Saya menyimpan catatan lapangan di lemari supaya tidak rusak.

I keep the field notes in the cupboard so that they do not get damaged.

Breakdown of Saya menyimpan catatan lapangan di lemari supaya tidak rusak.

• saya: I
• di: in
• tidak: not
• supaya: so that
• rusak: damaged
• lemari: the cupboard
• menyimpan: to keep
• catatan lapangan: the field note

Questions & Answers about Saya menyimpan catatan lapangan di lemari supaya tidak rusak.

Can I omit Saya here and just say Menyimpan catatan lapangan di lemari supaya tidak rusak?

Normally, no. In standard Indonesian a sentence needs a subject, so Saya should stay.

However:

• In informal spoken Indonesian, people sometimes omit saya/aku when the subject is clear from context:
  (Saya) simpan catatan lapangan di lemari supaya nggak rusak.
  This is more like giving an instruction to yourself or a note-to-self.
• In lists, notes, or instructions (e.g. on a to‑do list), dropping Saya is more acceptable.

For a normal, complete sentence, keep Saya.

What is the difference between Saya and Aku?

Both mean “I / me”, but the usage is different:

• Saya
  • More formal and neutral.
  • Safe in almost all situations: with strangers, in class, at work, in writing.
• Aku
  • More intimate / informal.
  • Used with close friends, family, partners, in songs, in some casual writing.

Same meaning, different level of formality.
Your sentence with Aku: Aku menyimpan catatan lapangan di lemari supaya tidak rusak. (more casual).

What is the root word of menyimpan, and what does the prefix meN- do?

The root is simpan (to keep, to store).

The verb menyimpan is formed by:

• meN- (active verb prefix) + simpan
• Before s, the N assimilates and the s often drops in spelling, so meN + simpan → menyimpan.

Function:

• simpan = root form (dictionary form; can appear in some structures).
• menyimpan = active verb “to keep / to store (something)”, used with an explicit subject:
  • Saya menyimpan catatan itu. – I keep/store those notes.

What is the nuance of menyimpan compared to menaruh or meletakkan?

All three involve putting something somewhere, but with different focus:

• menyimpan

  • Focus: keeping/storing something safely, often for future use.
  • Implies protection or proper place.
  • Good translation: to store, to keep (safe).
  • Your sentence fits this idea well.

• menaruh

  • More general “to put, to place”.
  • No strong idea of safety; just putting it somewhere.
  • Saya menaruh catatan di meja. – I put the notes on the table.

• meletakkan

  • Also “to put, to place (something somewhere)”.
  • Slightly more formal; often used when the location is specified clearly.
  • Dia meletakkan buku itu di rak. – He/She placed the book on the shelf.

In your sentence, menyimpan is best, because the purpose clause (supaya tidak rusak) matches the “keep safely” idea.

What exactly does catatan lapangan mean? Is it a fixed phrase?

Yes, catatan lapangan is a fairly standard phrase, especially in academic or research contexts.

• catatan = notes
• lapangan = literally “field” (as in physical field), but in this collocation it means “fieldwork, on-site”.

Together:

• catatan lapangan ≈ field notes (notes that you write while doing fieldwork, research, or observation on site).

Word order: in Indonesian, the main noun comes first (catatan), followed by a noun that functions like an adjective (lapangan), so literally “notes field” → field notes.

Does catatan lapangan mean one note or many notes?

Indonesian nouns do not change form for singular vs plural. So catatan lapangan can mean:

• field note (singular)
• field notes (plural)

Context decides which is meant.
If you want to make it clearly plural, you can say:

• beberapa catatan lapangan – some field notes
• banyak catatan lapangan – many field notes
• catatan-catatan lapangan – field notes (plural marked by reduplication; more formal/written).

Why is it di lemari and not di dalam lemari when the English is “in the cupboard”?

Both are possible:

• di lemari
• di dalam lemari

The difference:

• di lemari

  • More general and shorter.
  • Very common in everyday speech.
  • Can mean at the cupboard, in the cupboard, or on the cupboard depending on what a cupboard is like in that culture.
  • Context tells you it means “in the cupboard”.

• di dalam lemari

  • More explicit: literally inside the cupboard.
  • Slightly more formal or careful.
  • Used if you want to be very clear about “inside”.

