Selama saya membaca koran di ruang tamu, Ibu memasak sarapan di dapur.

Here selama means while, during the time that, or for as long as. It introduces the time clause selama saya membaca koran di ruang tamu.

A useful comparison:

• selama dua jam = for two hours
• selama saya membaca... = while I was reading...

In this sentence, it emphasizes that the two actions happened over the same stretch of time.

Indonesian verbs do not change form for tense the way English verbs do. membaca can mean read, am reading, was reading, will read, depending on context.

So this sentence could mean:

• While I was reading the newspaper...
• While I am reading the newspaper...
• Whenever/while I read the newspaper...

The surrounding context tells you which time is intended.

Because Indonesian often leaves progressive meaning unmarked when the situation is already clear. The use of selama already suggests overlapping actions, so sedang is not necessary.

If you want to stress that both actions were ongoing, you could say something like:

• Ketika saya sedang membaca koran di ruang tamu, Ibu sedang memasak sarapan di dapur.

That sounds a bit more explicitly like was reading / was cooking.

saya is the neutral, standard, and polite word for I. It is very common in textbooks and formal or neutral speech.

aku is more informal and intimate. In a casual family setting, aku would also be possible:

• Selama aku membaca koran di ruang tamu, Ibu memasak sarapan di dapur.

So the choice here is mostly about register.

Here Ibu most likely means Mother/Mom. The capital letter shows it is being used like a title or name.

Compare:

• Ibu memasak. = Mom is cooking.
• Seorang ibu memasak. = A mother is cooking.
• ibu can also mean ma’am / Mrs. in other contexts.

So capitalization helps show that this is probably the speaker’s mother.

In Indonesian, kinship terms are often used by themselves, almost like names:

• Ibu = Mom
• Ayah = Dad
• Kakak = older sibling
• Adik = younger sibling

So Ibu memasak naturally means Mom is cooking.
Ibu saya is also correct, but it sounds more like my mother when identifying her to someone else.

The base word is baca = read.
With the active verb prefix meN-, it becomes membaca = to read / read.

This prefix is very common in Indonesian and often marks an active verb, especially when it has an object.

So:

• baca = read (dictionary form/root)
• membaca koran = read a/the newspaper

Yes. The base word is masak = cook / ripe / cooked depending on context.
With the active prefix meN-, it becomes memasak = to cook.

So:

• masak = cook / cooked
• memasak sarapan = cook breakfast

Both membaca and memasak are examples of common meN- verb forms.

Here sarapan is a noun, meaning breakfast.

So:

• memasak sarapan = cook breakfast

But sarapan can also act like a verb meaning to have/eat breakfast:

• Saya sarapan jam tujuh. = I have breakfast at seven.

So Indonesian allows the same word to function differently depending on how it is used.

Because Indonesian has no articles that work like English a/an/the.

So:

• koran can mean a newspaper or the newspaper
• sarapan can mean breakfast or the breakfast

Context tells you which meaning is intended.

Literally, ruang tamu means guest room or guest-receiving room:

• ruang = room / space
• tamu = guest

But in normal English, the best translation is usually living room or sitting room.

Because this di is a preposition meaning in / at / on, and prepositions are written separately.

So:

• di ruang tamu = in the living room
• di dapur = in the kitchen

This is different from the passive prefix di-, which is attached to a verb:

• dibaca = read (passive)
• dimasak = cooked (passive)

This spelling difference is very important in Indonesian.

Yes. Indonesian often allows either order.

For example:

• Ibu memasak sarapan di dapur ketika saya membaca koran di ruang tamu.

That means basically the same thing. The original sentence starts with the time clause, which is very natural and helps set the scene first.

It is not always absolutely required in informal writing, but it is a good and natural choice here.

When the time clause comes first:

• Selama saya membaca koran di ruang tamu, ...

the comma helps separate it from the main clause:

• Ibu memasak sarapan di dapur.

So the punctuation is similar to English and improves clarity.

Yes, and many learners will hear those very often.

Roughly:

• ketika = when
• sementara = while / meanwhile
• selama = while / during the time that / for the duration of

In this sentence, selama is correct, but it can sound a little more focused on duration. If you just want a straightforward when/while, ketika or sementara may feel more natural in some contexts.