Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Saya membaca komentar di kolom chat selama webinar. - I read comments in the chat column during the webinar.

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)

The time is usually clear from context or from time words. In this sentence, selama webinar (“during the webinar”) gives the time frame, but not whether you’re describing a one-time event or a habit.

If you need to be very explicit:

I was reading (ongoing in the past):
Saya sedang membaca komentar… (waktu/ketika/selama webinar).
I read (already finished):
Tadi saya membaca komentar… (tadi = earlier, just now)
Kemarin saya membaca komentar… (yesterday)

But in normal Indonesian, “Saya membaca komentar di kolom chat selama webinar.” is usually enough; context does the rest.

Why is it membaca and not just baca? When do I use the me- prefix?

baca is the base word (root) “read”.
membaca is the active verb form with the prefix meN- → membaca, roughly “to do reading”.

General rule in standard Indonesian:

Use the me- form (membaca) as the main verb in a normal sentence:
- Saya membaca komentar. – I read comments.
Use the bare root (baca) mainly in:
1. Commands / imperatives
  - Baca komentar ini! – Read this comment!
2. Very informal writing / speech (dropping prefixes)
  - Aku baca komentar di chat. (colloquial)
3. After some auxiliary-like words in casual speech
  - Mau baca komentar dulu. – (I) want to read comments first.

In careful / standard Indonesian, “Saya membaca komentar…” is the most correct and natural form. Using “Saya baca komentar…” is common in speech and informal text but is grammatically less formal.

Is komentar singular or plural here? Do I need to say komentar-komentar for “comments”?

Indonesian usually does not mark plural with -s or another ending. The word:

komentar can mean “a comment” or “comments”, depending on context.

In your sentence:

Saya membaca komentar di kolom chat selama webinar.
is naturally understood as “I read comments in the chat box during the webinar.”

You can repeat the word to emphasize plurality:

komentar-komentar = “comments (plural, emphasized)”

But:

komentar is already fine and most common.
komentar-komentar might be used if you really want to stress “many different comments,” but in everyday speech it’s often unnecessary.

So you do not have to say komentar-komentar; komentar alone is normal for “comments”.

What exactly does di mean in di kolom chat? Could I use pada instead?

di is the basic preposition meaning “in / at / on” (location).

di kolom chat = “in the chat box” / “in the chat column”

You can sometimes replace di with pada, but they’re not fully interchangeable:

di = literal physical or on-screen location; very common:
- di kolom chat – in the chat box
- di meja – on the table
pada = more formal, often for:
- abstract things (pada kesempatan ini – on this occasion)
- people/recipients (pada mereka – to them)
- sometimes time expressions (pada hari Senin – on Monday)

“pada kolom chat” is possible but sounds more formal and a bit stiff for everyday speech.
For a natural sentence, di kolom chat is the best choice.

Is kolom chat a common expression? Could I say something else like kolom komentar or ruang chat?

Yes, kolom chat is understandable and used, especially because chat is a common tech loanword.

Other natural alternatives:

kolom chat – “chat column,” often referring to the side panel in a webinar interface.
kolom komentar – “comment column/section”; common on websites, YouTube, etc.
kotak chat – “chat box.”
ruang chat – “chat room,” slightly different nuance (a whole room/space, not just the box).
di chat – very casual, shorthand for “in the chat.”

Depending on the platform:

For a webinar side panel, kolom chat or kotak chat is good.
For a comment section under a video/article, kolom komentar is very common.

Your sentence is natural as is. You could also say:

Saya membaca komentar di kolom komentar selama webinar.
if the platform literally labels it “kolom komentar”.

Can I move selama webinar to the front, like “Selama webinar, saya membaca komentar di kolom chat”?

Yes. Indonesian word order is quite flexible with adverbial phrases (time, place, etc.).

Both are correct:

Saya membaca komentar di kolom chat selama webinar.
Selama webinar, saya membaca komentar di kolom chat.

They have the same basic meaning, but there is a slight difference in emphasis:

Version 1 emphasizes what you did (reading comments), then when it happened.
Version 2 emphasizes the time frame first: “During the webinar, (what happened was that) I read comments…”

Both sound natural and are commonly used.

