Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Ibu suka senam pelan-pelan di ruang tamu. - Mother likes to do gymnastics slowly in the living room.

“My mother / Mom” – If you’re talking about your own mother, Ibu alone is often understood as “my mom”, especially in family context. Many people don’t add saya or -ku every time.
A polite way to say “ma’am / Mrs.” – You call an adult woman Ibu (or Bu) as a respectful form of address, similar to “ma’am” or “Mrs.”.
A polite “you” – When speaking directly to an older woman, Ibu can function like “you”:
- Ibu mau minum apa? = “What would you like to drink, ma’am?”

In the sentence Ibu suka senam pelan-pelan di ruang tamu, with no other context, it is most naturally read as “(My) mother likes…” or “Mom likes…”.

Why is there no explicit word for “my” before Ibu? How do you say “my mother” in Indonesian?

Indonesian often omits possessive words when the relationship is obvious.

Ways to say “my mother”:

Ibu – often already understood as “my mother” in context.
Ibu saya – literally “mother I”, very clear and neutral.
Ibuku – ibu
- -ku (“my”), a bit more informal / personal.

All of these can refer to “my mother”; the difference is style and emphasis. So:

Ibu suka senam… – commonly understood as “My mom likes to exercise…”
Ibu saya suka senam… – clearly, “My mother likes to exercise…”
Ibuku suka senam… – “My mom likes to exercise…”, a bit more intimate.

You don’t have to mark “my” every time the family relationship makes it clear.

What is the nuance of suka here? Is it the same as “like”, and how is it different from cinta or gemar?

Suka generally means “to like / to enjoy” and also “to often do (something)”:

Ibu suka senam…
= She likes doing exercise / She often does exercise.

Comparisons:

suka
- Like, enjoy, or habitually do.
- Can be followed by a noun or a verb:
  - Saya suka kopi. – I like coffee.
  - Saya suka membaca. – I like reading.
cinta
- Strong “love” (romantic, deep affection).
- Saya cinta kamu. – I love you.
- Not used with activities in this everyday way; you wouldn’t normally say saya cinta senam.
gemar
- Formal / bookish synonym of suka, “fond of / keen on”.
- Ibu gemar senam. – Mother is fond of exercise. (More formal.)

So Ibu suka senam… most naturally means “Mom likes / enjoys exercising (and probably does it regularly).”

Is senam a noun or a verb? Why can it appear directly after suka?

Senam is a noun that means something like “gymnastics / exercise (especially light, rhythmic, stretching/aerobic type)”, but in everyday speech it is also used like a verb: “to do that kind of exercise”.

So:

As a noun:
- Senam itu penting. – Exercise is important.
As a verb (common usage):
- Saya senam setiap pagi. – I exercise every morning.

Because suka can be followed by either a noun or a verb, both readings are natural:

Ibu suka senam…
- “Mom likes exercise…”
- “Mom likes to exercise…”

You don’t need a special marker like “to” or “do” between suka and senam.

Why isn’t there a word like “to” before senam? Can I say suka untuk senam?

In Indonesian, you usually don’t put anything between suka and the following verb or noun:

Correct / natural:
- Ibu suka senam. – Mom likes to exercise.
- Saya suka membaca. – I like to read.
- Mereka suka kopi. – They like coffee.

Using untuk here is usually unnecessary or odd:

✗ Ibu suka untuk senam. – Feels unnatural in most contexts.

You use untuk mainly to show purpose or intended use, not after suka:

Tempat ini bagus untuk senam. – This place is good for exercise.
Sepatu ini untuk senam. – These shoes are for exercise.

So stick with suka + verb/noun directly: suka senam, suka membaca, suka kopi, etc.

What exactly does pelan-pelan mean, and how is it different from just pelan?

pelan = slow
pelan-pelan (reduplicated) = slowly, gently, take it easy / nice and slow

Reduplication in Indonesian often has a softening, intensifying, or more casual feel. With pelan-pelan:

It can simply mean “slowly”:
- Ibu suka senam pelan-pelan. – Mom likes to exercise slowly.
It can also carry a nuance of “don’t rush, be gentle / take it easy”:
- Pelan-pelan ya. – Go slowly, okay. / Take it easy.

