Di dalam gerbong, saya memilih bangku dekat jendela supaya tidak terlalu pusing.

Di dalam gerbong means inside the carriage/train car.

Starting with this phrase sets the scene first, like saying:

• In the carriage, ...
• Inside the train car, ...

This is very natural in Indonesian. The comma shows that this opening phrase is just background information before the main clause.

You could also say:

• Saya memilih bangku dekat jendela di dalam gerbong ...

but putting di dalam gerbong first gives it a slightly more descriptive, scene-setting feel.

Di by itself usually means at / in / on, depending on context.

• di gerbong = in the carriage
• di dalam gerbong = inside the carriage

So di dalam is more explicit about being inside something.

In many situations, di gerbong and di dalam gerbong are both possible, but di dalam adds a stronger sense of physical interior space.

Gerbong usually refers to a train car, carriage, or wagon.

So in this sentence, it means one of the separate cars of a train.

A learner might compare it with:

• kereta = train
• gerbong = one carriage/car of the train

So di dalam gerbong is specifically inside the train car, not just somewhere on the train in general.

Both can be possible, but memilih is the more standard and neutral form for to choose.

• memilih = to choose
• pilih = choose / choose! / a shorter, less formal version in some contexts

The prefix meN- often makes a verb into its normal active form. Here:

• root: pilih
• active verb: memilih

So saya memilih bangku... means I chose / I choose a seat...

In everyday conversation, people do sometimes shorten verbs, but memilih is the safer and more standard form for learners.

Saya is the more neutral and polite word for I.

• saya = neutral, polite, standard
• aku = more casual, personal, intimate

Because this sentence sounds like standard written Indonesian, saya fits very naturally.

If you used aku, the sentence would sound more casual:

• Di dalam gerbong, aku memilih bangku dekat jendela supaya tidak terlalu pusing.

That is still correct, just less formal.

Yes, bangku can mean bench, but in many contexts it also means seat.

In this sentence, bangku dekat jendela means a seat near the window.

Related words:

• bangku = seat, bench
• kursi = chair, seat
• tempat duduk = seat/sitting place

In transportation contexts, bangku is often understood as a passenger seat. So the sentence sounds natural.

Both are possible.

• bangku dekat jendela = a seat near the window
• bangku di dekat jendela = a seat near the window

The version without di is very common when dekat jendela works like a modifier describing the seat.

You can think of it like:

• rumah dekat sekolah = a house near the school
• kursi dekat pintu = a chair near the door

Adding di is a little more explicit, but leaving it out is completely natural.

Supaya means so that or in order that.

It introduces a purpose:

• Saya memilih bangku dekat jendela supaya tidak terlalu pusing.
• I chose a seat near the window so that I wouldn’t get too dizzy / so I wouldn’t feel too sick.

So the speaker’s choosing the seat is done for a reason or goal.

Common similar words:

• supaya
• agar

Both often mean so that / in order to.

This is a very important distinction:

• supaya = so that / in order to → purpose
• karena = because → cause/reason

Compare:

• Saya memilih bangku dekat jendela supaya tidak terlalu pusing.
  = I chose a seat near the window so that I wouldn’t get too dizzy.

• Saya memilih bangku dekat jendela karena saya pusing.
  = I chose a seat near the window because I was dizzy.

So supaya looks forward to the intended result, while karena explains the reason.

Indonesian often leaves out the subject when it is already obvious from context.

So:

• supaya tidak terlalu pusing

really means something like:

• supaya saya tidak terlalu pusing

But since the subject is clearly the same person as earlier (saya), it can be omitted.

This is very common and natural in Indonesian.

Pusing can mean several related things, depending on context:

• dizzy
• lightheaded
• having a headache
• feeling motion sickness / unwell from movement

In this sentence, because the person is choosing a seat near the window in a train carriage, pusing most likely means something like:

• dizzy
• motion sick
• nauseous from the ride

So it is not always just a literal headache. Context matters a lot.

Terlalu means too or excessively.

So:

• tidak pusing = not dizzy / not sick
• tidak terlalu pusing = not too dizzy / not overly sick

The second version is softer and more realistic. It suggests:

• maybe some discomfort is still possible,
• but the speaker wants to avoid feeling too bad.

This kind of phrasing is very common in Indonesian.

The order is:

• tidak = not
• terlalu = too / excessively
• pusing = dizzy / sick / headachey

So literally it is something like:

• not too dizzy

This is the normal order in Indonesian. Negation comes before the part being negated.

Similar patterns:

• tidak terlalu mahal = not too expensive
• tidak terlalu jauh = not too far
• tidak terlalu sulit = not too difficult

Yes. In this sentence, agar would work very well:

• Di dalam gerbong, saya memilih bangku dekat jendela agar tidak terlalu pusing.

This means the same thing.

In general:

• supaya = very common in speech and writing
• agar = also common, sometimes feels slightly more formal or polished

But in many everyday sentences, they are interchangeable.

By itself, Indonesian verbs do not automatically show tense the way English verbs often do.

So saya memilih could mean:

• I choose
• I chose
• I am choosing
  depending on context.

In this sentence, many English speakers will naturally understand it as past:

• I chose a seat near the window...

because it sounds like a completed decision in a particular situation.

If you wanted to make the past clearer, you could add a time word such as:

• tadi = earlier
• kemarin = yesterday

Yes, very natural.

• dekat jendela = near the window / by the window

This is a common Indonesian way to describe location.

Other examples:

• dekat pintu = by the door
• dekat stasiun = near the station
• dekat saya = near me

So bangku dekat jendela is a very normal way to say a seat by the window.