Di pelabuhan, kami menunggu kapal feri di dekat dermaga sambil minum kopi hangat.

Di pelabuhan means at the harbor / in the port.

Indonesian often puts a place phrase at the beginning of a sentence to set the scene. It works a lot like saying:

• At the harbor, we were waiting...

This fronted location is very natural in Indonesian. You could also say:

• Kami menunggu kapal feri di dekat dermaga di pelabuhan...

but starting with Di pelabuhan helps establish the setting first.

Here, di is a preposition meaning in, at, on depending on context.

So in this sentence:

• di pelabuhan = at the harbor
• di dekat dermaga = near the dock

This is different from the passive prefix di- attached to verbs, such as:

• dibuka = opened
• ditunggu = waited for

A useful spelling clue:

• di as a preposition is written separately
• di- as a verb prefix is written attached

So:

• di pelabuhan ✅
• dipelabuhan ❌

This is a very common learner question.

Both kami and kita can mean we, but they are different:

• kami = we, not including the listener
• kita = we, including the listener

So kami menunggu means:

• we were waiting, but you were not part of our group

If the speaker were talking to someone who was also there waiting, kita might be used instead.

Tunggu is the basic root, meaning wait.

Menunggu is the more standard active verb form, created with the prefix meN-.

• tunggu = root
• menunggu = to wait / are waiting / were waiting

In full, natural sentences, Indonesian often uses the meN- form for active verbs:

• Kami menunggu kapal feri. = We are/were waiting for the ferry.

You may hear tunggu by itself in commands or informal speech:

• Tunggu! = Wait!

Because menunggu already includes that idea.

In English, you say:

• wait for the ferry

In Indonesian, menunggu directly takes its object:

• menunggu kapal feri

So you do not add an extra word meaning for here.

Examples:

• Saya menunggu teman. = I’m waiting for a friend.
• Mereka menunggu bus. = They’re waiting for the bus.

Kapal means ship, boat, vessel, and feri means ferry.

Together:

• kapal feri = ferry boat / ferry vessel / ferry

This kind of noun + noun combination is very common in Indonesian. The second word often describes the type of the first word.

Other examples:

• rumah sakit = hospital
• mobil polisi = police car
• kapal perang = warship

In everyday English translation, kapal feri is usually just ferry.

Di dekat dermaga means near the dock / near the pier.

Breakdown:

• di = at/in
• dekat = near
• dermaga = dock, pier, wharf

Indonesian often uses di dekat for location:

• di dekat rumah = near the house
• di dekat sekolah = near the school

So the second di is there because this is another location phrase, not because something is repeated by mistake.

Good distinction:

• pelabuhan = harbor, port
• dermaga = dock, pier, wharf

So:

• pelabuhan is the larger harbor/port area
• dermaga is the specific place where boats or ferries dock

In the sentence, that means they are:

• at the harbor
• specifically near the dock

Sambil means something like:

• while
• while also
• at the same time as

So:

• sambil minum kopi hangat = while drinking warm coffee

It connects two actions done by the same subject at the same time:

• kami menunggu ... sambil minum ...
• we were waiting ... while drinking ...

More examples:

• Dia belajar sambil mendengarkan musik. = He studies while listening to music.
• Mereka berjalan sambil berbicara. = They walked while talking.

Both are possible, but minum is very common and natural.

• minum = drink
• meminum = a more fully marked active form, often more formal or more explicit

In everyday Indonesian, especially after sambil, the shorter verb is often preferred:

• sambil minum kopi = very natural

You could say sambil meminum kopi, but it sounds more formal or literary.

This is common with some verbs in Indonesian: the shorter form is often used in casual, natural speech.

Because in Indonesian, adjectives usually come after the noun.

So:

• kopi hangat = warm coffee
• rumah besar = big house
• air dingin = cold water

This is one of the most noticeable differences from English word order.

No, not in the same way English does.

Indonesian usually does not use articles equivalent to a/an/the. Context tells you whether something is specific or general.

So:

• kapal feri could mean a ferry or the ferry
• dermaga could mean a dock or the dock
• kopi hangat could mean warm coffee or the warm coffee, depending on context

If needed, Indonesian can add other words to clarify, but usually it just leaves this unstated.

Indonesian verbs usually do not change form for tense the way English verbs do.

So:

• kami menunggu
• minum

do not themselves show past, present, or future.

Time is normally understood from:

1. context
2. time expressions
3. words like:
   • sedang = in progress
   • sudah / telah = already
   • akan = will

So this sentence could be interpreted as:

• we are waiting...
• we were waiting...

depending on the surrounding context.

The comma marks the opening location phrase as a kind of sentence frame:

• Di pelabuhan, kami menunggu...

This is similar to English punctuation in:

• At the harbor, we waited...

The comma helps readability, especially when a sentence begins with a place or time expression. In casual writing, Indonesians do not always punctuate perfectly, but here the comma is appropriate and natural.

Yes. Indonesian word order is flexible, especially with adverbial phrases like place and manner.

For example, these are all possible:

• Di pelabuhan, kami menunggu kapal feri di dekat dermaga sambil minum kopi hangat.
• Kami menunggu kapal feri di dekat dermaga sambil minum kopi hangat di pelabuhan.
• Kami menunggu kapal feri sambil minum kopi hangat di dekat dermaga.

But each version shifts the emphasis a little.

The original is natural because it goes from:

1. setting: Di pelabuhan
2. main action: kami menunggu kapal feri
3. specific location: di dekat dermaga
4. simultaneous action: sambil minum kopi hangat

That makes it easy to follow.