table.”

How do we know if the sentence is present, past, or future? Could Guru memberi tanda… mean “marked,” “marks,” or “will mark”?

Indonesian verbs do not change form for tense. So:

Guru memberi tanda dengan stabilo pada baris terakhir di tabel.

can mean:

The teacher marks… (present, habitual)
The teacher is marking… (present continuous)
The teacher marked… (past)
The teacher will mark… (future, but less likely without context)

The intended tense usually comes from context or added words:

tadi / kemarin → past
- Tadi guru memberi tanda… = Earlier, the teacher marked…
sedang → happening now
- Guru sedang memberi tanda… = The teacher is marking…
akan → future
- Guru akan memberi tanda… = The teacher will mark…

Without extra markers, English translations need to choose the most natural tense from context.

Could I say Guru menandai baris terakhir di tabel dengan stabilo instead? Is that more natural?

Yes, that is a very natural alternative:

Guru menandai baris terakhir di tabel dengan stabilo.

Differences:

memberi tanda = “gives a mark/sign” → a bit more literal/descriptive.
menandai = “marks / flags / tags” → a single verb, often sounds slightly more concise and “verb-like.”

Both are correct and common. In everyday speech and writing, menandai is often preferred because it’s shorter and still clear. The choice is mostly stylistic.

Is this sentence formal or informal Indonesian? Could I use it in everyday speech?

The sentence is in neutral–formal Indonesian:

Guru memberi tanda dengan stabilo pada baris terakhir di tabel.

Vocabulary like memberi, pada, tabel is standard and is appropriate for school, work, and written explanations.
In casual spoken Indonesian, people might shorten or rearrange slightly but wouldn’t find this sentence strange.

You can safely use it in both everyday speech (especially in a school/office context) and formal writing (reports, instructions, etc.).

What is the base form of memberi, and how is it formed? Why not just use beri?

The base form is beri (to give). memberi is formed by adding the prefix meN-:

meN-
- beri → memberi

Functionally:

memberi is the normal, standard verb form used in sentences:
- Dia memberi saya buku. = He/She gives me a book.
Bare beri tends to appear in:
- set phrases (beri tahu, “tell/inform”; beri salam, “give a greeting”),
- imperative commands: Beri saya waktu! = Give me time!

So in a neutral declarative sentence like this, memberi tanda is more natural than beri tanda.