Saya bicara bahasa ibu di rumah.

I speak my mother tongue at home.

Breakdown of Saya bicara bahasa ibu di rumah.

• rumah: the house
• saya: I
• di: at
• bicara: to speak

Questions & Answers about Saya bicara bahasa ibu di rumah.

Why does the sentence use bicara and not berbicara? Are both correct?

Both bicara and berbicara are correct here:

• Saya bicara bahasa ibu di rumah.
• Saya berbicara bahasa ibu di rumah.

They mean the same thing: I speak my mother tongue at home.

Nuance:

• berbicara is a bit more formal and is common in writing, news, speeches, or polite conversation.
• bicara is slightly more neutral/colloquial and is very common in everyday speech.

So for this sentence, you can safely use either one.

How do we know the tense of bicara? Could this mean past, present, or future?