Saya memakai syal biru di leher ketika cuaca dingin.

I wear a blue scarf on my neck when the weather is cold.

Breakdown of Saya memakai syal biru di leher ketika cuaca dingin.

• adalah: to be
• sebuah: a
• saya: I
• ketika: when
• di: on
• cuaca: the weather
• dingin: cold
• biru: blue
• memakai: to wear
• syal: the scarf
• leher: the neck

Questions & Answers about Saya memakai syal biru di leher ketika cuaca dingin.

Why is the adjective biru after syal, not before it like in English?

In Indonesian, adjectives usually come after the noun they describe.

• syal biru = blue scarf
  
  • syal = scarf (noun)
  • biru = blue (adjective)

So the pattern is:

• noun + adjective
  
  • rumah besar = big house
  • baju baru = new shirt
  • syal biru = blue scarf

Putting the adjective before the noun (like biru syal) is ungrammatical in standard Indonesian.

What’s the difference between saya and aku here? Could I say Aku memakai syal biru…?

Both saya and aku mean I, but they differ in formality and context.

• saya

  • more formal or neutral
  • used in polite conversation, with strangers, in writing, with superiors

• aku

  • more informal/intimate
  • used with friends, family, or in casual situations

So:

• Saya memakai syal biru di leher ketika cuaca dingin.
  → neutral / polite

• Aku memakai syal biru di leher ketika cuaca dingin.
  → more casual, to friends or in informal writing

Grammatically, both are correct; it’s a matter of tone and relationship.

Why is it memakai instead of just pakai? What’s the difference?

memakai and pakai have the same basic meaning: to wear / to use.

• memakai

  • slightly more formal or complete
  • common in writing, neutral speech

• pakai

  • more casual/colloquial
  • very common in everyday spoken Indonesian

In this sentence:

• Saya memakai syal biru… = I wear / I am wearing a blue scarf… (neutral)
• Saya pakai syal biru… = Same meaning, but sounds more informal and conversational.

Both are grammatically correct. If you’re unsure, memakai is always safe in both speech and writing.

Does memakai always mean “to wear,” or can it also mean “to use”?

memakai can mean both to wear and to use, depending on the object:

• With clothing/accessories: to wear

  • memakai syal = to wear a scarf
  • memakai jaket = to wear a jacket

• With tools/objects in general: to use

  • memakai sendok = to use a spoon
  • memakai komputer = to use a computer

In your sentence, because syal is clothing, the natural meaning is to wear.

Why is it di leher and not something like di sekitar leher (“around my neck”)?

Indonesian often uses simpler prepositions than English.

• di leher literally = on/at the neck, but in context it naturally means the scarf is around the neck.
• You can say di sekitar leher (“around the neck”), but it’s not necessary and sounds more explicit than normal speech requires.

So:

• Saya memakai syal biru di leher ketika cuaca dingin.
  → understood as “I wear a blue scarf around my neck when the weather is cold.”

Should it be di leher saya (“on my neck”)? Where is the word “my”?

In Indonesian, it’s very common to omit the possessive pronoun with body parts when the owner is already clear from context.

• Saya memakai syal di leher.
  Literally: I wear a scarf on the neck.
  Naturally understood: on my neck.

You can say:

• di leher saya = on my neck
• di leherku = on my neck (more informal)

All of these are grammatically correct:

1. Saya memakai syal biru di leher ketika cuaca dingin. (most natural, concise)
2. Saya memakai syal biru di leher saya ketika cuaca dingin. (more explicit, but fine)
3. Saya memakai syal biru di leherku ketika cuaca dingin. (casual, intimate tone)

In everyday Indonesian, version 1 is very natural.

Why is there no word for “a” before syal biru? How do you say “a blue scarf” vs “the blue scarf”?

Indonesian does not have articles like a/an or the. The noun phrase syal biru can mean:

• a blue scarf
• the blue scarf
• just blue scarf (general)

Which one is correct depends on context, not on a specific word. If you really need to emphasize “one” item, you can use:

• sebuah syal biru = one/a blue scarf
• satu syal biru = one blue scarf (numerical “one”)

But in this sentence, syal biru by itself is the most natural, and context will tell the listener whether it’s “a” or “the”.

Can I say kalau cuaca dingin instead of ketika cuaca dingin? What’s the difference?

Both are possible, but there’s a nuance:

• ketika cuaca dingin

  • more neutral, slightly more formal
  • focuses on time: when the weather is cold

• kalau cuaca dingin

  • more conversational
  • can imply condition: if/when the weather is cold

In many everyday contexts, ketika and kalau can overlap, especially when talking about habitual actions:

• Saya memakai syal biru di leher ketika cuaca dingin.
• Saya pakai syal biru di leher kalau cuaca dingin. (more casual)

Both are acceptable; ketika sounds a bit more neutral/formal, kalau more informal and conditional.

Does Saya memakai syal biru… mean “I am wearing” (right now) or “I wear” (in general)?

It can mean either, depending on context, because Indonesian doesn’t change the verb form for tense.

• Present action (right now):
  Context: You are currently wearing it.

  • Sekarang saya memakai syal biru di leher.
    → Right now, I am wearing a blue scarf on my neck.

• Habit / general truth:
  Your sentence with ketika cuaca dingin strongly suggests a habit:

  • Saya memakai syal biru di leher ketika cuaca dingin.
    → I wear a blue scarf on my neck when the weather is cold. (habitual)

To make “right now” very explicit, Indonesians often add sekarang (now) or sedang:

• Saya sedang memakai syal biru. = I am wearing a blue scarf (right now).

Is the word order Saya memakai syal biru di leher ketika cuaca dingin fixed, or can I move parts around?

The given order is the most natural and clear, but some movement is possible.

Natural orders:

• Saya memakai syal biru di leher ketika cuaca dingin.
• Ketika cuaca dingin, saya memakai syal biru di leher.

Those both sound good. But moving di leher to the very end is less natural:

• Saya memakai syal biru ketika cuaca dingin di leher.
  → This sounds confusing, as if the weather is cold on the neck.

So:

• Keep di leher close to syal biru (the thing being worn).
• Time expressions (ketika cuaca dingin) can go at the beginning or end of the sentence.

Can I shorten this in casual speech, like: Kalau dingin, saya pakai syal biru?

Yes, that’s very natural in everyday conversation.

• Kalau dingin, saya pakai syal biru.
  Literally: If/when (it’s) cold, I wear a blue scarf.

Here:

• cuaca is dropped (understood from context),
• pakai is used instead of memakai (colloquial),
• di leher is omitted (it’s obvious where you wear a scarf).

This shorter version is informal but perfectly good conversational Indonesian.