Log inSign up

Petugas keamanan meminta kami berdiri tertib di antrean.

Petugas keamanan meminta kami berdiri tertib di antrean.
The security officer asks us to stand orderly in the queue.

Breakdown of Petugas keamanan meminta kami berdiri tertib di antrean.

di
in
meminta
to ask
kami
us
berdiri
to stand
tertib
orderly
antrean
the queue
petugas keamanan
security staff
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Indonesian grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Indonesian now

Questions & Answers about Petugas keamanan meminta kami berdiri tertib di antrean.

What does petugas keamanan literally mean, and is it a fixed phrase?
Petugas means officer / staff member / attendant (someone whose job is to handle a duty), and keamanan means security (from aman = safe). Together, petugas keamanan is a very common collocation meaning security officer / security staff. It’s not an idiom, just a normal noun + noun phrase that’s widely used.
Why is the verb meminta used here, and what’s the difference between meminta and menyuruh?

Meminta is to ask/request (polite-neutral). It can sound like an instruction when said by someone with authority, but grammatically it’s still a request.

  • meminta = request/ask (can be polite, neutral, official)
  • menyuruh = tell/order someone to do something (more direct/commanding) So this sentence is phrased as a request, even if the context implies you should obey.
How does the structure meminta + object + verb work here?

Indonesian often uses this pattern:

  • meminta [someone] [to do something] In the sentence:
  • meminta kami berdiri ... = asked us to stand ... Indonesian commonly omits an explicit to-marker like untuk in this pattern. Adding untuk is possible but not required (and often sounds slightly more formal): meminta kami untuk berdiri ...
Could meminta also mean “to ask for” (like requesting an item), and how do I know which meaning it has?

Yes. meminta can mean: 1) ask/request someone to do something: meminta kami berdiri 2) ask for/request something: meminta bantuan (ask for help), meminta uang (ask for money) You tell from what follows:

  • If it’s a person + verb, it’s usually “ask someone to do…”
  • If it’s a noun, it’s usually “ask for…”
Why is kami used instead of kita?

Both mean we/us, but:

  • kami = we/us (excluding the listener)
  • kita = we/us (including the listener) Here, the security officer is speaking to some people; those people are us, and the officer is not included, so kami is natural.
What’s the grammar of berdiri tertib? Is tertib an adverb?

Berdiri = to stand. Tertib means orderly / disciplined / in good order. Indonesian often uses an adjective directly after a verb to express “in an X way,” so tertib functions adverbially here:

  • berdiri tertib ≈ stand in an orderly way You could also say berdiri dengan tertib or berdiri secara tertib (more explicitly “orderly”), but the shorter form is very common.
Does berdiri mean “stand up” or “stand (still)”?

Berdiri basically means to be standing / to stand. Depending on context it can imply “stand up,” but it doesn’t specifically encode the “up” the way English does. If you want to clearly mean “stand up (from sitting),” you can still use berdiri, or specify:

  • berdiri dulu (stand up first)
  • bangun berdiri (get up and stand), though this is more context-dependent
What does di antrean mean exactly, and why use di?

di marks location: in/at/on (depending on context).

  • di antrean = in the queue / at the line It’s a natural way to say “in the line/queue.” Indonesian uses di very broadly for location.
Could I say dalam antrean instead of di antrean?

Yes, often:

  • di antrean = natural, common, neutral (“in/at the queue”)
  • dalam antrean = more literally “inside the queue,” sometimes emphasizing being within the line rather than at the place For everyday situations (lining up), di antrean is usually the most idiomatic.
Is antrean the same as antrian? Which spelling should I use?
They mean the same (queue/line). Antrean is the standard spelling in formal Indonesian (based on the root antre). Antrian is very common in everyday writing and signage. If you want “textbook / formal,” choose antrean; if you see antrian, it’s not “wrong” in real life usage.
Why is the sentence active, and how would a passive version look?

Active voice here highlights the doer (Petugas keamanan). A passive alternative is possible if you want to emphasize we:

  • Kami diminta (oleh) petugas keamanan untuk berdiri tertib di antrean. Notes:
  • diminta = passive of meminta
  • oleh (by) is optional when the agent is clear or unimportant
Is this sentence formal, and how could it sound more polite or more direct?

It’s neutral and fairly standard for a public setting. Variations:

  • More polite/softer: Petugas keamanan meminta kami untuk berdiri dengan tertib, ya.
  • More direct/commanding: Petugas keamanan menyuruh kami berdiri tertib di antrean.
  • Very common polite instruction style: Tolong berdiri tertib di antrean. (often used on its own)
Any pronunciation tips for tricky parts like petugas, keamanan, and antrean?

A few common points:

  • petugas: stress is fairly even; e is often a schwa-like sound (like “uh”): pe-TU-gas
  • keamanan: from aman; many speakers clearly separate syllables: ke-a-ma-nan
  • antrean: often pronounced like an-tre-an (three syllables), since it comes from antre (queue up) + -an (noun-forming)