Saya mengambil selebaran di depan perpustakaan.

I take a leaflet in front of the library.

Breakdown of Saya mengambil selebaran di depan perpustakaan.

• saya: I
• di depan: in front of
• mengambil: to take
• perpustakaan: the library
• selebaran: the leaflet

Questions & Answers about Saya mengambil selebaran di depan perpustakaan.

Why is it mengambil and not just ambil?

Ambil is the bare verb root “to take”.
Mengambil is the standard active form, made by adding the prefix meN- to the root:

• ambil → mengambil (meN- + ambil)

In a neutral, complete sentence with a subject, Indonesian normally uses the prefixed form:

• Saya mengambil selebaran. = I take / took a leaflet.

You’ll often see the root ambil by itself in these situations:

1. Imperatives / instructions

   • Ambil selebaran itu. = Take that leaflet.

2. After certain auxiliary-like words (especially in speech)

   • Saya mau ambil selebaran. = I want to take a leaflet.
   • Boleh ambil selebaran? = May I take a leaflet?

3. Casual speech (dropping the prefix is very common)

   • Saya ambil selebaran di depan perpustakaan. (colloquial, but common)

So mengambil is the more formal/standard choice here, and ambil is more raw/casual/imperative unless it follows another verb or particle.

Does this sentence describe the past, present, or future? How do we know the tense?

By itself, Saya mengambil selebaran di depan perpustakaan. is tense-neutral. Indonesian usually does not mark tense on the verb.

The sentence could mean:

• I took a leaflet in front of the library (past)
• I am taking a leaflet in front of the library (present, e.g. in a live narration)
• I will take a leaflet in front of the library (future, but less likely without a time word)

To make the time clear, Indonesian adds time words or aspect markers, for example:

• Tadi saya mengambil selebaran di depan perpustakaan.
  = I took a leaflet in front of the library earlier (today).

• Kemarin saya mengambil selebaran di depan perpustakaan.
  = I took a leaflet in front of the library yesterday.

• Besok saya akan mengambil selebaran di depan perpustakaan.
  = Tomorrow I will take a leaflet in front of the library.

• Saya sudah mengambil selebaran di depan perpustakaan.
  = I have already taken a leaflet in front of the library.

So, without extra words like tadi, kemarin, akan, sudah, the verb mengambil itself doesn’t show tense.

Where is the word for “a” before selebaran? Why isn’t there something like “a leaflet”?

Indonesian does not use articles like “a/an/the” the way English does.
Selebaran alone can mean “a leaflet” or “the leaflet”, depending on context.

If you really want to emphasize “one leaflet”, you can add a classifier or numeral:

• Saya mengambil sebuah selebaran di depan perpustakaan.
  = I took a/one leaflet in front of the library.

• Saya mengambil satu selebaran di depan perpustakaan.
  = I took one leaflet in front of the library.

But in normal conversation, Saya mengambil selebaran di depan perpustakaan is perfectly natural for “I took a leaflet in front of the library.”

Is selebaran singular or plural here? How do I say “leaflets” (more than one)?

On its own, selebaran is number-neutral:

• It can mean a leaflet or leaflets, depending on context.

To make it clearly plural, you usually use:

1. Quantifiers (most common):

   • beberapa selebaran = several leaflets
   • banyak selebaran = many leaflets
   • dua / tiga selebaran = two / three leaflets

2. Reduplication (sometimes used):

   • selebaran-selebaran = leaflets (in general or many of them)

So for “I took some leaflets in front of the library” you can say:

• Saya mengambil beberapa selebaran di depan perpustakaan.

What exactly does selebaran mean? Is it the same as brosur or pamflet?

Selebaran usually refers to a leaflet / flyer – typically:

• a single sheet or very simple printed material,
• handed out for free,
• containing short information, ads, or announcements.

Related words:

• brosur = brochure, often more detailed, sometimes multi-page, glossy, commercial.
• pamflet = often used similarly to selebaran, but can sound a bit more formal or “campaign-like”.

In daily speech:

• selebaran and pamflet can overlap.
• brosur is more for product/info brochures (e.g., from a travel agency, school, car dealer).

In your sentence, selebaran is completely natural for the idea of a flyer you pick up in front of a library.

What does di depan perpustakaan literally mean? How is it built?

Di depan perpustakaan breaks down as:

• di = at / in / on (a general location preposition)
• depan = front (literally “the front/fore part”)
• perpustakaan = library

So literally: “at the front (side) of the library”, which in natural English is “in front of the library.”

Compare:

• di perpustakaan = at / in the library (inside or at the building)
• di depan perpustakaan = in front of the library (outside, near the front)

Should di be written together with depan as didepan?

No. In this sentence, di is a preposition, so it must be written separately:

• di depan ✅ (correct for “in front of”)
• didepan ❌ (spelling error in standard Indonesian)

General rule:

• di as a preposition (location: di rumah, di kantor, di depan) is separate.
• di- as a passive verb prefix is attached to the verb:
  • diambil = to be taken
  • dibaca = to be read

Here, di is followed by a noun (depan), not a verb, so it is the preposition and must be separate: di depan.

