Tinta printer itu hampir habis, jadi Mbak petugas mengambil tinta cadangan dari lemari.

In Indonesian, itu usually comes at the end of the noun phrase it modifies.

So:

• tinta printer itu = that printer ink / the printer ink
• not necessarily the ink of that printer as a separate structure

A good way to think about it is that tinta printer is one noun phrase, and itu attaches to the whole phrase.

This is very common in Indonesian:

• buku baru itu = that new book
• rumah besar itu = that big house
• tinta printer itu = that printer ink

Depending on context, itu can feel like that or simply the.

Indonesian often puts nouns next to each other to show relationships that English might express with of, for, or a possessive structure.

So:

• tinta printer = printer ink
• literally something like ink printer

This kind of noun-noun combination is very common:

• meja kantor = office desk
• pintu rumah = house door
• air minum = drinking water

So tinta printer is a natural compact way to say ink for a printer or printer ink.

Hampir means almost, and habis means finished up, used up, or gone.

So:

• hampir habis = almost used up / almost gone / almost run out

With something like ink, food, money, or stock, habis is very commonly used.

Examples:

• Uangnya habis. = His/her money is gone.
• Gula sudah habis. = The sugar is finished.
• Tinta printer itu hampir habis. = The printer ink is almost out.

Because in Indonesian, habis often works very naturally to describe something being finished, used up, or exhausted.

English often uses a verb phrase like run out, but Indonesian frequently uses habis in a more adjective-like or stative way.

So instead of thinking:

• the ink ran out

Indonesian often thinks more like:

• the ink is used up
• the ink is nearly finished

That is why hampir habis sounds very normal here.

Here jadi means so, therefore, or as a result.

It connects the first clause to the second:

• the printer ink was almost gone,
• jadi the staff member took spare ink from the cabinet.

In everyday Indonesian, jadi is very common as a connector in speech and writing.

Be aware that jadi can also mean become, depending on context:

• Dia jadi marah. = He/She became angry.

But in this sentence, it clearly means so.

Mbak is a polite form of address for a young woman or an adult woman, especially in Java and in Indonesian everyday usage. It is similar to Miss, ma’am, or addressing a female staff member politely.

Petugas means staff member, attendant, officer, or worker, depending on context.

So Mbak petugas means something like:

• the female staff member
• the staff lady
• the attendant

Using both together gives both:

1. a polite/human address element (Mbak), and
2. her role (petugas).

It sounds natural in contexts like shops, offices, schools, clinics, service desks, etc.

It is a title/form of address, not a personal name.

People use Mbak to politely address or refer to a woman, especially a slightly older girl, young woman, or adult woman in many everyday situations.

Comparable forms include:

• Mas for a man
• Pak for an older man / Mr.
• Bu for an older woman / Mrs., Ma’am

So Mbak petugas is not saying her name is Mbak. It is more like saying the lady staff member.

Mengambil means to take, to get, or to fetch.

In this sentence, it means the staff member took/fetched the spare ink from the cabinet.

It comes from the root ambil = take, with the prefix meng-:

• ambil = take
• mengambil = to take / taking

The meN- prefix often forms active verbs in Indonesian.

Examples:

• makan = eat
• membaca = read
• mengambil = take

So mengambil tinta cadangan dari lemari means to take/get the spare ink from the cabinet.

Because mengambil is the standard active verb form used in normal sentence structure.

Compare:

• Mbak petugas mengambil tinta cadangan = standard, complete sentence
• ambil! = take it! or go get it! (command)

The bare root ambil is often used in:

• commands
• informal speech
• certain shortened expressions

But in a normal declarative sentence with a subject, mengambil is the expected form.

Cadangan means reserve, spare, or backup.

So tinta cadangan means:

• spare ink
• backup ink
• replacement ink

This is another common noun + modifier pattern:

• baterai cadangan = spare battery
• rencana cadangan = backup plan
• kunci cadangan = spare key

So here it refers to extra ink kept in case the current one runs low.

In real-life Indonesian, tinta is often used a bit loosely. Depending on context, tinta cadangan may refer to:

• actual ink
• an ink bottle
• a refill
• an ink cartridge

If the meaning shown to the learner says something like spare ink cartridge, that is perfectly plausible in context.

Everyday language often uses the simpler word tinta even when the exact physical object is a cartridge or refill unit.

Dari means from, and lemari means cabinet, cupboard, or wardrobe, depending on context.

So:

• dari lemari = from the cabinet/cupboard

In this sentence, lemari probably means a storage cabinet rather than a clothes wardrobe.

Examples:

• dari rumah = from home
• dari kantor = from the office
• dari lemari = from the cabinet

Indonesian does not have articles like a and the in the same way English does.

So lemari can mean:

• a cabinet
• the cabinet

The context tells you which one makes sense.

In this sentence, English naturally says the cabinet, because both speaker and listener probably know which cabinet is meant. Indonesian can simply say lemari without needing a separate article.

If the speaker wanted extra emphasis like that cabinet, they could say:

• dari lemari itu

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

So mengambil can mean:

• takes
• took
• is taking
• will take

Context tells you the time.

In this sentence, the meaning is understood from the situation and from the way the sentence is presented as an event sequence:

• the ink was almost gone,
• so the staff member took the spare ink.

If needed, Indonesian can add time words such as:

• tadi = earlier
• kemarin = yesterday
• sekarang = now
• nanti = later

But often they are unnecessary.

Broadly, yes. The sentence follows a familiar pattern:

• Tinta printer itu hampir habis
  subject/topic + predicate
• jadi Mbak petugas mengambil tinta cadangan dari lemari
  connector + subject + verb + object + prepositional phrase

So English speakers often find this kind of sentence fairly approachable.

But there are still important differences:

• modifiers often come after nouns
• articles are usually absent
• tense is usually not marked on the verb
• forms like itu come after the noun phrase

Yes, depending on context, that can be a very natural translation.

Mengambil can mean:

• take
• get
• fetch

So if the situation suggests she got up and retrieved it, English might naturally say:

• the staff member went to get the spare ink from the cabinet

Even though there is no separate word meaning went, English often adds that idea because it sounds natural in context.

Indonesian uses many loanwords, especially for modern objects and technology. Printer is very common and completely normal in everyday Indonesian.

This is similar to other borrowed words such as:

• komputer
• internet
• file
• scanner

So tinta printer is a very natural modern phrase.

Yes. Indonesian often allows several natural variations depending on style.

For example:

• Karena tinta printer itu hampir habis, petugas mengambil tinta cadangan dari lemari.
• Tinta printer itu hampir habis, sehingga petugas mengambil tinta cadangan dari lemari.

Differences:

• karena = because
• sehingga = therefore / so, a bit more formal than jadi
• leaving out Mbak makes it more neutral and less conversational

The original sentence sounds natural and everyday, especially in spoken or informal written Indonesian.