Dia menggaruk lehernya karena gatal.

He/She scratches his/her neck because it is itchy.

Breakdown of Dia menggaruk lehernya karena gatal.

• dia: he/she
• karena: because
• nya: his/her
• leher: the neck

Questions & Answers about Dia menggaruk lehernya karena gatal.

Does dia mean he or she here?

Yes. Dia can mean either he or she. Indonesian does not usually mark gender in third-person singular pronouns.

So Dia menggaruk lehernya karena gatal could mean:

• He scratched his neck because it was itchy
• She scratched her neck because it was itchy

You only know the gender from context.

Why is it menggaruk instead of just garuk?

Garuk is the base word, meaning scratch.

Menggaruk is the active verb form, built with the prefix meng-. In ordinary statements, Indonesian often uses this meN- form for active verbs.

So:

• garuk = the root/base
• menggaruk = to scratch / scratches / scratched depending on context

In a full sentence, menggaruk sounds natural and standard:

• Dia menggaruk lehernya = He/She scratched his/her neck

Using just garuk would sound more like a command or a less complete form in many contexts.

What does -nya in lehernya mean?

Here -nya means his/her.

So: