Di studio musik itu, kami melihat banyak instrumen musik di panggung.

In that music studio, we see many musical instruments on the stage.

Breakdown of Di studio musik itu, kami melihat banyak instrumen musik di panggung.

• itu: that
• di: in
• kami: we
• di: on
• banyak: many
• melihat: to see
• panggung: the stage
• studio musik: the music studio
• instrumen musik: the musical instrument

Questions & Answers about Di studio musik itu, kami melihat banyak instrumen musik di panggung.

What does itu do in di studio musik itu, and why is it placed after studio musik?

Itu is a demonstrative meaning that (or sometimes the in a specific sense).

• di studio musik itu = in that music studio / in the (specific) music studio
• In Indonesian, demonstratives like ini (this) and itu (that) normally come after the noun:
  
  • studio itu = that studio
  • buku ini = this book

So itu tells us we’re talking about a particular studio that the speakers and listener already know about, and Indonesian grammar puts it after the noun phrase (studio musik).

Can I say di itu studio musik instead of di studio musik itu?

No, that word order is not natural in Indonesian.

• Correct: studio musik itu (noun + descriptor/demonstrative)
• Incorrect / unnatural: itu studio musik

In Indonesian, itu/ini usually follow the whole noun phrase:

• rumah besar itu = that big house
• guru bahasa Inggris itu = that English teacher

So here it must be di studio musik itu, not di itu studio musik.

Why is kami used instead of kita? What’s the difference?

Both kami and kita translate to we in English, but:

• kami = we ( excluding the person you’re talking to)
• kita = we ( including the person you’re talking to)

So:

• Di studio musik itu, kami melihat...
  → The speaker and some others saw the instruments, but the listener was not part of that group.

If the listener was also there, you’d say:

• Di studio musik itu, kita melihat banyak instrumen musik di panggung.
  → We (you and I, and maybe others) saw many musical instruments on the stage.

Why is there no word for the or a in instrumen musik? How do articles work?

Indonesian has no articles like a / an / the.

• instrumen musik can mean:
  • musical instruments
  • the musical instruments
  • some musical instruments depending on context.

Specificity is often shown by context or by adding words like:

• itu = that / the (specific)
• ini = this
• beberapa = some
• sebuah (for some countable things) ≈ a/an (a bit formal/limited)

In your sentence, banyak instrumen musik is simply many musical instruments; no article is needed.

Why don’t we say instrumen-instrumen musik to show plural?

Indonesian doesn’t need a special plural form if plurality is already clear.

Here, banyak = many, so we already know it’s plural:

• banyak instrumen musik = many musical instruments

You can use reduplication to emphasize plurality:

• instrumen-instrumen musik = instruments (plural)

But combining both is usually unnecessary and can sound heavy:

• banyak instrumen-instrumen musik → grammatically possible, but stylistically awkward.
  banyak instrumen musik is natural and preferred.

What exactly does banyak mean here, and can it come after the noun?

Banyak means many or a lot of.

Typical pattern: banyak + noun

• banyak instrumen musik = many musical instruments

Placing banyak after the noun (instrumen musik banyak) is not standard in this meaning. It can work in some special structures (e.g., instrumen musik banyak dipakai... = many musical instruments are used...), but as a simple noun phrase “many instruments”, you normally say banyak instrumen musik, not instrumen musik banyak.

Is there any difference between instrumen musik and alat musik here?

Both can be understood as musical instruments, but there’s a nuance:

• alat musik (very common, everyday): literally music tool, natural for guitars, drums, pianos, etc.
• instrumen musik (more formal/technical/loan-like): literally music instrument, often used in more formal or written contexts, or when distinguishing types of instruments.

In everyday speech, people more often say:

• Di studio musik itu, kami melihat banyak alat musik di panggung.

Your version with instrumen musik is correct and understandable, just slightly more formal or “bookish.”

Why is it di panggung and not di atas panggung? Are both correct?

Both can be correct, but they nuance the location differently:

• di panggung = on/at the stage (general location of the instruments)
• di atas panggung = on top of the stage (emphasizes the surface/top)

In practice:

• di panggung is perfectly natural to say that the instruments are on the stage in the sense of “located on/at the performance area.”
• You’d use di atas panggung if you really want to stress physical position on top of something, or contrast with di bawah panggung (under the stage).

Your sentence with di panggung is completely natural.

Is the comma after itu (before kami) necessary in Indonesian?

It’s stylistic but common and natural.

• Di studio musik itu, kami melihat...

The comma separates the location phrase (Di studio musik itu) from the main clause (kami melihat...), similar to English:

• In that music studio, we saw...

You could write it without the comma:

• Di studio musik itu kami melihat banyak instrumen musik di panggung.

This is still correct. Many writers keep the comma because it makes the sentence easier to read.

Can we change the word order, for example: Kami melihat banyak instrumen musik di panggung di studio musik itu?

You can change the word order, but it affects clarity and naturalness.

1. Original (most natural):

   • Di studio musik itu, kami melihat banyak instrumen musik di panggung.
     → Sets place first, then tells what happened there.

2. Also natural:

   • Kami melihat banyak instrumen musik di panggung di studio musik itu.
     → Grammatically okay, but you may want a comma or rephrasing in writing, because there are two di phrases in a row and it can feel heavy.

3. More natural rearrangement if starting with kami:

   • Kami melihat banyak instrumen musik di panggung di studio musik itu.
     or
   • Kami melihat banyak instrumen musik di studio musik itu, di panggung.

Overall, the original version is very clear and stylistically nicer, especially for beginners.

What’s the difference between di the preposition and di- the prefix? How do I know which one it is in this sentence?

In Indonesian, di can be:

1. A preposition = in / at / on

   • Written separately from the noun: di rumah, di sekolah, di studio musik
   • In your sentence, di studio musik itu and di panggung both use di as a preposition.

2. A passive verb prefix = di-

   • Attached directly to a verb root: dilihat, dibaca, ditulis
   • Means the subject is receiving the action:
     
     • Buku itu dibaca Ali. = The book is read by Ali.

In your sentence, melihat already has the active prefix me-, so the di in di studio musik itu and di panggung must be prepositions, not verb prefixes.

What tense is melihat? How do Indonesians know it means we saw (past) and not we see / are seeing?

Indonesian verbs usually don’t change form for tense. Melihat is a neutral form that can mean:

• see / are seeing / will see / saw, depending on context.

In your sentence:

• Di studio musik itu, kami melihat banyak instrumen musik di panggung.

Listeners assume past (we saw) because:

1. It refers to a specific place already identified (that music studio), often implying a remembered event.
2. Conversation context usually makes it clear whether you’re telling a past story, describing a habit, or talking about the future.

If you really want to mark past explicitly, you can add time words like:

• tadi (just now / earlier), kemarin (yesterday), dulu (in the past):
  
  • Tadi di studio musik itu, kami melihat banyak instrumen musik di panggung.
    → Just now in that music studio, we saw many musical instruments on the stage.