Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Kami menonton latihan band di studio musik dekat kampus. - We watch band practice at the music studio near the campus.

In Kami menonton latihan band…, the speaker is saying that they and their group watched the band practice, but the listener was not part of that group.

If the speaker wanted to include the listener (“You and I watched the band practice…”), they would say:

Kita menonton latihan band di studio musik dekat kampus.

What’s the difference between menonton and melihat? Could I say Kami melihat latihan band?

Both relate to using your eyes, but there’s a nuance:

menonton = to watch something as an event or performance (movies, TV, concerts, games, performances, etc.).
melihat = to see / look at in a more general, neutral sense (you see something, you look at a thing).

Here:

Kami menonton latihan band… suggests they intentionally watched the band practice, like an activity.
Kami melihat latihan band… is understandable, but sounds more like they just happened to see the band practicing, or they looked at it briefly. It’s less like “we sat and watched the practice as an event.”

So menonton is the best verb when it’s like watching a performance.

How do we know the tense? Could this mean We watched, We are watching, or We will watch?

By itself, Kami menonton latihan band… is tense-neutral. Indonesian verbs do not change form for past, present, or future.

The sentence could mean:

We watched the band practice (past)
We are watching the band practice (present)
We will watch the band practice (future) — less common without a time word

Usually, context or time expressions clarify it, for example:

Tadi kami menonton latihan band… = We watched earlier.
Sekarang kami menonton latihan band… = We are watching now.
Nanti kami akan menonton latihan band… = We will watch later.

Without such words, learners often translate it as a simple past (We watched…) if it’s part of a narrative.

What exactly does latihan band mean? Is it “band practice” or “the band’s practice”, and why is the order like that?

Latihan band is a noun phrase:

latihan = practice, rehearsal, training
band = band (loanword from English)

So latihan band literally is “band practice” or “band rehearsal”.

In Indonesian, when one noun modifies another, the main noun comes first, and the modifier comes after:

latihan band = band practice (practice of/for the band)
studio musik = music studio (studio for music)
tiket konser = concert ticket (ticket for the concert)

So you don’t say band latihan for “band practice” — that would sound odd or incomplete. latihan band is the natural order.

There’s no a or the in latihan band or studio musik. How do we know if it’s “a band practice” or “the band practice”?

Indonesian does not use articles like a, an, or the. Nouns are usually bare:

latihan band = band practice / a band practice / the band practice
studio musik = (a/the) music studio

Whether it’s a or the (or even plural) depends on context, not on a word in the sentence. You choose the best article in English when translating.

If you really need to emphasize specificity, speakers might add extra words, e.g.:

latihan band itu = that band practice / the band practice
di sebuah studio musik = at a music studio (emphasizing “one (unspecified) studio”)

But in everyday speech, the bare forms are usually enough.

Why is it di studio musik dekat kampus and not di dekat kampus or di studio musik yang dekat kampus? How does dekat work here?

Break it down:

di studio musik = at a music studio
dekat kampus = near the campus

Together: di studio musik dekat kampus = at a music studio near the campus.

Here dekat kampus functions like a post-modifier describing studio musik:

studio musik dekat kampus = the music studio (that is) near campus

Alternative, also correct versions:

di studio musik yang dekat kampus
Literally: at the music studio that is near the campus.
Slightly more explicit/formal because of yang, but same meaning.
di dekat kampus
= near the campus (location only), without mentioning the studio:
- Kami menonton latihan band di dekat kampus.
  “We watched the band practice near the campus.”
  (You lose the idea that it’s specifically in a music studio.)

So di studio musik dekat kampus is compact and natural: at the music studio near campus.

Can the place phrase move? For example, can I say Di studio musik dekat kampus kami menonton latihan band?

Yes. Indonesian word order is quite flexible with adverbial phrases (like time and place).

All of these are grammatically correct:

Kami menonton latihan band di studio musik dekat kampus.
Di studio musik dekat kampus kami menonton latihan band.

Sentence 1 is the most neutral, everyday order: Subject – Verb – Object – Place.
Sentence 2 puts extra emphasis on the location: “At the music studio near campus, we watched the band practice.”

So moving di studio musik dekat kampus to the front is allowed, especially when you want to highlight the place.

Could we drop kami and just say Menonton latihan band di studio musik dekat kampus?

Yes, that’s possible in Indonesian.

Subjects are often omitted when they are clear from context. So:

Menonton latihan band di studio musik dekat kampus.

could mean:

(We) watched the band practice at the music studio near campus.
(I) watched…
(They) watched…

The downside is that the subject becomes ambiguous. In a conversation where it’s already clear who “we” are, this kind of subject-dropping is very natural. For learners, keeping kami is safer, but it’s good to know that dropping it is common.

Is band really an Indonesian word, or is it just English stuck into the sentence?

Band is a fully accepted loanword in Indonesian, commonly used for modern music groups (pop, rock, etc.). It behaves like a normal Indonesian noun:

band favorit saya = my favorite band
latihan band = band practice
anak band = (slang) someone who’s in a band / “band kid”

There are other words like:

grup musik = music group (a bit more neutral/formal)
orkestra = orchestra

But in a casual campus context, band is exactly what people would say.

Is this sentence formal, informal, or neutral? Would people actually say it like this?

Kami menonton latihan band di studio musik dekat kampus. is:

Neutral, slightly leaning towards standard Indonesian.
Completely natural in spoken and written contexts (e.g., a report, casual storytelling).

In very relaxed speech, especially among students, you might also hear:

Kita nonton latihan band di studio musik dekat kampus.
- kita instead of kami if including the listener
- nonton (colloquial) instead of menonton

So the given sentence is “dictionary-correct” and natural, just not extremely slangy.

Could latihan band be plural, like multiple band practices?

Yes, potentially. Indonesian often leaves number unspecified:

latihan band can mean:
- a band practice
- the band practice
- band practices (in general)

If you want to be explicit:

beberapa latihan band = several band practices
setiap latihan band = every band practice
dua latihan band = two band practices

In this sentence, context would usually make you think of one specific occasion, so translating as “We watched the band practice…” (singular) is natural.