Kunci cadangan saya disimpan di meja resepsionis.

My spare key is stored at the receptionist desk.

Breakdown of Kunci cadangan saya disimpan di meja resepsionis.

• di: at
• saya: my
• disimpan: to be stored
• kunci cadangan: the spare key
• meja resepsionis: the reception desk

Questions & Answers about Kunci cadangan saya disimpan di meja resepsionis.

Why is saya placed after kunci cadangan instead of before, like in English “my spare key”?

In Indonesian, possessive pronouns like saya normally come after the noun they possess:

• kunci saya = my key
• rumah saya = my house

When there is another word modifying the noun (here cadangan “spare/backup”), the order is:

noun + modifier + possessor
kunci cadangan saya = my spare/backup key

You don’t say saya kunci cadangan or saya kunci; saya almost always follows the noun phrase it owns.

What exactly is cadangan here, and is it acting like an adjective?

Literally, cadangan is a noun meaning reserve, backup, or spare. In English we’d often express that idea with an adjective (spare key, backup plan), but in Indonesian it’s still a noun used as a modifier.

Indonesian allows noun + noun combinations where the second noun behaves like a descriptive modifier:

• kunci cadangan = spare/backup key
• rencana cadangan = backup plan
• pemain cadangan = substitute player (in sports)

So yes, it functions like an adjective modifying kunci, but grammatically it’s a noun used as a modifier, which is very common in Indonesian.

Could I also say kunci saya yang cadangan? Does it mean the same thing?

You can say kunci saya yang cadangan, and it is understandable, but it sounds more marked and a bit more specific, almost like:

• kunci saya yang cadangan = the one of my keys that is the spare one

Subtle nuance:

• kunci cadangan saya – the natural, neutral way to say my spare key.
• kunci saya yang cadangan – highlights that you have several keys and you’re specifying which key of yours: the one that is “the spare”.

In normal usage, kunci cadangan saya is what you should use.

What is disimpan doing here? Is this a passive form, and how is it formed?

Yes, disimpan is a passive verb form.

• Base verb (active): menyimpan = to keep, to store
• Passive form: disimpan = to be kept, to be stored

Pattern:

• Prefix meN- (active) → di- (passive)
• simpan → menyimpan (active) → disimpan (passive)

So:

• Resepsionis menyimpan kunci cadangan saya.
  = The receptionist keeps my spare key.

• Kunci cadangan saya disimpan di meja resepsionis.
  = My spare key is kept at the reception desk.

The second sentence focuses on the key and uses the passive voice.

Who is doing the keeping in disimpan? Why isn’t the agent mentioned?

In Kunci cadangan saya disimpan di meja resepsionis, the agent (the person keeping the key) is not explicitly mentioned. It’s understood from context, probably:

• the receptionist
• hotel staff
• the front desk

In Indonesian, it’s very common to omit the agent in passive sentences if:

• it is obvious from context, or
• the agent isn’t important to the message.

If you really wanted to mention the agent, you could say:

• Kunci cadangan saya disimpan oleh resepsionis di meja resepsionis.
  (My spare key is kept by the receptionist at the reception desk.)

But oleh + agent is often left out in everyday speech when it’s clear who the agent is.

Could I say Kunci cadangan saya ada di meja resepsionis instead of disimpan di meja resepsionis? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can say:

• Kunci cadangan saya ada di meja resepsionis.

Difference in nuance:

• ada di = is at / exists at

  • Focus: location/state.
  • Sounds like you’re just stating where the key is right now.

• disimpan di = is kept/stored at

  • Focus: intentional keeping/storage.
  • Implies the key is being kept there on purpose as a storage location, not just coincidentally sitting there.

In your sentence, disimpan gives a sense of arrangement/plan: the reception desk is the designated place where your spare key is kept.

What is the function of di in disimpan and in di meja resepsionis? Are they the same di?

They are spelled the same, but they are different things:

1. di- as a prefix on the verb:

   • disimpan: di- (passive prefix) + simpan (root)
   • This marks the verb as passive.

