Questions & Answers about Sinyal telepon saya lemah di dalam lift.
Why does Indonesian put sinyal telepon saya (signal phone my) instead of sinyal saya or sinyal teleponku?
Indonesian often stacks nouns to make a compound noun, then adds possession at the end.
- sinyal telepon saya = my phone signal (signal + phone + my)
- sinyal saya would sound like my signal (too vague: signal of what?) Both saya and -ku can work:
- Sinyal telepon saya lemah… = neutral/polite
- Sinyal teleponku lemah… = more casual/personal
Is telepon here “telephone” or “phone (mobile)”?
In everyday Indonesian, telepon commonly covers phone, including a mobile phone, especially in general statements like this.
If you want to be extra explicit about a cellphone, you can say:
- Sinyal HP saya lemah di dalam lift. (HP = handphone, very common)
- Sinyal ponsel saya lemah di dalam lift. (ponsel = mobile phone)
What’s the role of lemah? Is it an adjective or a verb?