Saya memilih kabin kecil di kapal karena saya mudah mabuk laut.

In Indonesian, adjectives usually come after the noun they describe.

• kabin = cabin
• kecil = small

So:

• kabin kecil = small cabin
• rumah besar = big house
• mobil baru = new car

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

Memilih means to choose or to select.

The base/root is pilih = choose.
When Indonesian forms an active verb, it often adds the prefix me- (or one of its forms, such as mem-, men-, meng-, etc.).

So:

• pilih = choose / selection-related root
• memilih = to choose

In a full sentence, memilih sounds natural and complete as the active verb:

• Saya memilih... = I choose / I chose...

In casual speech, Indonesians may sometimes say saya pilih, but saya memilih is more standard.

Because here di is a preposition, meaning in, on, or at, so it is written separately from the following word.

• di kapal = on the ship
• di rumah = at home
• di Jakarta = in Jakarta

This is different from di- as a passive verb prefix, which is written together:

• dipilih = chosen
• ditulis = written

So a useful rule is:

• di + place → write it separately
• di- + verb → write it together

Indonesian di is broader than English in/on/at. It simply marks location, and English decides the most natural translation.

So:

• di kapal literally means something like at/on/in the ship
• in natural English, on the ship is the usual choice

This is normal. Indonesian often uses one preposition where English uses several different ones.

Karena means because.

It connects the reason to the main statement:

• Saya memilih kabin kecil di kapal = I chose a small cabin on the ship
• karena saya mudah mabuk laut = because I get seasick easily

So the structure is:

main statement + karena + reason

You can also reverse it:

• Karena saya mudah mabuk laut, saya memilih kabin kecil di kapal.

That means the same thing.

The second saya is there because Indonesian normally states the subject again in the second clause:

• Saya memilih ... karena saya mudah mabuk laut.

This is very natural and clear.

If you remove it:

• Saya memilih kabin kecil di kapal karena mudah mabuk laut

people would probably still understand, especially in conversation, but it feels less complete and less standard. For learners, it is best to keep the second saya.

Yes, mudah often means easy, but in this kind of sentence it means easily or prone to.

So:

• mudah lupa = easily forgetful / easy to forget
• mudah marah = easily angered / quick to get angry
• mudah mabuk laut = easily gets seasick / prone to seasickness

So here mudah is describing how readily something happens.

Mabuk laut means seasick or to get seasick.

Literally:

• mabuk often means drunk, dizzy, or sick from motion
• laut = sea

So mabuk laut is the standard expression for seasickness.

Related expressions:

• mabuk darat = motion sickness on land
• mabuk perjalanan = travel sickness / motion sickness

So in this sentence, mudah mabuk laut means I get seasick easily.

Indonesian does not normally use articles like a, an, or the the way English does.

So kabin kecil can mean:

• a small cabin
• the small cabin

The exact meaning depends on context.

In this sentence, English would usually say a small cabin unless the context has already identified a specific cabin.

Possibly, depending on context, but kabin most directly means cabin.

On a ship, kabin is a very natural word for a cabin or private room.
So kabin kecil di kapal is best understood as a small cabin on the ship.

Kapal means ship or boat/vessel, depending on context.

Because the sentence also says mabuk laut (seasick), the listener already knows this is sea travel, so kapal is enough. Indonesian often leaves things at a practical level of detail unless more precision is needed.

If needed, speakers could be more specific, for example:

• kapal pesiar = cruise ship
• kapal feri = ferry
• kapal laut = seagoing ship

But plain kapal is perfectly natural here.

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

So memilih can mean:

• choose
• chose
• sometimes even have chosen

The time is usually understood from context or shown with time words such as:

• kemarin = yesterday
• tadi = earlier
• besok = tomorrow
• sekarang = now

So without extra context, Saya memilih kabin kecil di kapal could be understood as I choose or I chose.

Yes, you could, but there is a difference in tone.

• mudah mabuk laut = more neutral / standard
• gampang mabuk laut = more informal, conversational

Both are understandable. For learners, mudah is usually the safer choice in general written or careful spoken Indonesian.

Yes. That is completely natural.

Both of these work:

• Saya memilih kabin kecil di kapal karena saya mudah mabuk laut.
• Karena saya mudah mabuk laut, saya memilih kabin kecil di kapal.

The difference is mainly emphasis:

• starting with Saya memilih... focuses first on the action
• starting with Karena... focuses first on the reason

Not necessarily. It usually means you are the kind of person who gets seasick easily.

So it describes a tendency, not just a current condition.

If you wanted to say you are seasick right now, you could say something like:

• Saya mabuk laut. = I’m seasick.
• Saya sedang mabuk laut. = I’m currently seasick.

But saya mudah mabuk laut means I’m prone to seasickness.

Yes, it is natural and correct.

It has a very normal structure:

• Saya memilih = I chose
• kabin kecil = a small cabin
• di kapal = on the ship
• karena = because
• saya mudah mabuk laut = I get seasick easily

So it is a good example of everyday, standard Indonesian.