Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Kucing yang tidur di kursi itu milik tetangga kami. - The cat that is sleeping on that chair belongs to our neighbor.

In this sentence, the cat is clearly specific (the one sleeping on that chair), so kucing is naturally understood as “the cat”. Often, definiteness is shown by:

context, or
adding ini (this) or itu (that) after the noun, e.g. kucing itu = “that cat / the cat”.

Here, the whole phrase kucing yang tidur di kursi itu already makes it clear which cat we mean, so no extra word for “the” is needed.

What does yang do in kucing yang tidur di kursi itu?

Yang introduces a relative clause or descriptive clause. It works a bit like “that / who / which” in English.

kucing = cat
yang tidur di kursi itu = that is sleeping on that chair

So kucing yang tidur di kursi itu literally means “the cat that is sleeping on that chair”.

Pattern:

[noun] + yang + [description]

Examples:

orang yang tinggi = the person who is tall
buku yang saya beli = the book that I bought

Could I just say “Kucing tidur di kursi itu milik tetangga kami” without yang?

No, that would be either ungrammatical or confusing.

Kucing tidur di kursi itu by itself reads as a full clause: “The cat sleeps/is sleeping on that chair.”
When you want “the cat sleeping on that chair” as a description of the cat, you need yang to link the description to the noun:
- kucing yang tidur di kursi itu = “the cat that is sleeping on that chair”

Without yang, the listener expects a complete sentence, not a noun phrase being described.

What’s the difference between tidur and sedang tidur here? Why is there no word like “is”?

Indonesian doesn’t need a separate verb like “is” for progressive actions. The verb tidur (“to sleep”) already works as “is sleeping” in the right context.

kucing yang tidur di kursi itu
= the cat (that is) sleeping on that chair
(natural, everyday Indonesian)

You can add sedang to emphasize that the action is in progress right now:

kucing yang sedang tidur di kursi itu
= the cat that is currently sleeping on that chair

Both are correct; sedang is optional and just adds emphasis on “right now.”

Does di kursi itu mean “on that chair” or “in that chair”? What exactly does di mean?

Di is a preposition for location and can correspond to “in / on / at” in English, depending on the noun.

di kursi itu is understood as “on that chair”, because that’s how we talk about where something is in relation to a chair.
With other nouns:
- di rumah = at home / in the house
- di meja = on the table
- di sekolah = at school

So di itself just means “at a location”. English chooses “in/on/at” based on the object; Indonesian uses di for all of them.

Why is it kursi itu instead of itu kursi?

In Indonesian, demonstratives ini (this) and itu (that) usually come after the noun:

kursi itu = that chair / the chair
kursi ini = this chair

Putting itu before the noun (e.g. itu kursi) is possible but has a different feel:

itu kursi is more like pointing something out: “that’s a chair”, often as a full sentence.

In a noun phrase like “that chair” as part of a bigger sentence, you normally say kursi itu.

What does milik mean in milik tetangga kami? Is it the same as punya?

Milik is a word that expresses ownership/possession, similar to “belong to / property of”.

milik tetangga kami
literally: “the property of our neighbor”
→ “belongs to our neighbor / is our neighbor’s”

Compared with punya:

milik tends to sound more formal or neutral, and is slightly more written-style.
punya is very common and colloquial in speech.

You could also say:

Kucing yang tidur di kursi itu punya tetangga kami.
(The cat sleeping on that chair is our neighbor’s.)
This is very natural in everyday conversation.

Why is it milik tetangga kami and not milik kami tetangga or something like that?

With milik, the possessor (the owner) comes after it:

milik [owner]

So:

milik tetangga kami = belongs to our neighbor

If you said milik kami tetangga, it would sound wrong because:

milik kami = belongs to us
tetangga = neighbor (just sitting after it with no clear link)

Correct patterns:

milik saya = my / belongs to me
milik mereka = theirs / belongs to them
milik tetangga kami = our neighbor’s

What is the difference between tetangga kami and tetangga kita?

Both mean “our neighbor”, but:

kami = “we / us” excluding the listener (you)
kita = “we / us” including the listener (you)

So:

tetangga kami = our neighbor (not necessarily yours)
tetangga kita = our neighbor, and you (the listener) are included in that “our”

In many contexts, if you and the listener actually share the same neighbor, Indonesians would often say tetangga kita.

Could I add adalah and say “Kucing yang tidur di kursi itu adalah milik tetangga kami”?

Yes, that is grammatically correct. Adalah works like a linking verb/copula, roughly similar to “is” before a noun phrase.

Kucing yang tidur di kursi itu milik tetangga kami.
Kucing yang tidur di kursi itu adalah milik tetangga kami.

Both mean the same thing. The version with adalah sounds a bit more formal or emphatic, and is common in writing or careful speech. In everyday conversation, people often omit adalah where English uses “is”.

Can I say “Kucing di kursi itu milik tetangga kami” without “yang tidur”?

Yes, you can. It then means:

Kucing di kursi itu milik tetangga kami.
= The cat on that chair is our neighbor’s.

The difference:

kucing di kursi itu = the cat on that chair (just locating the cat)
kucing yang tidur di kursi itu = the cat that is sleeping on that chair (emphasizes that the cat is sleeping)

Both are natural. Including yang tidur simply adds the idea that the cat is (currently) sleeping, not just sitting or standing there.

Could I say “Kucing yang tidur di kursi itu adalah kucing tetangga kami” instead of using milik?

Yes, that is also correct and natural:

Kucing yang tidur di kursi itu adalah kucing tetangga kami.
= The cat sleeping on that chair is our neighbor’s cat.

Nuance:

milik tetangga kami highlights ownership (“the property of our neighbor”).
kucing tetangga kami simply says “our neighbor’s cat” as a noun phrase.

Both are fine; it’s mainly a stylistic choice.