Teman saya memilih jurusan teknik di kampus itu.

My friend chooses the engineering major at that campus.

Breakdown of Teman saya memilih jurusan teknik di kampus itu.

• itu: that
• teman: the friend
• di: at
• saya: my
• memilih: to choose
• kampus: the campus
• jurusan teknik: the engineering department

Questions & Answers about Teman saya memilih jurusan teknik di kampus itu.

Why is it teman saya and not saya teman for my friend?

In Indonesian noun phrases, the thing owned comes first, and the owner (possessor) comes after it.

• teman saya = friend + I → my friend
• rumah saya = my house
• buku saya = my book

So:

• teman saya ✅ (correct: my friend)
• saya teman ❌ (ungrammatical; word order is wrong)

With pronouns (saya, kamu, dia, etc.), the pronoun normally comes after the noun it owns.

What’s the difference between memilih and pilih here?

The base verb is pilih (choose). The form memilih is the me- prefix + pilih, which is the standard active verb form:

• pilih! = choose! (often imperative / command)
• memilih = to choose / chooses / chose / is choosing (normal active verb in a sentence)

In a full sentence with a subject, you usually use memilih:

• Teman saya memilih jurusan teknik. ✅
  My friend chose/is choosing an engineering major.

You’d use bare pilih in things like:

• Silakan pilih jurusan. = Please choose a major.
• In menus, lists, buttons: Pilih bahasa (Choose language).

How do we know what tense memilih is (past, present, or future)?

Indonesian verbs generally don’t change for tense. Memilih can mean:

• chooses / is choosing
• chose
• will choose

The tense comes from context or from time words, e.g.:

• Kemarin teman saya memilih jurusan teknik.
  → Yesterday my friend chose an engineering major. (past)

• Sekarang teman saya memilih jurusan teknik.
  → Right now my friend is choosing an engineering major. (present/progressive)

• Besok teman saya akan memilih jurusan teknik.
  → Tomorrow my friend will choose an engineering major. (future)

So in the original sentence, we only know the basic action, not the exact time, unless context tells us.

What exactly does jurusan mean? How is it different from pelajaran or mata kuliah?

Jurusan refers to a major / field of study / department in a school or university.

• jurusan teknik = engineering major / engineering department
• jurusan kedokteran = medical major / medical school
• jurusan bahasa Inggris = English major

Compare with:

• pelajaran = a school subject, especially in primary/secondary school
  e.g. pelajaran matematika = math (as a school subject)

• mata kuliah = an individual course or class at university
  e.g. mata kuliah fisika dasar = Introductory Physics (course name)

• program studi (often shortened to prodi) = official study program, similar to jurusan, more formal/administrative.

So jurusan teknik is something like the engineering major / department, not a single course.

Does teknik here mean technique or engineering?

In this context, jurusan teknik almost always means engineering (as a field of study).

• teknik = engineering when used after jurusan, fakultas, insinyur, etc.
  
  • fakultas teknik = Faculty of Engineering
  • insinyur teknik sipil = civil engineer

But teknik alone can also mean technique / method:

• teknik mengajar = teaching techniques
• teknik pernapasan = breathing technique

So the meaning depends on context. With jurusan, it’s engineering major.

Why do we use di before kampus itu? Could we use ke instead?

• di means at / in / on (location, where something is).
• ke means to / towards (movement, where something is going).

In the sentence, di kampus itu describes where the major is (or where the choice is made):

• Teman saya memilih jurusan teknik di kampus itu.
  → My friend chose an engineering major *at that campus.* ✅

If you said ke kampus itu, it would sound like:

• Teman saya memilih jurusan teknik ke kampus itu. ❌
  This is not natural; memilih jurusan doesn’t take ke like that.

So di is correct here because we’re talking about place, not movement.

What does kampus itu mean exactly, and what is the role of itu at the end?

• kampus = campus
• itu = that / the (indicates something specific/known)

So kampus itu can mean:

• that campus (physically or mentally “over there”)
• or the campus (we’ve already been talking about)

In Indonesian, itu comes after the noun:

• kampus itu = that/the campus
• rumah itu = that/the house
• buku itu = that/the book

It signals definiteness or specificity, like that or sometimes the in English.

You could also contrast:

• kampus ini = this campus (near the speaker)
• kampus tersebut = that campus (more formal, “the aforementioned campus”)

If you just say di kampus, it’s more general: at a campus / at campus, not clearly which one.

Could the word order change, for example Di kampus itu, teman saya memilih jurusan teknik?

Yes, that’s fine and natural:

• Teman saya memilih jurusan teknik di kampus itu.
• Di kampus itu, teman saya memilih jurusan teknik.

Both are grammatical and mean the same thing. Moving di kampus itu to the front can:

• put a little extra emphasis on the location (At that campus, my friend chose engineering),
• or serve as a topic: As for at that campus, my friend…

Indonesian word order is relatively flexible for adverbials like di kampus itu, as long as the main clause structure stays clear.

How would I say my friends (plural) instead of my friend?

There are a few options:

1. Teman-teman saya memilih jurusan teknik di kampus itu.
   → clearly plural: My friends chose an engineering major at that campus.

2. Teman saya memilih jurusan teknik di kampus itu.
   → grammatically can be singular or plural; context decides.

In spoken Indonesian, people often rely on context for singular vs plural. If you really need to make it clear:

• use teman-teman saya (or para teman saya in more formal writing),
• or add a number: tiga teman saya (my three friends).

What is the difference between saya and aku? Could I say Teman aku memilih jurusan teknik di kampus itu?

• saya = I / me (neutral–formal, polite, safe in almost all situations)
• aku = I / me (informal, used with friends, family, people close to you)

So:

• Teman saya memilih jurusan teknik di kampus itu.
  → neutral, polite; fine in speech and writing.

• Teman aku memilih jurusan teknik di kampus itu.
  → informal, more casual; sounds like talking to a friend your own age.

Both are grammatically correct; choose based on the level of formality and your relationship with the listener.

Is jurusan teknik like one word or two? How does this kind of noun phrase work?

Grammatically, it’s a noun + modifier structure:

• jurusan (noun) = major / department
• teknik (modifier, used like an adjective here) = engineering

Indonesian often uses Noun + Noun where English uses adjective + noun or noun + noun:

• jurusan teknik = engineering major
• jurusan hukum = law major
• jurusan psikologi = psychology major

So jurusan teknik is a noun phrase, not fused into one word, but it functions together as a unit.

Could we leave out teman saya or other parts of the sentence in real conversation?

Yes, Indonesian often drops elements if they’re clear from context.

For example, if you’re already talking about your friend, you could say:

• Dia memilih jurusan teknik di kampus itu.
  → He/She chose engineering at that campus.

Or even just:

• Memilih jurusan teknik di kampus itu.
  → [He/She] chose engineering at that campus. (subject understood from context)

But as a standalone sentence with no context, Teman saya memilih jurusan teknik di kampus itu is complete and clear.