In many everyday sentences, speakers skip dalam and just say di lemari.

How does di work here? Why does it mean “in” and not “at” or “on”?

di is a general preposition for location, roughly “in/at/on”, depending on the noun and context.

• di rumah – at home
• di meja – on the table
• di lemari – in/at the cupboard

English has three separate prepositions (in, at, on), but Indonesian usually just uses di plus the place word. The exact English equivalent is chosen based on what makes sense physically and culturally.

So di lemari is naturally understood as “in the cupboard” in this context.

Could I move di lemari to the front or end of the sentence? Does word order change the meaning?

Yes, you can move di lemari, and the basic meaning stays the same, but the focus changes slightly.

Possible variations:

1. Saya menyimpan catatan lapangan di lemari supaya tidak rusak.
   – Neutral order; the default.

2. Di lemari, saya menyimpan catatan lapangan supaya tidak rusak.
   – Puts more emphasis on the place (“In the cupboard, I keep the field notes …”).

3. Saya menyimpan di lemari catatan lapangan supaya tidak rusak.
   – Grammatically possible, but sounds a bit awkward or poetic. Not the usual order.

In everyday Indonesian, version (1) is best.

What does supaya mean here, and how is it different from untuk?

supaya introduces a purpose clause: “so that / in order that”.

• … di lemari supaya tidak rusak.
  → … in the cupboard so that they don’t get damaged.

Difference from untuk:

• supaya
  • full clause (subject + verb, though subject can be implicit):
    
    • Saya belajar keras supaya lulus. – I study hard so that I pass.
• untuk
  • noun or verb (infinitive-like):
    
    • Saya belajar keras untuk ujian. – I study hard for the exam.
    • Saya belajar keras untuk lulus. – I study hard to pass.

In your sentence, supaya is better because you have a full clause tidak rusak (understood subject = the notes).

Is supaya formal or informal? Can I replace it with agar or biar?

All three can express purpose (so that), but they differ in register:

• supaya

  • Neutral, very common.
  • Used in both spoken and written Indonesian.

• agar

  • Slightly more formal or literary.
  • Very common in writing, official texts, instructions.

• biar

  • Informal / colloquial.
  • Very common in everyday speech.

Your sentence could appear as:

• … di lemari supaya tidak rusak. (neutral)
• … di lemari agar tidak rusak. (a bit more formal)
• … di lemari biar nggak rusak. (informal spoken style)

Why is the negation tidak rusak and not bukan rusak or jangan rusak?

Indonesian has several negators with different uses:

• tidak

  • Negates verbs and adjectives.
  • rusak here behaves like an adjective (“damaged/broken”), so:
    tidak rusak – not damaged / doesn’t get damaged.

• bukan

  • Negates nouns or whole noun phrases:
    Itu bukan buku saya. – That is not my book.
  • So bukan rusak is wrong in this structure.

• jangan

  • Used in commands (“don’t …”):
    Jangan rusak catatan itu! – Don’t damage those notes!
  • jangan rusak would be an imperative, which doesn’t fit your sentence.

So supaya tidak rusak is the correct form for “so that (they) don’t get damaged.”

Is rusak an adjective or a verb here?

In Indonesian, many words like rusak are “stative verbs”: they can act like both adjectives and intransitive verbs.

Here, tidak rusak can be understood as:

• Adjectival: not in a damaged state → not damaged.
• Verbal: does not become damaged / does not get damaged.

Indonesian doesn’t need extra words like become or get; rusak itself covers “to be damaged” or “to get damaged”, depending on context.
So supaya tidak rusak naturally means “so that (they) don’t become/get damaged.”

How do we know what tense this sentence is in? Could it be past, present, or future?

Indonesian verbs usually do not change form for tense. menyimpan can cover:

• Past: I kept the field notes …
• Present: I keep/am keeping the field notes …
• Future: I will keep the field notes …

Context and time markers show the time. For example:

• Tadi saya menyimpan catatan lapangan di lemari supaya tidak rusak.
  – Earlier, I kept the field notes in the cupboard …
• Nanti saya akan menyimpan catatan lapangan di lemari supaya tidak rusak.
  – Later, I will keep the field notes in the cupboard …

Without extra words, the sentence is time‑neutral; translate according to context.