Termometer kecil itu saya simpan di lemari.

that

Breakdown of Termometer kecil itu saya simpan di lemari.

• saya: I
• di: in
• kecil: small

Questions & Answers about Termometer kecil itu saya simpan di lemari.

Why does the sentence start with Termometer kecil itu instead of saya?

Indonesian normally uses S–V–O word order (like English), so you could say:

• Saya menyimpan termometer kecil itu di lemari.

In Termometer kecil itu saya simpan di lemari, the object (termometer kecil itu) is moved to the front to give it emphasis or make it the topic of the sentence. It’s like saying in English:

• That small thermometer, I keep (it) in the cupboard.

So this word order is used when the speaker wants to focus on that small thermometer (for example, in answer to “Where is that small thermometer?”).

Is this sentence active or passive?

It’s usually translated as an active sentence: I keep that small thermometer in the cupboard.

Grammatically, many descriptions of Indonesian call this pattern a kind of “passive type 2”:

• Termometer kecil itu (object / topic)
• saya simpan (verb + agent pronoun)

You could also translate it more literally as That small thermometer is kept by me in the cupboard, but in natural English we’d normally use the active version.

For learning purposes, it’s fine to treat it as an active sentence with a fronted object for emphasis.

What’s the difference between simpan and menyimpan?

Both come from the same root and mean to store / to keep.

• menyimpan = the standard verb form