Kalau tinta printer habis, tinta cadangan itu diambil dari lemari.

Here kalau means if or sometimes when in a conditional sense.

So Kalau tinta printer habis... means If/When the printer ink runs out...

Kalau and jika are similar, but:

• kalau is very common in everyday speech and writing
• jika sounds a bit more formal

In this sentence, kalau is the most natural everyday choice.

Indonesian often does not use a verb meaning to be in sentences like this.

So:

• tinta printer habis literally looks like printer ink used up
• natural English: the printer ink is used up / the printer ink runs out

This is normal in Indonesian. Adjectives and state words can function as the predicate without any extra verb.

Habis means finished, used up, or run out.

In this context:

• tinta printer habis = the printer ink runs out / the printer ink is finished

It does not mean that the ink physically disappears; it means the supply has been exhausted.

A useful comparison:

• habis = used up, no more left because it has been consumed
• kosong = empty

So ink is usually habis, while a bottle or drawer might be kosong.

Tinta printer is a noun phrase where tinta is the main noun and printer specifies what kind of ink it is.

So:

• tinta = ink
• tinta printer = printer ink

This is a common Indonesian pattern: the main noun comes first, and the modifying noun follows it.

Other similar examples:

• air minum = drinking water
• sepatu olahraga = sports shoes
• mesin cuci = washing machine

You could also say tinta untuk printer (ink for a printer) if you want to be more explicit, but tinta printer is very natural.

Tinta cadangan itu means that spare ink or the spare ink.

Breakdown:

• tinta = ink
• cadangan = spare, backup, reserve
• itu = that / the one we already know about

In Indonesian, demonstratives like ini and itu usually come after the noun phrase:

• buku itu = that book
• rumah itu = that house
• tinta cadangan itu = that spare ink

So the word order is normal Indonesian word order.

Also, itu can sometimes sound like English the when the speaker is referring to something specific already known in the situation.

In tinta cadangan, cadangan works like a modifier meaning spare, backup, or reserve.

Indonesian is flexible about word classes, so a word like cadangan can behave a bit like a noun in some contexts and like an adjective/modifier in others.

Here, the important thing is simply:

• tinta cadangan = spare ink / backup ink

You do not need a separate word like spare before the noun the way English does; Indonesian often just places the modifier after the noun.

Diambil is the passive form of ambil (to take).

So:

• mengambil = to take / takes / is taking in an active sentence
• diambil = is taken in a passive sentence

Here:

• tinta cadangan itu diambil dari lemari
• literally: the spare ink is taken from the cupboard

This passive structure is very common in Indonesian, especially when the doer is unknown, unimportant, or simply not mentioned.

Compare:

• Dia mengambil tinta cadangan itu dari lemari. = He/She takes the spare ink from the cupboard.
• Tinta cadangan itu diambil dari lemari. = The spare ink is taken from the cupboard.

Correct — the sentence does not explicitly say who takes the spare ink.

That is one reason the passive diambil is used. Indonesian often leaves out the agent when it is:

• obvious from context
• not important
• meant to stay general

So the sentence focuses on what happens rather than who does it.

In English, we might translate it as:

• If the printer ink runs out, the spare ink is taken from the cupboard.
• or more naturally in some situations: If the printer ink runs out, we get the spare ink from the cupboard.

The exact doer depends on context.

Dari lemari means from the cupboard, from the cabinet, or sometimes from the wardrobe/closet, depending on context.

• dari = from
• lemari = a storage cabinet, cupboard, wardrobe, or closet

Because this sentence is about printer ink, cupboard or cabinet is probably the best English choice.

So lemari is a broader word than any single English word.

It can suggest either, depending on context.

• if = in case it happens
• when = assuming it will happen at some point

So Kalau tinta printer habis... could mean:

• If the printer ink runs out...
• When the printer ink runs out...

English usually forces you to choose one, but Indonesian often leaves that slightly more open.

Yes, it could.

• tinta cadangan diambil dari lemari is possible
• tinta cadangan itu diambil dari lemari is more specific

Adding itu usually means the speaker has a particular spare ink in mind — something known, identifiable, or already understood in the situation.

Without itu, the phrase can sound a little more general.

It could be understood in more than one way, depending on context.

Possible readings:

• a general habit/procedure: whenever the printer ink runs out, the spare ink is taken from the cupboard
• an instruction/policy: if the printer ink runs out, take the spare ink from the cupboard
• a future event: if the printer ink runs out, the spare ink will be taken from the cupboard

Indonesian often relies on context rather than verb tense endings, so the sentence itself stays neutral unless more words are added.

For example:

• Kalau tinta printer habis, tinta cadangan itu akan diambil dari lemari. = more clearly future
• Kalau tinta printer habis, ambil tinta cadangan itu dari lemari. = direct command