Saya memakai komputer di perpustakaan.

I use a computer at the library.

Breakdown of Saya memakai komputer di perpustakaan.

• sebuah: a
• saya: I
• di: at
• perpustakaan: the library
• memakai: to use
• komputer: the computer

Questions & Answers about Saya memakai komputer di perpustakaan.

Why doesn’t the sentence have a separate word for “am” or a verb ending like “-ing” for “I am using the computer”?

Indonesian verbs do not change their form for tense or aspect. The verb memakai can mean:

• I use
• I am using
• I used
• I was using

The exact time is understood from context or from extra time words.

To make it explicitly progressive (like English “am using”), you can add:

• Saya sedang memakai komputer di perpustakaan.
  = I am using the computer at the library (right now).

In casual speech you’ll also hear:

• Saya lagi pakai komputer di perpustakaan.
  (lagi
  • base verb pakai is very common in speech.)

Can I leave out Saya and just say Memakai komputer di perpustakaan?

Grammatically, yes, you can drop saya if it’s clear from context who the subject is. Indonesian often omits pronouns when they’re understood.

However:

• Saya memakai komputer di perpustakaan.
  is the safest form when you’re learning, because it clearly says “I”.
• Memakai komputer di perpustakaan.
  could sound like a fragment, a note, or a title unless the subject was just mentioned.

In conversation, if someone has just asked “Kamu sedang apa?” (What are you doing?), you might answer simply:

• Memakai komputer di perpustakaan.
  (Using a computer at the library.)

What is the difference between saya and aku in a sentence like this?

Both saya and aku mean “I”, but the level of formality and relationship differ:

• Saya memakai komputer di perpustakaan.
  – Neutral / polite, good for talking to strangers, teachers, in writing, etc.

• Aku pakai komputer di perpustakaan.
  – Informal, used with friends, family, close peers, in chat.

So:

• With a teacher or in an exam: use saya.
• Texting a close friend: you’ll often see aku.

The rest of the sentence stays the same; only the pronoun and sometimes the verb style (memakai → pakai) change.

What exactly does memakai mean here, and can it also mean “to wear”?

The root is pakai, which means “to use” or “to wear”.

With the prefix me-, it becomes memakai, which usually means:

• to use (objects, tools, methods, languages)
• to wear (clothing, accessories, perfume, etc.)

Examples:

• Saya memakai komputer. – I use a computer.
• Dia memakai kacamata. – He/She wears glasses.
• Mereka memakai bahasa Indonesia. – They use Indonesian (language).

So in Saya memakai komputer di perpustakaan, it means “use”, not “wear”, but the same verb can be used for “wear” depending on the object.

Is there a difference between memakai, pakai, and menggunakan for “use a computer”?

All three can be used, but they have slightly different flavors:

1. memakai komputer

   • Correct, quite common, neutral.
   • Everyday speech and writing.

2. pakai komputer

   • More casual / conversational.
   • Very common in speech and informal writing (texts, chats).
   • Dropping the me- prefix is a typical colloquial pattern.

3. menggunakan komputer

   • Often sounds a bit more formal or technical.
   • Common in instructions, manuals, formal writing.

All of these would be understood:

• Saya memakai komputer di perpustakaan.
• Saya pakai komputer di perpustakaan. (more casual)
• Saya menggunakan komputer di perpustakaan. (slightly more formal)

The overall meaning is the same: I (am) using a computer at the library.

Could I change the word order, for example: Saya di perpustakaan memakai komputer or Di perpustakaan saya memakai komputer?

Yes. Indonesian word order is flexible, and all of these are possible:

1. Saya memakai komputer di perpustakaan.
   – Neutral, very natural.

2. Saya di perpustakaan memakai komputer.
   – Still natural; slightly more emphasis on being at the library.

3. Di perpustakaan saya memakai komputer.
   – Fronts di perpustakaan, so it emphasizes the location (“At the library, I use a computer”).
   – This can sound a bit more written or slightly contrastive.

All three can be correct; the first one is the simplest to learn and the most neutral.

What does the preposition di mean here, and how is it different from ke and pada?