2. di as a preposition:

   • di meja resepsionis = at/on the reception desk
   • Here di indicates location, similar to “in/at/on” in English depending on context.

So in the sentence:

• disimpan → di- is a verb prefix (grammatical).
• di meja resepsionis → di is a preposition (locative).

Why is it di meja resepsionis and not something like pada meja resepsionis?

In modern everyday Indonesian:

• di is the normal, natural preposition for physical location: in, at, on.
• pada is more formal/abstract, often used with:
  • abstract objects (pada kesempatan ini = on this occasion)
  • people, in formal style (pada Bapak/Ibu)
  • written/formal language

For a very concrete, physical place like a desk, di is the standard choice:

• di meja resepsionis = at/on the reception desk

Pada meja resepsionis is grammatically possible but sounds too formal/odd in casual conversation.

Why is it meja resepsionis and not meja resepsionisnya? What would meja resepsionisnya mean?

• meja resepsionis = the reception desk (understood as a known, specific desk from context, especially if you’re in a hotel).
• meja resepsionisnya = the reception desk belonging to someone / that certain one.

The suffix -nya can mean:

1. “the” (definite, specific thing already known)
2. his/her/its/their (possessive)
3. Sometimes just emphasizes “that particular one”.

In your sentence, the context (hotel / office with a front desk) already makes it clear which desk you’re talking about, so meja resepsionis is enough and more natural.

Kunci cadangan saya disimpan di meja resepsionisnya might be used if:

• you are contrasting it with some other desk,
• or you’re emphasizing that specific reception desk.

But normally, meja resepsionis is what you’d say.

Can I remove saya and just say Kunci cadangan disimpan di meja resepsionis?

You can grammatically, but the meaning changes:

• Kunci cadangan saya disimpan di meja resepsionis.
  = My spare key is kept at the reception desk.

• Kunci cadangan disimpan di meja resepsionis.
  = Spare keys are kept at the reception desk. (generic)
  or, A spare key is kept at the reception desk. (unspecified whose)

Without saya, it no longer clearly refers to your key; it sounds more like a general statement about spare keys, or a spare key whose owner is not specified.

Is there a more colloquial way to say kunci cadangan?

Yes. In everyday informal Indonesian, you will very often hear:

• kunci serep (also spelled kunci serap, kunci serep is more common)

So:

• kunci cadangan saya (neutral/standard)
• kunci serep saya (very common in casual speech)

Both mean my spare key. Cadangan is a bit more neutral/standard; serep is more colloquial.

What is the difference between disimpan and tersimpan?

Both relate to the idea of something being kept/stored, but with different emphasis:

• disimpan (passive verb):

  • Emphasizes the action: is kept / is being kept (by someone).
  • Clear link to an agent (even if the agent is not mentioned).
  • Kunci cadangan saya disimpan di meja resepsionis.
    = My spare key is kept there (someone is keeping it).

• tersimpan (stative/resultative):

  • Emphasizes the state/result of being stored rather than the actor.
  • Often feels more descriptive, sometimes a bit more formal/literary.
  • Kunci cadangan saya tersimpan di meja resepsionis.
    = My spare key is (in a state of being) stored at the reception desk.

In everyday speech, disimpan is more common in this type of practical sentence. Tersimpan can sound a bit more literary or descriptive.

Could I use aku instead of saya here? How would that change the tone?

You could say:

• Kunci cadangan aku disimpan di meja resepsionis.

However, note:

• saya = polite, neutral, standard; used in most formal and semi-formal situations, also fine in neutral everyday speech.
• aku = informal, used with friends, family, or people of the same age/status in casual contexts.

Two other points:

1. Many speakers actually prefer:
   • kunci cadangan ku (with -ku suffix) in informal writing/chat: kunci cadanganku.
2. Mixing very casual aku with a sentence that otherwise sounds fairly neutral (and mentions resepsionis) is possible, but stylistically you’d usually keep everything either neutral/formal (saya) or consistently informal.

For a textbook-style, generally appropriate sentence, saya is the safer and more standard choice.