Using just pelan as an adverb is possible but sounds a bit more like a bare description:

Jalan pelan. – Walk slow(ly).

Pelan-pelan is more natural-sounding in daily speech when you want to say “slowly” for an action.

Why is pelan-pelan placed after senam? Can I move it to another position?

The default pattern in Indonesian is:

[Subject] + [Verb] + [Manner (how)] + [Place]

So:

Ibu (subject)
suka senam (verb phrase)
pelan-pelan (manner: slowly)
di ruang tamu (place: in the living room)

= Ibu suka senam pelan-pelan di ruang tamu.

You can move pelan-pelan for emphasis, but some positions feel more natural than others:

Ibu suka senam pelan-pelan di ruang tamu. – Very natural.
Ibu suka senam di ruang tamu pelan-pelan. – Also okay; now the “in the living room” detail comes earlier.
Pelan-pelan Ibu suka senam di ruang tamu. – Possible in some contexts, but sounds more marked/emphatic, like “Slowly, Mom likes to exercise in the living room,” which is unusual.

Putting it directly before the verb usually sounds odd:

✗ Ibu suka pelan-pelan senam di ruang tamu. – Not natural.

So the safest, most natural place is after the verb phrase: senam pelan-pelan.

Why is the preposition di used in di ruang tamu and not ke? What’s the difference?

di = in / at / on (location, no movement)
ke = to / toward (movement to a place)

In the sentence:

di ruang tamu = in the living room (location of the activity)

She is already in the living room when she exercises. There is no movement expressed, so di is correct.

If you wanted to talk about going to the living room, you’d use ke:

Ibu pergi ke ruang tamu untuk senam.
– Mom goes to the living room to exercise.

So: di = where something happens; ke = where something is going.

There’s no word for “the” in ruang tamu. How do we know it’s “the living room” and not “a living room”?

Indonesian has no articles like “a / an / the”. Nouns are usually bare, and context tells you whether it’s definite or indefinite.

ruang tamu – literally just “living room”.

In a typical family context, “living room” will naturally be understood as the family’s living room, so English speakers translate it as “the living room”.

If you want to be more explicit:

ruang tamu itu – that living room / the living room (specific).
sebuah ruang tamu – a living room (one living room; more formal).

But in everyday speech:

Ibu suka senam pelan-pelan di ruang tamu.
→ naturally understood as “in the living room” from context.

What’s the difference between ruang tamu and words like kamar or ruang keluarga?

ruang tamu
- Literally “guest room”.
- In practice, it’s the living room / sitting room where guests are received.
ruang keluarga
- Literally “family room”.
- More like a family living area, sometimes more private than ruang tamu, depending on the house.
kamar
- Means room, but usually for bedrooms or enclosed rooms:
  - kamar tidur – bedroom.
  - kamar mandi – bathroom.

So di ruang tamu is specifically “in the (front) living room where guests are usually welcomed”, not in a bedroom or bathroom.

There’s no tense marking in the sentence. How do we know if it means “likes to”, “liked to”, or “will like to”?

Indonesian verbs don’t change form for tense. Time is inferred from:

Context
Time words like tadi (earlier today), kemarin (yesterday), besok (tomorrow), akan (will), sudah (already), sering (often), etc.

Without any time word, a sentence like:

Ibu suka senam pelan-pelan di ruang tamu.

is typically read as a general, timeless habit or preference:

“Mom likes to exercise slowly in the living room.”
(i.e., that’s something she generally likes / tends to do.)

If you want to specify time:

Dulu Ibu suka senam… – In the past, Mom used to like…
Sekarang Ibu suka senam… – Now Mom likes…
Nanti Ibu akan suka senam… – Later Mom will come to like/exercise…

But the base verb suka itself doesn’t change.