In this sentence, di is a preposition meaning “at / in / on” (location):

• di perpustakaan = at the library / in the library

Compare:

• di = at / in / on (static location)
  
  • Saya di perpustakaan. – I’m at the library.
• ke = to / towards (movement)
  
  • Saya pergi ke perpustakaan. – I go to the library.
• pada = at / on, but mostly used with time or abstract things, not plain physical locations like a building
  
  • pada hari Senin – on Monday
  • pada kesempatan ini – on this occasion

So in your sentence, di is the only natural choice.

Note: di can also appear as a prefix (attached to a verb) to form the passive voice, e.g. dipakai (is used). In your sentence, it is separate from the following word, so it’s the preposition di, not the passive prefix.

Does di perpustakaan mean “at the library” or “in the library”? How do I choose?

di covers both “at” and “in” (and sometimes “on”) in English, so di perpustakaan can mean:

• at the library (focusing more on the place as a point)
• in the library (focusing more on being inside the building)

Indonesian usually doesn’t need to make this distinction; di perpustakaan is enough. The English translation (at vs in) depends on what sounds more natural in the situation, not on a change in Indonesian.

How do I say clearly “I am using the library’s computer” (the computer that belongs to the library), not just “a computer at the library”?

Subtle difference:

• Saya memakai komputer di perpustakaan.
  – Default reading: I’m using a computer at the library (location).

To emphasize that the computer belongs to the library, you can say:

• Saya memakai komputer perpustakaan.
  – Literally: I am using the library computer (possessive/associative noun phrase).

Or more explicitly:

• Saya memakai komputer milik perpustakaan.
  – I am using the computer that belongs to the library.

To specify whose computer:

• Saya memakai komputer saya di perpustakaan.
  – I’m using my computer at the library.
• Saya memakai komputer teman saya di perpustakaan.
  – I’m using my friend’s computer at the library.

There’s no word for “the” or “a”. Is perpustakaan definite or indefinite?

Indonesian has no articles like “a/an” or “the”. The bare noun perpustakaan can mean:

• a library
• the library

The interpretation comes from context, not from a word like “the”.

Examples:

• At a university campus, di perpustakaan will naturally be heard as “at the (campus) library”.
• In a more general story, it might be understood as “at a library”.

If you really need to mark definiteness, you can add:

• itu (that/the) → di perpustakaan itu – at that library / at the library (just mentioned)
• sebuah (one / a certain) → di sebuah perpustakaan – at a library

How do I pronounce memakai and perpustakaan?

Approximate pronunciation (using English-friendly hints):

1. memakai → /mə-MA-kai/

   • me: like a quick “meh” (schwa sound)
   • ma: like “ma” in “mama”
   • kai: like “kai” in “sky”
     Stress usually on the second syllable: meMAkai.

2. perpustakaan → /pər-pus-ta-ka-an/ or /pər-pus-ta-ka-an/ with very light schwas
   Syllables: per-pus-ta-ka-an

   • per: “pər” (schwa, like the ‘a’ in “about”)
   • pus: like “poos” in “pussycat” (but with pure /u:/)
   • ta: “tah”
   • ka: “kah”
   • an: “ahn”

Stress tends to be earlier than in English; many speakers have a slight stress around -ta- or -ka-, but Indonesian stress is not as strong or important as in English. Each syllable is pronounced clearly and evenly.

Is this sentence formal, informal, or neutral? How would I say it more casual or more formal?

Saya memakai komputer di perpustakaan. is neutral and safe in most situations.

• With friends or in very casual speech, you might say:

  • Aku lagi pakai komputer di perpustakaan.
    • aku instead of saya (informal “I”)
    • lagi instead of sedang (casual “currently”)
    • pakai instead of memakai (drop the prefix; colloquial)

• In a more formal or written style, you might say:

  • Saya sedang menggunakan komputer di perpustakaan.
    • sedang explicitly marks the ongoing action
    • menggunakan is slightly more formal than memakai for “use”

All of them mean essentially “I am using a computer at the library”; the differences are in register (casual vs neutral vs more formal).