Kami menunggu di teras sampai gerimis reda.

In Indonesian, kami and kita both 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 is the verb to wait.

It comes from the root tunggu (wait), with the prefix meN-, which often forms active verbs.

• tunggu = wait
• menunggu = to wait / waiting

In this sentence, menunggu is the main action: we waited / were waiting.

A useful point: menunggu often takes a direct object.

• menunggu bus = to wait for the bus
• menunggu teman = to wait for a friend

But it can also appear without an object, as in this sentence, where the idea is simply we waited.

Because di here is a preposition, meaning in, at, or on, depending on context.

• di teras = on the terrace / at the porch / on the veranda

When di is a preposition showing location, it is written separately:

• di rumah = at home
• di jalan = on the street
• di teras = on the terrace

But when di- is a verb prefix for passive verbs, it is written attached:

• ditunggu = is waited for
• dibaca = is read

So:

• di teras = correct, separate
• diteras = incorrect here

It depends on the translation style. Indonesian teras usually refers to a house’s front terrace, porch, or veranda area.

So di teras could be translated naturally as:

• on the terrace
• at the porch
• on the veranda

English chooses different prepositions depending on the exact image, but Indonesian simply uses di for location.

Here, sampai means until.

So the structure is:

• Kami menunggu di teras = We waited on the terrace
• sampai gerimis reda = until the drizzle stopped / eased up

Sampai can also mean to arrive in other contexts:

• Kami sampai jam lima. = We arrived at five.

So learners should remember that sampai has more than one use. In this sentence, it is clearly the conjunction until.

Gerimis means drizzle or light rain.

It refers to rain that is very light and fine, not heavy rain.

Compare:

• gerimis = drizzle
• hujan = rain
• hujan deras = heavy rain

So the sentence suggests they were waiting for the light rain to pass.

Reda means something like:

• to subside
• to die down
• to let up
• to ease off

With weather, gerimis reda means the drizzle stopped or eased up.

You can also use reda for other things that become less intense:

• angin reda = the wind died down
• amarahnya reda = his/her anger subsided

So reda is a very natural word for something becoming calmer or weaker.

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

So menunggu can mean:

• wait
• am/is/are waiting
• was/were waiting
• waited

The time is understood from:

1. context
2. time words, if present

In this sentence, the overall meaning makes it clear that the action lasted until the drizzle stopped, so English often translates it as waited or were waiting.

If you wanted to make the past more explicit in Indonesian, you could add a time word:

• Tadi kami menunggu di teras sampai gerimis reda. = Earlier, we waited on the terrace until the drizzle stopped.

This is a very normal Indonesian sentence pattern:

• Kami = subject
• menunggu = verb
• di teras = place
• sampai gerimis reda = until the drizzle stopped

So the basic order is:

Subject + Verb + Place + Time/limit clause

Indonesian word order is often similar to English in simple sentences, though adverbial phrases can move around more flexibly.

For example, these are also possible depending on emphasis:

• Kami menunggu sampai gerimis reda di teras.
• Di teras, kami menunggu sampai gerimis reda.

But the original sentence sounds very natural and straightforward.

Yes, you often can.

• Kami menunggu di teras sampai gerimis reda.
• Kami menunggu di teras hingga gerimis reda.

Both can mean We waited on the terrace until the drizzle stopped.

However, sampai is generally more common in everyday speech.
Hingga can sound a bit more formal or written, though it is still very normal.

Yes. Indonesian often leaves out subjects that are obvious from context.

In English, you usually need:

• until the drizzle stopped or
• until it stopped drizzling

In Indonesian, gerimis reda is enough:

• gerimis = drizzle
• reda = subsided / stopped

So the clause works without an extra pronoun like it.

This is very common in Indonesian. Subjects are often omitted when they are easy to understand.

The original sentence is already natural, but in casual speech you might hear small variations, such as:

• Kami nunggu di teras sampai gerimis reda.
• Kami tunggu di teras sampai gerimis reda.

Notes:

• nunggu is a casual spoken form of menunggu
• dropping the prefix in speech is common, but more informal

For learners, menunggu is the safer standard form to use in writing and careful speech.