Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Beberapa pembaca menandai kutipan favorit mereka di bab terakhir. - Some readers mark their favorite quotations in the last chapter.

beberapa pembaca = some readers / several readers
banyak pembaca = many readers / a lot of readers (emphasizes a large number)
sebagian pembaca = a portion of the readers / some of the readers (focuses on part of a known group, like “a portion of them”)

So beberapa is a neutral, vague small-ish quantity, while banyak stresses many, and sebagian stresses a part of a specific group.

Why is there no plural ending on pembaca even though it means readers?

Indonesian usually does not mark plural with endings. Plurality is shown by:

context, or
words like beberapa (some), banyak (many), para (the [plural]), etc.

In beberapa pembaca, beberapa already tells us it’s plural, so pembaca stays in its basic form.

You can say pembaca-pembaca (reduplication) to stress that there are many individual readers, but here it’s unnecessary and can sound a bit heavy. Beberapa pembaca is the most natural choice.

What is the root of menandai, and how is it different from menandakan?

The root is tanda (mark / sign).

menandai: to mark something, to put a mark on a specific object or place.
- pattern: meN- + tanda + -i
- focus: the thing you mark
- e.g. menandai kutipan = to mark the quote(s)
menandakan: to indicate / to signify / to show that…
- pattern: meN- + tanda + -kan
- focus: what something means / indicates
- e.g. Ini menandakan akhir cerita. = This indicates the end of the story.

In your sentence, readers are literally marking the quotes in the text, so menandai is correct.

Is menandai closer to mark, underline, or highlight in English?

Basic meaning: to mark.

Context decides how you translate it:

If they use a pen or highlighter: mark / highlight their favorite quotes.
If they draw lines: could be underline.

Indonesian has more specific verbs too:

menggarisbawahi = to underline
menyoroti (literally: to spotlight) or me-highlight (informal) = to highlight

But menandai kutipan favorit mereka is a natural, general way to say they mark their favorite quotes.

How does the phrase kutipan favorit mereka work? Why is the word order like that?

Indonesian noun phrases usually go:

Noun
Adjective(s)
Possessive pronoun

So:

kutipan = quote(s)
favorit = favorite (used as an adjective)
mereka = their

Putting them together:

kutipan favorit mereka = their favorite quotes
(literally: quotes favorite their)

In Indonesian, this order noun + adjective + possessor is normal:

buku baru saya = my new book
film favorit kami = our favorite movie

Could you say kutipan-kutipan favorit mereka? When would you reduplicate kutipan?

Yes, kutipan-kutipan favorit mereka is grammatically correct.

kutipan favorit mereka: could be one or several quotes; number is not specified.
kutipan-kutipan favorit mereka: emphasizes multiple quotes, often felt as quite a number of them.

Reduplication (kutipan-kutipan) is used to stress plurality or variety. In many real-life sentences, speakers are happy with just kutipan and let context show whether it’s one or more. The unreduplicated form is more common and sounds more natural unless you really want to stress “many quotes.”

Why is mereka used instead of -nya, like in kutipan favoritnya?

Both are possible, but they are not identical in feel.

mereka is a full pronoun = they / them / their
- kutipan favorit mereka clearly means their (plural) favorite quotes.
-nya is an attached pronoun that can mean his/her/its/their and can also have a generic feel (like someone’s / the).

If you say kutipan favoritnya in isolation, it could mean:

his favorite quotes
her favorite quotes
their favorite quotes
the favorite quotes (generic, depending on context)

Because the subject is clearly plural (beberapa pembaca), using mereka makes it clearer we’re talking about those readers as a plural group. kutipan favoritnya would still be understood, but it’s less explicit about number and can feel a bit more generic.

What is the difference between di bab terakhir, pada bab terakhir, and just bab terakhir?

To say in the last chapter, Indonesian normally uses a preposition:

di bab terakhir – neutral, everyday; di = in/at/on
pada bab terakhir – more formal, often written; pada overlaps with in/on/at but sounds more formal or careful

Without a preposition:

bab terakhir by itself just means (the) last chapter, not in the last chapter.
As a location/complement of the verb, you almost always need di or pada.

So in this sentence di bab terakhir is the most natural choice.

What does terakhir add to bab? Is it last, final, or latest?

Terakhir can mean last / final or latest / most recent, depending on context.

With chapters in a book, bab terakhir almost always means the last/final chapter (end of the book).
With time expressions, terakhir is often last / most recent:
- minggu terakhir = last week / the past week (context decides)

Here, bab terakhir is best understood as the last (final) chapter of the book.

Where can di bab terakhir go in the sentence? Is the word order flexible?

The original order is:

Beberapa pembaca menandai kutipan favorit mereka di bab terakhir.
Subject – Verb – Object – Place (very natural).

Other common option:

Di bab terakhir, beberapa pembaca menandai kutipan favorit mereka.
Puts di bab terakhir first to emphasize in the last chapter, often with a pause/comma.

If you move di bab terakhir between pembaca and menandai:

Beberapa pembaca di bab terakhir menandai kutipan favorit mereka.

this sounds like the readers in the last chapter, which is odd (chapters don’t have physical readers inside them). So that position is unnatural for this meaning.

So: keep di bab terakhir at the end, or put it at the beginning for emphasis.

Could you say para pembaca instead of beberapa pembaca? How would the meaning change?

Yes, but the meaning changes:

beberapa pembaca = some readers / several readers, not all
para pembaca = the readers (a group as a whole), often all the readers being referred to

para is a plural marker used mainly with people, especially in more formal or written language:

para siswa = the students
para penulis = the writers

If you said:

Para pembaca menandai kutipan favorit mereka di bab terakhir.

it would mean something like The readers marked their favorite quotes in the last chapter, suggesting all (or at least the main group of) readers, not just some.

In bab terakhir, how do we know it means the last chapter and not just a last chapter, since Indonesian doesn’t have the/a?

Indonesian has no articles like the or a/an. Definiteness is understood from:

context,
modifiers (like ini for this, itu for that),
or shared knowledge.

In a book context, bab terakhir almost automatically refers to the last chapter of that book, because there is normally only one “last chapter.” So:

bab terakhir = the last chapter (by context)
If you need to be very explicit, you can say bab terakhir buku itu = the last chapter of that book.

You only say sebuah bab terakhir in very unusual, contrived contexts; normally you don’t use sebuah with terakhir like this.

What exactly does bab mean here, and how is it different from other words like bagian or pasal?

Bab means chapter (a main division in a book, usually numbered).

Common related words:

bab – chapter of a book
bagian – part/section; more general, not specifically a numbered chapter
pasal – article/section in laws and legal texts
judul – title (of a chapter, article, book, etc.)

So bab terakhir specifically refers to the last chapter of the book, not just any section or part.