Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Di ruang tunggu klinik, beberapa orang tampak canggung karena tidak tahu harus duduk di mana. - In the clinic waiting room, some people look awkward because they don’t know where to sit.

Indonesian normally uses di only once at the start of the whole location phrase. You don’t say di ruang tunggu di klinik unless you want to emphasize two separate locations (which you usually don’t here).

ruang tunggu klinik works like a noun phrase:

ruang tunggu (head noun) + klinik (modifier = “of the clinic”)
So di just modifies the whole phrase ruang tunggu klinik.

How does ruang tunggu klinik work grammatically? Is it like “clinic waiting room”?

Yes. In Indonesian, putting two nouns together often means the second noun modifies the first, similar to NOUN + NOUN phrases in English.

ruang = room
tunggu (from the verb “to wait”) → ruang tunggu = waiting room
klinik = clinic

So ruang tunggu klinik = the waiting room of the clinic / the clinic waiting room.

The structure is:
[head noun] [modifier] → ruang tunggu (head) + klinik (modifier)
No preposition like “of” is needed; the relationship is understood.

What is the nuance of beberapa orang compared to just orang-orang or banyak orang?

beberapa orang = some people, a few people
- Suggests a small, unspecified number.
orang-orang = people (plural, no number given)
- Just indicates plurality, not quantity.
banyak orang = many people
- Emphasizes a large amount.

In the sentence, beberapa orang makes it sound like only some of the people in the waiting room looked awkward, not everyone.

What does tampak mean here, and how is it different from kelihatan or terlihat?

In beberapa orang tampak canggung, tampak means seemed / appeared (visibly looked that way).

Rough differences:

tampak
- Slightly more neutral or formal; can sound a bit written.
- “They appeared awkward.”
kelihatan
- Very common in speech, slightly more casual.
- “They looked awkward.”
terlihat
- Similar to tampak, can feel somewhat formal or descriptive.
- “They were seen / appeared awkward.”

In everyday conversation, tampak, kelihatan, and terlihat are often interchangeable in contexts like this.

What is the nuance of canggung? Is it the same as “shy” (malu) or “embarrassed?

canggung is usually:

awkward (socially or physically)
not knowing how to act, move, or respond
the atmosphere can also be canggung (awkward)

It is not exactly the same as:

malu = shy, embarrassed, ashamed
- More about feeling self-conscious or ashamed.

So:

canggung: “They looked awkward, unsure what to do.”
malu: “They looked shy/embarrassed.”

In the sentence, tampak canggung suggests they look uncomfortable or ill at ease, not necessarily ashamed.

Why is karena in the middle like this? How does the clause karena tidak tahu harus duduk di mana work?

karena means because and introduces a reason clause.

The structure is:

Main clause: beberapa orang tampak canggung (some people looked awkward)
Reason clause: karena tidak tahu harus duduk di mana (because they didn’t know where they should sit)

So it literally flows as:
“Some people appeared awkward because not know must sit where.”

Indonesian allows the karena-clause after the main clause like in English (“… felt awkward because …”), or at the beginning:

Karena tidak tahu harus duduk di mana, beberapa orang tampak canggung.
= Because they didn’t know where to sit, some people looked awkward.

Why is there no mereka (“they”) in karena tidak tahu harus duduk di mana? Who is “not knowing”?

Indonesian often drops pronouns when the subject is obvious from context.

In this sentence, the subject of tidak tahu is clearly beberapa orang from the main clause. So you could expand it to:

karena mereka tidak tahu harus duduk di mana
= because they didn’t know where to sit

But native speakers frequently omit mereka here; it’s natural and not ambiguous in this context.

What is the function of harus in tidak tahu harus duduk di mana? Is it necessary?

harus means must / have to / should.

tidak tahu harus duduk di mana
Literally: “(they) didn’t know where (they) had to/should sit.”

It adds a sense that there is a right or expected place to sit (e.g., specific seats, rules, or social expectations).

You could say:

tidak tahu duduk di mana
= didn’t know where to sit

This still makes sense, but feels a bit less natural and slightly incomplete to many speakers. The pattern tidak tahu harus + verb + di mana is very common for “not knowing what/how/where (one) should …”.

Why is di mana at the end of the phrase tidak tahu harus duduk di mana? Can it go earlier?

In indirect questions, Indonesian often puts wh-words (like apa, siapa, di mana) at or near the end of the clause.

So:

tidak tahu harus duduk di mana
= (they) didn’t know where (they) should sit

This order is very natural.
You can also say:

tidak tahu di mana harus duduk

This is also correct and common. Both are acceptable; harus duduk di mana is just a very typical pattern.

Why is it di mana and not just mana?

mana = which / where (depending on context)
di mana = where (literally “at where”)

For location, you normally use the preposition di:

Di mana kamu tinggal? = Where do you live?
tidak tahu harus duduk di mana = don’t know where to sit

Using just mana for location is only natural in certain fixed patterns (e.g. yang mana? = which one?) or in very informal speech. For “where (to sit)”, di mana is the standard and correct form.

Could the sentence be tidak tahu di mana harus duduk instead? Is there any difference?

Yes, you can say:

karena tidak tahu di mana harus duduk

Meaning: because they didn’t know where to sit — essentially the same meaning.

Nuance:

tidak tahu harus duduk di mana
tidak tahu di mana harus duduk

Both are natural. Many speakers don’t feel a strong difference; it’s more about style and rhythm. Both follow common patterns for indirect “where” questions.

Why is there a comma after klinik: Di ruang tunggu klinik, beberapa orang …?

The phrase Di ruang tunggu klinik is a fronted location phrase that sets the scene: “In the clinic’s waiting room…”.

Putting it at the beginning is like saying:
“In the clinic’s waiting room, some people looked awkward …”

The comma separates this introductory location phrase from the main clause. This is conventional in written Indonesian and makes the sentence easier to read, but in speech there is just a slight pause there.