Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Pelajari sejarah Indonesia di perpustakaan.

Pelajari sejarah Indonesia di perpustakaan is an imperative sentence. The subject “you” is understood from context, so it doesn’t need to be said.

In English you must say “(You) Study Indonesian history at the library.”
In Indonesian, just using the verb pelajari already implies “you study…” as a command.

Is pelajari definitely a command? Could this sentence mean “He/She studies Indonesian history at the library”?

With the form pelajari at the beginning of the sentence and no subject, native speakers will read it as a command / instruction almost 100% of the time.

To say a normal statement like “He/She studies Indonesian history at the library”, Indonesians would normally say:

Ia/Saya mempelajari sejarah Indonesia di perpustakaan.
or
Ia/Saya belajar sejarah Indonesia di perpustakaan.

So:

pelajari … → imperative (“Study …!”)
mempelajari … / belajar … → statement (“studies / is studying …”)

What’s the difference between pelajari, belajar, and mempelajari?

All three are related to the root ajar (teaching/learning), but they’re used differently:

belajar = “to study / to learn” (intransitive; doesn’t need a direct object)
- Saya belajar. = I study / I’m studying.
- Saya belajar di perpustakaan. = I study at the library.
- Can also take a loose object: belajar bahasa Indonesia = study Indonesian (language).
mempelajari = “to study something (in depth)” (transitive; has a direct object)
- Saya mempelajari sejarah Indonesia. = I study Indonesian history.
pelajari = imperative form of mempelajari (“study [this]!”)
- Pelajari sejarah Indonesia. = Study Indonesian history.

In your sentence, Pelajari sejarah Indonesia di perpustakaan is using the imperative form, directly telling someone to study that specific thing.

Could I replace pelajari with belajar in this sentence? Would it change the meaning?

You can say:

Belajar sejarah Indonesia di perpustakaan.

This would still sound like a command, but slightly more casual and less “targeted” than pelajari.

Nuance:

Pelajari sejarah Indonesia… — “Study (this particular subject) Indonesian history (properly, in depth).”
Belajar sejarah Indonesia… — “Study/learn Indonesian history…” (slightly broader, less “intense”).

Both can function as instructions, but pelajari feels a bit more like a direct task: focus on this material.

How do I say “I study Indonesian history at the library” instead of giving a command?

To make it a normal statement, add a subject and use belajar or mempelajari:

Saya belajar sejarah Indonesia di perpustakaan.
= I study / am studying Indonesian history at the library.
Saya mempelajari sejarah Indonesia di perpustakaan.
= I study / am studying Indonesian history at the library (slightly more formal / focused).

Both are correct. Belajar is more common in everyday speech; mempelajari is more formal and emphasizes studying something in detail.

Is Pelajari sejarah Indonesia di perpustakaan polite, or could it sound rude?

By itself, Pelajari sejarah Indonesia di perpustakaan is a plain, direct command. It can sound:

neutral in written instructions (textbooks, worksheets, exam questions),
but a bit blunt in spoken conversation, depending on tone and relationship.

To make it softer / more polite, you can add:

Tolong pelajari sejarah Indonesia di perpustakaan.
= Please study Indonesian history at the library.
Silakan pelajari sejarah Indonesia di perpustakaan.
= Please (go ahead and) study Indonesian history at the library.
Pelajarilah sejarah Indonesia di perpustakaan.
(adding -lah softens and formalizes the command a bit.)

Context and intonation also play a big role in how “harsh” it feels.

Does sejarah Indonesia mean “history of Indonesia” or “history in Indonesian (language)”?

In this sentence, sejarah Indonesia naturally means “the history of Indonesia”.

sejarah = history
Indonesia = Indonesia (the country)

So sejarah Indonesia is understood as Indonesia’s history.

If you wanted to say “history in Indonesian (language)”, you would normally specify bahasa Indonesia:

sejarah dalam bahasa Indonesia = history (text) in Indonesian (language)
pelajaran sejarah bahasa Indonesia = the history lesson of the Indonesian language (rare/specific context)

Why is the preposition di used here, and not ke?

In Indonesian:

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

Your sentence:

di perpustakaan = at the library / in the library
→ describing where the studying takes place.

If you talk about movement, you use ke:

Pergi ke perpustakaan. = Go to the library.
Pergilah ke perpustakaan untuk belajar sejarah Indonesia. = Go to the library to study Indonesian history.

So di perpustakaan is correct here because the action (studying) happens in/at that place.

Can I change the word order, like putting di perpustakaan at the beginning?

Yes, Indonesian word order is fairly flexible for adverbial phrases like locations. These are all possible:

Pelajari sejarah Indonesia di perpustakaan. (neutral, most typical)
Di perpustakaan, pelajari sejarah Indonesia. (slight emphasis on “at the library”)
Pelajari di perpustakaan sejarah Indonesia. (possible but sounds odd / unnatural)

Natural patterns:

Main verb + object + place:
Pelajari (V) sejarah Indonesia (O) di perpustakaan (place).
Or place first for emphasis:
Di perpustakaan (place), pelajari (V) sejarah Indonesia (O).

Putting di perpustakaan between the verb and object usually sounds awkward.

Why isn’t there a word for “the” before perpustakaan? How do I say “the library” vs “a library”?

Indonesian does not have articles like “a/an” or “the”. The bare noun perpustakaan can mean:

“a library”
“the library”
“libraries” (in the right context)

The exact meaning depends on context, not on a separate word.

If you really need to be specific, you can add other words:

perpustakaan itu = that library / the library (already known)
salah satu perpustakaan = one (of the) libraries
perpustakaan ini = this library

In your sentence, di perpustakaan can translate naturally as either “at the library” or “at a library”, depending on context.

Is this sentence formal, informal, or neutral? In what context would a native speaker say Pelajari sejarah Indonesia di perpustakaan?

The sentence is neutral in style, but the bare imperative makes it feel:

natural in written instructions: textbooks, homework sheets, exam questions, educational posters, etc.
a bit direct if said aloud to someone in everyday conversation, unless you are a teacher, parent, or in a clearly hierarchical context.

Spoken, a teacher might say:

Anak‑anak, pelajari sejarah Indonesia di perpustakaan, ya.
(adding ya makes it sound softer and more “teacherly”.)

In conversation between adults who are equal, you’d likely soften it with tolong, silakan, or a different structure, depending on how polite you want to be.

How do you pronounce pelajari and perpustakaan?

Approximate pronunciation in IPA and English hints:

pelajari → /pə.la.ˈdʒa.ri/
- pe = “pe” in “pencil”, but very short /pə/
- la = “la” in “lava”
- ja = “ja” with j like English j in “judge”
- ri = “ree” in “reef” (but shorter)
perpustakaan → /pər.pus.ta.ˈka.an/
- per = “per” in “perfect” but shorter /pər/
- pus = “poos” (as in “push” but with /uː/)
- ta = “ta” in “taco”
- ka = “kah”
- an = “an” in “bacon” (final n often light)

Stress usually falls near the end: pelaJÁri, perpustaKÁan.