Does di depan perpustakaan describe where I was, or where the leaflet was?

Saya mengambil selebaran di depan perpustakaan. can be understood in both ways:

1. I was in front of the library when I took it.
2. The leaflet was in front of the library and I took it there.

In practice, both interpretations come to almost the same real-world picture:
you and the leaflet are in front of the library when the action happens.

If you want to emphasize that it modifies you (your location), you can do:

• Di depan perpustakaan, saya mengambil selebaran.
  (Focusing “In front of the library, I took a leaflet.”)

If you want to emphasize that it describes the leaflet (where it was available), you could also say:

• Saya mengambil selebaran yang ada di depan perpustakaan.
  = I took the leaflet that was in front of the library.

But in ordinary usage, Saya mengambil selebaran di depan perpustakaan is naturally understood with a simple, shared location: the taking action happens in front of the library.

Can I change the word order, like putting di depan perpustakaan at the beginning or in the middle?

Yes, but some orders sound more natural than others.

Most natural/basic order:

• Saya mengambil selebaran di depan perpustakaan.
  Subject – Verb – Object – Location

You can also front the location to emphasize it:

• Di depan perpustakaan, saya mengambil selebaran.
  (Common especially in writing or storytelling.)

This is still natural Indonesian.

Less natural or awkward would be:

• Saya mengambil di depan perpustakaan selebaran. ❌
  (Splitting the verb and its object like this is not normal.)

You can sometimes insert the location between subject and verb, but it sounds more literary or careful:

• Saya, di depan perpustakaan, mengambil selebaran.
  (Possible, but has a more written / rhetorical feel.)

For everyday speech, stick with:

• S V O (Place)
  or
• Place, S V O

What is the difference between saya and aku here?

Both saya and aku mean “I / me”, but they differ in formality and social distance.

• saya

  • more formal or polite neutral
  • used with strangers, in formal settings, in writing, in news, with people you want to show respect to

• aku

  • more informal / intimate
  • used with close friends, family, people of the same age in casual situations

So:

• Saya mengambil selebaran di depan perpustakaan.
  = Polite/neutral: “I took a leaflet…”

• Aku mengambil selebaran di depan perpustakaan.
  = Informal / intimate: “I took a leaflet…”

If you’re not sure, saya is the safest default.

Is mengambil the most natural verb for “taking a leaflet”? Could I use other verbs like “get” or “receive”?

Mengambil literally focuses on the physical act of taking / picking up something.

So:

• Saya mengambil selebaran di depan perpustakaan.
  = I physically took / picked up a leaflet there.

Other possibilities and nuances:

• Saya mendapat / mendapatkan selebaran di depan perpustakaan.
  = I got/obtained a leaflet in front of the library.
  (Focuses on ending up having it, less on the physical motion.)

• Saya menerima selebaran di depan perpustakaan.
  = I received a leaflet in front of the library.
  (Implies someone formally gave it to you.)

• Saya dikasih selebaran di depan perpustakaan. (informal)
  = I was given a leaflet in front of the library.
  (Colloquial, very common in speech.)

• Saya memungut selebaran di depan perpustakaan.
  = I picked up a leaflet from the ground in front of the library.
  (Implies it was on the ground and you picked it up.)

In most everyday contexts where you simply take a leaflet that’s being offered or is available, mengambil selebaran is natural and clear.

Can I drop saya and just say Mengambil selebaran di depan perpustakaan?

You can say Mengambil selebaran di depan perpustakaan, but the meaning changes or becomes incomplete, depending on context:

1. As a fragment (not a full sentence):

   • Could be a headline, note, or part of a list:
     Mengambil selebaran di depan perpustakaan
     = (Activity:) Taking a leaflet in front of the library.

2. As an imperative (if said to someone):

   • Mengambil selebaran di depan perpustakaan!
     could be understood as “(You) take a leaflet in front of the library!”
     (though natives more often say Ambil selebaran… for a clear command).

In a normal declarative sentence about yourself, you keep the subject:

• Saya mengambil selebaran di depan perpustakaan. ✅

So, for “I took a leaflet in front of the library,” don’t drop saya.

How would I say “I just now took a leaflet in front of the library” or “I have already taken one”?

You add time/aspect words to clarify that:

1. “I just (now) took a leaflet…”

   Common options:

   • Saya baru saja mengambil selebaran di depan perpustakaan.
     = I just now took a leaflet...

   • Saya barusan mengambil selebaran di depan perpustakaan. (informal)
     = I just took a leaflet...

   • Tadi saya mengambil selebaran di depan perpustakaan.
     = Earlier (today), I took a leaflet...

2. “I have already taken a leaflet…”

   Use sudah (already) or telah (more formal):

   • Saya sudah mengambil selebaran di depan perpustakaan.
     = I have already taken a leaflet...

   • Saya telah mengambil selebaran di depan perpustakaan.
     = I have already taken a leaflet... (more formal / written)

The base sentence Saya mengambil selebaran di depan perpustakaan. becomes more precise when you add these aspect/time words.