Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Saya tidak pernah menonton film dokumenter di bioskop. - I have never watched a documentary film at the cinema.

Saya tidak pernah menonton film dokumenter di bioskop.
= I have never watched documentary films at the cinema (not even once in my life / up to now).

If you remove pernah:

Saya tidak menonton film dokumenter di bioskop.
= I don’t watch documentary films at the cinema. (a general habit statement, not about your whole life experience)

So:

Use tidak pernah when you mean “never (ever)”.
Use tidak alone when you mean “do not (generally / usually / right now)”.

What is the difference between tidak pernah and belum pernah?

Both are common, but the nuance is different:

Saya tidak pernah menonton film dokumenter di bioskop.
Sounds like a strong, simple fact: you have never done it (and it doesn’t say anything about the future).
Saya belum pernah menonton film dokumenter di bioskop.
Means “I have never watched a documentary film at the cinema *yet.”*
It implies that up to now it hasn’t happened, but it might happen in the future.

In many contexts belum pernah feels slightly softer and more “open” to future possibilities.

Why do we use tidak and not bukan here?

Indonesian has two main “no / not” words: tidak and bukan.

tidak negates verbs and adjectives.
bukan negates nouns or equatives (A is not B).

In this sentence, you are negating the verb phrase pernah menonton:

Saya (subject) + tidak (negator) + pernah menonton (verb phrase)

So tidak is correct.
Saya bukan pernah menonton… is ungrammatical.

Is there any Indonesian word for the English “have” in “I have never watched…”?

No direct equivalent. Indonesian doesn’t mark tense the same way English does.

The idea of English “have (ever)” in “I have never watched …” is expressed mainly by:

pernah (ever) – plus negation tidak / belum
occasionally sudah (already) in positive sentences

So instead of “have never watched”, Indonesian says “not ever watch”:

Saya tidak pernah menonton… = I have never watched…

Can I use Aku instead of Saya here? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can:

Saya tidak pernah menonton film dokumenter di bioskop.
Aku tidak pernah menonton film dokumenter di bioskop.

Both are grammatically correct. The difference is register:

Saya – more formal / neutral; safe with strangers, in writing, in polite contexts.
Aku – more informal / intimate; used with close friends, family, or peers in relaxed settings.

Choose based on who you are talking to and the tone you want.

Could I drop Saya and just say Tidak pernah menonton film dokumenter di bioskop?

Yes, in casual conversation you often hear sentences without the subject when it is clear from context.

Tidak pernah menonton film dokumenter di bioskop.
Could be understood as “(I) have never watched documentary films at the cinema.”

However:

In writing or in more formal speech, it’s safer and clearer to keep Saya.
If there is any risk of confusion (I / you / we?), including the subject is better.

Why is it menonton and not melihat?

Both relate to “seeing”, but they’re used differently:

menonton – to watch (something you follow over a period of time, like a film, TV show, performance).
melihat – to see (more general, noticing with your eyes, may be brief or accidental).

For movies, TV, performances, sports matches, etc., menonton is the natural verb:

menonton film – watch a movie
menonton TV – watch TV

Melihat film di bioskop is understandable but sounds odd; native speakers strongly prefer menonton film di bioskop.

What’s the difference between menonton and nonton?

Nonton is the colloquial / shortened form of menonton.

Formal / standard: menonton
- Saya tidak pernah menonton film dokumenter di bioskop.
Informal / spoken: nonton
- Aku nggak pernah nonton film dokumenter di bioskop.

In casual conversation and online chats, nonton is extremely common. In formal writing or exams, prefer menonton.

Can the position of di bioskop change? For example, Saya di bioskop tidak pernah menonton film dokumenter?

The basic, most natural word order is the one you have:

Saya tidak pernah menonton film dokumenter di bioskop.

You can move di bioskop for emphasis, but it changes the feel and can sound a bit marked:

Di bioskop, saya tidak pernah menonton film dokumenter.
→ “At the cinema, I never watch documentary films.” (emphasis on location; often written, or in speech with a pause)

Saya di bioskop tidak pernah menonton film dokumenter.

Grammatically it can work, but it sounds unusual and slightly confusing; listeners may first think di bioskop is modifying Saya (“I, who am at the cinema, never watch…”).
It’s rarely the preferred order for a simple sentence like this.

For learners, stick to: … menonton film dokumenter di bioskop.

Why is there no word for “any” in “I have never watched any documentary films at the cinema”?

Indonesian usually does not need a separate word for English “any” in negative sentences.

Saya tidak pernah menonton film dokumenter di bioskop.
Naturally covers: I have never watched any documentary films at the cinema.

The combination of tidak pernah + the noun already gives the “any” idea. You don’t say “film dokumenter apa pun” here unless you really want to stress “not even a single one at all”.

How do I make film dokumenter clearly plural, like “documentary films”?

Indonesian often leaves nouns unmarked for number; context tells you if it’s singular or plural.

film dokumenter can mean a documentary film or documentary films depending on context.

If you really want to emphasize plural, you have options:

banyak film dokumenter – many documentary films
film‑film dokumenter – documentaries (plural indicated by repetition)

Example:

Saya tidak pernah menonton banyak film dokumenter di bioskop.
Saya tidak pernah menonton film‑film dokumenter di bioskop.

Is film dokumenter a fixed expression, or can I just say dokumenter?

Both appear in real usage, but:

film dokumenter is the clear, explicit form: literally “documentary film”.
dokumenter alone can function as a noun in context (especially informally or in film circles), but it’s originally an adjective meaning “documentary”.

In general learner‑friendly Indonesian, film dokumenter is the safest and clearest way to say “documentary (as a movie)”.

Why is it di bioskop and not ke bioskop?

di marks location – “in / at / on”:
- di bioskop = at the cinema / in the movie theater
ke marks direction / movement towards:
- ke bioskop = to the cinema

You are talking about where you watch films (location), not where you go (direction), so di bioskop is correct.

Compare:

Saya pergi ke bioskop, tetapi saya tidak pernah menonton film dokumenter di bioskop.
→ I go to the cinema, but I never watch documentary films at the cinema.

How would I say “I rarely watch documentary films at the cinema” instead of “never”?

Use jarang (“rarely / seldom”) instead of tidak pernah (“never ever”):

Saya jarang menonton film dokumenter di bioskop.
= I rarely watch documentary films at the cinema.

Jarang goes directly before the verb phrase, just like sering (often) or tidak pernah.

Is there a more casual version of the whole sentence?

Yes. A natural informal version could be:

Aku nggak pernah nonton film dokumenter di bioskop.

Changes:

Saya → Aku (more intimate / informal)
tidak → nggak (common spoken “not”)
menonton → nonton (colloquial form)

This would sound very normal among friends.