Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Di laboratorium kecil, setiap meja punya papan ketik besar dan layar sentuh lebar. - In the small laboratory, each table has a large keyboard and a wide touch screen.

laboratorium kecil = small laboratory
- laboratorium (laboratory) + kecil (small)
papan ketik besar = big keyboard
- papan ketik (keyboard) + besar (big)
layar sentuh lebar = wide touch screen
- layar sentuh (touch screen) + lebar (wide)

If you want more than one adjective, they usually just stack after the noun:

laboratorium kecil modern = a small modern laboratory
papan ketik besar hitam = a big black keyboard

So the pattern is: noun + adjective(s), not adjective + noun like in English.

How do you know if laboratorium kecil means “a small laboratory” or “the small laboratory” when there is no “a/the” in Indonesian?

Indonesian does not have articles like “a”, “an”, or “the”. The noun phrase laboratorium kecil can mean:

a small laboratory
the small laboratory

The exact English translation depends on context, for example:

If you are mentioning it for the first time:
- Di laboratorium kecil, …
  → In a small laboratory, …
If you already know which lab is being discussed:
- Di laboratorium kecil itu, … (itu = that)
  → In that small laboratory / in the small laboratory, …

To make “the” more explicit, speakers often add itu (that) or ini (this):

laboratorium kecil itu = that small laboratory / the small laboratory
laboratorium kecil ini = this small laboratory / the small laboratory

What is the function of di in Di laboratorium kecil? Why not pada or dalam?

di is a very common preposition meaning in / at / on, depending on the context.

di laboratorium kecil = in the small laboratory

Rough nuances:

di: neutral, very common for places
- di rumah, di sekolah, di laboratorium kecil
pada: more formal and often used with:
- time: pada hari Senin (on Monday)
- people or abstract things: pada siswa, pada situasi ini
dalam: more literally “inside (of)”
- dalam kotak (inside the box)
- dalam ruangan (inside the room)

In most everyday sentences about location, di is the default:

Di laboratorium kecil, … is the most natural choice here.
Dalam laboratorium kecil, … is possible but sounds more literal (“inside the small lab”).
Pada laboratorium kecil, … is unusual for physical location and sounds off.

Does setiap meja mean “every table” or “every desk”? And why is there no plural marker like meja-meja?

meja can be translated as table or desk, depending on context. In a lab, English speakers might say “desk”, but Indonesian just uses meja.

setiap = every / each
setiap meja = every table / each table

About plural:

Indonesian usually does not need a plural ending.
Plurality is shown by words like setiap, beberapa (some), banyak (many), or just by context.

So:

setiap meja already clearly implies all the individual tables, so you do not say setiap meja-meja.
Doubling (meja-meja) is used for “tables” in general:
- Meja-meja di sini bersih. = The tables here are clean.
  But you would not combine setiap with reduplication.

What is the difference between punya, ada, and memiliki for “have / has”? Why punya here?

All three can relate to possession, but their use and tone differ.

punya
- Common, neutral–informal, very frequent in speech.
- Pattern: X punya Y = X has Y / X owns Y
- Example:
  - Setiap meja punya papan ketik besar dan layar sentuh lebar.
    Every table has a big keyboard and a wide touch screen.
memiliki
- More formal than punya, common in writing, reports, news.
- Often interchangeable with punya, but feels more “official”.
- Example:
  - Setiap meja memiliki papan ketik besar dan layar sentuh lebar.
ada
- Literally “there is / there are / exist”.
- For possession, you typically say Pada X ada Y or Di X ada Y:
- Example:
  - Di setiap meja ada papan ketik besar dan layar sentuh lebar.
    There is a big keyboard and a wide touch screen at every table.

Why punya here?

The sentence focuses on each table as the possessor of those items.
Setiap meja punya… is short, natural, and common.
A more formal variant could use memiliki, but punya is completely normal.

What exactly does papan ketik mean? Why not just use the English word keyboard?

papan ketik is the standard Indonesian term for keyboard.

papan = board
ketik = type (verb root)
Together: papan ketik = literally “typing board” → keyboard.

In real usage:

Many people also say keyboard, especially in tech contexts or casual speech.
In more neutral or formal Indonesian, papan ketik is often preferred.

So you might see:

papan ketik komputer = computer keyboard
keyboard komputer (also very common in practice)

What does layar sentuh mean exactly, and how is it formed?

layar sentuh means touch screen.

layar = screen
sentuh = to touch (verb root)

Together: layar sentuh = screen (that you) touch → touch screen.

Compare with:

sentuhan = a touch (noun, the result/act of touching)

But we do not say layar sentuhan for “touch screen”. The standard term is layar sentuh.

Why is it papan ketik besar but layar sentuh lebar? What is the difference between besar and lebar?

Both relate to size, but they emphasize different aspects:

besar = big / large (overall size)
lebar = wide (width)

In the sentence:

papan ketik besar = a big keyboard
- “Big” in general; maybe it has many keys or is physically large.
layar sentuh lebar = a wide touch screen
- Emphasizes width, like a wide monitor or a wide-screen display.

You could technically say:

layar sentuh besar = big touch screen (overall size)
But layar sentuh lebar suggests something like a wide display aspect ratio, which is natural in tech descriptions.

Could you say laboratorium yang kecil instead of laboratorium kecil? When do you need yang?

You can say laboratorium yang kecil, but there is a nuance:

laboratorium kecil
- Simple noun + adjective: a small laboratory / the small laboratory.
laboratorium yang kecil
- Feels more like “the one that is small”, often with contrast or emphasis.
- Example nuance:
  - Kami bekerja di laboratorium yang kecil, bukan yang besar di lantai atas.
    We work in the one that is small, not the big one upstairs.

In general:

Noun + adjective is the default, simple description:
- meja besar, rumah besar, laboratorium kecil
Noun + yang + adjective often:
- Adds contrast, emphasis, or
- Makes it part of a longer relative clause:
  - laboratorium yang kecil itu terletak di lantai dua.
    The small laboratory is located on the second floor.

In your sentence, laboratorium kecil (without yang) is the most natural choice.

Is the overall word order flexible? Could I say Setiap meja di laboratorium kecil punya papan ketik besar dan layar sentuh lebar?

Yes, Indonesian word order is somewhat flexible, especially with location phrases.

Your original:

Di laboratorium kecil, setiap meja punya papan ketik besar dan layar sentuh lebar.
Emphasis: location first – in that small lab, every table has…

Reordered:

Setiap meja di laboratorium kecil punya papan ketik besar dan layar sentuh lebar.
Emphasis: each table (in that small lab) has…

Both are grammatical and natural. The difference is mostly where you want to put the focus:

Start with di laboratorium kecil: set the scene (where).
Start with setiap meja: focus on the tables first.

Why is there a comma after Di laboratorium kecil?

Di laboratorium kecil is a prepositional phrase giving background information (the setting). When such a phrase comes at the beginning of a sentence, it is often followed by a comma in standard writing:

Di laboratorium kecil, setiap meja punya …
Pada pagi hari, kami mulai bekerja. = In the morning, we start working.

In everyday informal writing (texts, chats), people often drop the comma, but including it is more standard and clear, especially in longer sentences.