Kami menunggu di peron selama tiga puluh menit, tetapi kereta akhirnya tiba.

In Indonesian, both kami and kita can mean we, but they are not interchangeable.

• kami = we, but not including the person being spoken to
• kita = we, including the person being spoken to

So Kami menunggu... means the speaker and some other people were waiting, but the listener was not part of that group.

Menunggu means to wait.

Its base form is tunggu (wait). The prefix meN- is commonly added to verbs to form an active verb. In this case:

• tunggu → menunggu

This is a very common pattern in Indonesian. The exact form of meN- changes depending on the first sound of the root word, which is why it becomes men- here.

Di is a preposition meaning in, at, or on, depending on context.

So:

• di peron = at the platform

Here it shows location. The group was waiting at the platform.

A useful point:

• di written separately is a preposition: di peron, di rumah, di stasiun
• di- written attached to a verb is usually a passive prefix: ditunggu, dibeli

So spacing matters.

Peron means platform, usually a train platform.

So di peron means on/at the platform in a station context. It is a noun often used with trains and stations.

Selama means for or during, and it clearly marks a duration of time.

So:

• selama tiga puluh menit = for thirty minutes

In many cases, Indonesian can also express duration without selama, depending on style and context, but selama makes the duration very explicit and natural here.

It is built very straightforwardly:

• tiga = three
• puluh = tens
• tiga puluh = thirty
• menit = minutes

So tiga puluh menit literally means thirty minutes.

Tetapi means but.

It connects two contrasting ideas:

• Kami menunggu di peron selama tiga puluh menit = we waited at the platform for thirty minutes
• tetapi kereta akhirnya tiba = but the train finally arrived

So it shows contrast: there was a long wait, but in the end the train did arrive.

In everyday speech, people also often say tapi, which is a shorter, more informal form of tetapi.

Akhirnya means finally or in the end.

In Indonesian, adverbs like akhirnya often come before the verb:

• kereta akhirnya tiba = the train finally arrived

This word order is very natural in Indonesian. You will often see adverbs placed before the main verb to modify it.

Tiba means arrive.

In this sentence, the destination is not stated, so tiba can stand on its own:

• kereta akhirnya tiba = the train finally arrived

If you want to mention the place of arrival, Indonesian often uses tiba di:

• Kereta tiba di stasiun = The train arrived at the station

So tiba alone is fine when the location is understood or not important.

Indonesian does not usually have articles like the or a/an in the same way English does.

So:

• kereta can mean a train or the train

The exact meaning depends on context. In this sentence, it is understood as the train because both speaker and listener know which train is being talked about.

Mostly, yes. The sentence follows a very familiar pattern:

• Kami = subject
• menunggu = verb
• di peron = location
• selama tiga puluh menit = duration
• tetapi = conjunction
• kereta = subject
• akhirnya tiba = verb phrase

So the structure is quite close to English:

• We waited at the platform for thirty minutes, but the train finally arrived.

That is one reason this sentence is fairly approachable for English speakers.

Yes. Kami menunggu kereta means We waited for the train or We were waiting for the train.

In your original sentence, menunggu does not directly mention what was being waited for. Instead, the sentence focuses on the location and duration:

• Kami menunggu di peron selama tiga puluh menit...

If you add kereta, then the object becomes explicit:

• Kami menunggu kereta di peron selama tiga puluh menit.

That would mean We waited for the train at the platform for thirty minutes.

It sounds neutral to slightly formal, but still very natural.

Why:

• tetapi is a bit more formal than tapi
• the full expression tiga puluh menit is standard
• the sentence is grammatically complete and clear

A more casual version might be:

• Kami nunggu di peron selama tiga puluh menit, tapi keretanya akhirnya tiba.

That version sounds more spoken and informal.