Saya menyimpan catatan penting di laci atas supaya tidak hilang.

I keep the important notes in the top drawer so they don’t get lost.

Breakdown of Saya menyimpan catatan penting di laci atas supaya tidak hilang.

• saya: I
• di: in
• tidak: not
• penting: important
• supaya: so that
• catatan: note
• menyimpan: to keep/store
• laci: drawer
• atas: top/upper
• hilang: to get lost/disappear

Questions & Answers about Saya menyimpan catatan penting di laci atas supaya tidak hilang.

Why does menyimpan start with men-? What is the base word?

Menyimpan is the active-voice verb formed from the root simpan (to store/keep). Indonesian often adds the meN- prefix to make an active verb:

• simpan (root) → menyimpan (to store/keep)

So Saya menyimpan ... is the normal way to say I keep/store ... in a full sentence.

Could I also say Saya simpan catatan penting ... without menyimpan?

Yes. Saya simpan ... is common in casual speech and can sound a bit more informal/short.
Saya menyimpan ... is more standard/neutral and often preferred in writing.

Why is di used in di laci atas? Isn’t di passive voice?

Di has two different uses: 1) di + place = in/at/on (a location preposition)

• di laci atas = in the top drawer 2) di- + verb = passive verb prefix
• e.g., disimpan = is kept/stored

In this sentence, di is the location preposition, not passive voice.

What exactly does laci atas mean? Is it on top of the drawer or the top drawer?

Laci atas normally means the top drawer (the upper drawer in a set of drawers).
Indonesian often uses a noun + direction adjective like atas (upper/top) to specify which one:

• laci atas = top drawer
• laci bawah = bottom drawer

Why is there no word for the or a in catatan penting and laci atas?

Indonesian doesn’t require articles like a/an/the. Context supplies that meaning.
So catatan penting can mean an important note / important notes / the important note(s) depending on context.

Does catatan mean a single note or multiple notes?

Catatan can be singular or plural depending on context. Indonesian nouns don’t change form for plural.
If you want to clearly mark plural, you can use:

• catatan-catatan penting (important notes)
• beberapa catatan penting (some important notes)

Why is penting after catatan? Can it go before like in English?

In Indonesian, adjectives usually come after the noun:

• catatan penting = important note(s)

Putting the adjective before the noun is generally not the normal pattern and may sound unnatural or take on special/poetic emphasis.

What does supaya mean here, and how is it different from agar?

Supaya means so that / in order that. It introduces a purpose.
Agar is very similar and often interchangeable:

• supaya tidak hilang ≈ agar tidak hilang = so it/they won’t get lost

Some speakers feel agar is slightly more formal, but both are common.

In supaya tidak hilang, what is the subject of hilang? What’s “not lost”?

The subject is understood from context: it refers back to catatan penting. Indonesian often omits repeated subjects when it’s obvious.
So it means: so (the notes) don’t get lost.

Is hilang “lost” as in “I lost it,” or “it disappeared,” or “missing”?

Hilang covers several related ideas: lost / missing / gone / disappeared.
In this sentence, it’s the state you want to avoid: the notes becoming missing/gone.
If you wanted to explicitly say I lost it, you could say:

• Saya kehilangan catatan itu = I lost that note (literally I experienced losing)

But here the meaning is: storing it so it doesn’t go missing.