What is the difference between selama, ketika, and saat? Could I say ketika webinar or saat webinar instead?

All of these can translate to “when / while / during”, but with nuances:

selama = “during (a period of time)”
- Highlights the length/duration.
- selama webinar – for the whole duration (or a significant part) of the webinar.
- Very natural in your sentence.
ketika = “when (at the time that)”
- More like a point in time or event, often used with clauses:
- Ketika webinar berlangsung, saya membaca komentar…
  “When the webinar was happening, I read comments…”
- Feels a bit more like narrative or written style.
saat = “when / at the moment of”
- Very common and slightly more neutral/colloquial than ketika.
- Saat webinar, saya membaca komentar di kolom chat.
- This is also natural and common.

In your specific sentence:

selama webinar emphasizes “over the duration of the webinar”.
saat webinar or ketika webinar can work, but usually:
- saat webinar berlangsung
- ketika webinar berlangsung

“selama webinar” is the cleanest and most idiomatic choice for “during the webinar.”

How can I say explicitly “I was reading the comments in the chat box while the webinar was going on”?

You can add sedang (progressive “be …-ing”) and a verb for “was going on”:

Saya sedang membaca komentar di kolom chat ketika webinar sedang berlangsung.

Breakdown:

sedang membaca = “was reading / am reading (in progress)”
ketika = when
webinar sedang berlangsung = “the webinar was ongoing / in progress”

Shorter, still natural:

Saat webinar berlangsung, saya sedang membaca komentar di kolom chat.

In many contexts, though, Indonesians are fine with the simpler original:

Saya membaca komentar di kolom chat selama webinar.

The “progressive” feel is often understood from selama (“during”).

Is this sentence formal or informal? In what situations is it appropriate?

“Saya membaca komentar di kolom chat selama webinar.” sits in the neutral–polite range:

Uses saya (polite “I”)
Uses the full verb membaca (not colloquial baca)
Vocabulary is standard

It’s appropriate for:

speaking in a webinar
describing your actions in a meeting
semi-formal emails/messages
written reports or reflections

More informal versions could be:

Aku baca komentar di chat waktu webinar.
Tadi pas webinar, aku baca-baca komentar di kolom chat.

More formal/explicit:

Selama webinar, saya membaca komentar yang masuk di kolom chat.
(“…the comments that came in in the chat box.”)

Your original sentence is a good default for most situations.

Can I omit saya and just say “Membaca komentar di kolom chat selama webinar.”?

You can, but the effect changes.

Indonesian often drops the subject when it’s clear from context. Without saya, your sentence can be read as:

a note / bullet point:
Membaca komentar di kolom chat selama webinar.
(“Reading comments in the chat box during the webinar.”)
a description of an activity, not a full personal statement.

In a full sentence when you want to say “I”, it’s better to include saya, especially in writing or when context is not obvious.

So:

As a full sentence about yourself: Saya membaca komentar… (keep saya)
As a heading / bullet point / instruction: dropping saya is fine.

How do I pronounce the words in this sentence, especially membaca, kolom, and webinar?

Approximate pronunciation (with English hints):

saya → SAH-yah
- a like “a” in “father”
membaca → məm-BAH-cha
- me in mem- is a very short schwa (like the ‘a’ in “sofa”)
- c is always “ch” as in “chair”
komentar → koh-men-TAR
- o like “o” in “not” (short, not “oh”)
- stress often on last syllable: -TAR
di → dee
kolom → KOH-lom
- both o are short; don’t say “koh-lohm”
chat (loan from English) → usually chet or chat (close to English “chat”)
selama → sə-LA-ma
- first e is a schwa (like the ‘a’ in “sofa”)
webinar → commonly WEH-bee-nar or WEH-bi-nar
- w as in English “wet”

Spoken smoothly, it sounds like:

SAH-yah məm-BAH-cha koh-men-TAR dee KOH-lom chet sə-LA-ma WEH-bi-nar.