Questions & Answers about Saya membaca komentar di kolom chat selama webinar.
When should I use saya instead of aku for “I”? Could I say Aku membaca komentar… here?
Both saya and aku mean “I”, but they differ in formality and distance:
- saya: neutral–polite, used in:
- formal situations (webinars, presentations, meetings)
- speaking to people you don’t know well
- writing (emails, reports, etc.)
- aku: informal–intimate, used with:
- close friends
- family (depending on family style)
- casual conversation, social media (informal tone)
In the sentence “Saya membaca komentar di kolom chat selama webinar.”, saya is the more natural choice, because webinar suggests a semi-formal or formal context.
You could say “Aku membaca komentar…” if:
- you’re telling this to a close friend, or
- writing a very casual post about your experience.
But if in doubt, saya is the safer default.
Does membaca here mean past or present? How do I know the tense in Indonesian?
Indonesian verbs don’t change form for tense (past, present, future). The verb membaca simply means “to read / reading” in a general sense.
So “Saya membaca komentar…” can mean:
- I read comments… (past event)
- I read comments… (habitually)
- I am reading comments… (right now / at that time)