Satpam itu meminta kami menunjukkan kartu identitas sebelum masuk.

Here itu works like that or, very often in natural English translation, the.

So satpam itu means something like:

• that security guard
• or more naturally in context, the security guard

In Indonesian, itu after a noun often helps identify a specific person or thing already known from the situation.

In Indonesian, meminta can be followed directly by:

• the person being asked, and then
• the action they are asked to do

So:

• meminta kami menunjukkan kartu identitas = asked us to show an ID card / our ID cards

This pattern is very normal.

You may also hear:

• meminta kami untuk menunjukkan...
• meminta agar kami menunjukkan...

These are also possible, but the version without untuk is very natural and common.

This is an important distinction in Indonesian:

• kami = we/us, but not including the listener
• kita = we/us, including the listener

In this sentence, the security guard asked us, and the guard is clearly not part of that group. So kami is the correct choice.

Also, after meminta, kami is functioning like us, not we:

• meminta kami = asked us

Because menunjukkan means to show, while menunjuk usually means to point or to appoint.

Compare:

• menunjuk pintu = to point at the door
• menunjukkan kartu identitas = to show an ID card

The ending -kan often changes the meaning into something like cause to be seen / show.

So here menunjukkan kartu identitas is exactly the right verb for showing ID.

Kartu identitas literally means identity card. In natural English, this is often translated as:

• ID card
• identification card
• or just ID

Depending on context, it could refer to a national ID card, employee card, student card, driver's license, or another form of identification.

Because Indonesian often leaves out possessives when the meaning is obvious from context.

So:

• meminta kami menunjukkan kartu identitas naturally means asked us to show our ID cards / our identification

Even without kami after kartu identitas, it is understood that the cards belong to us, the people being asked.

If you added kami, it would still make sense:

• meminta kami menunjukkan kartu identitas kami

But that can sound a bit more explicit than necessary.

Indonesian often does not mark plural if the context already makes it clear.

So kartu identitas can mean:

• an ID card
• ID cards
• identification

In this sentence, because kami means us, English may naturally translate it as our ID cards, but Indonesian does not need a plural marker here.

If someone wanted to emphasize plurality, they could say:

• kartu-kartu identitas

But that would usually be unnecessary.

Sebelum masuk means before entering / before going in.

The subject is not stated inside this part, but it is understood from context. It most naturally refers to kami—the people being asked to show ID.

So the meaning is:

• The security guard asked us to show ID before we entered.

Indonesian often omits subjects when they are obvious.

Because Indonesian frequently leaves out pronouns when they can be understood from context.

English usually needs:

• before we entered
• before we went in

But Indonesian can simply say:

• sebelum masuk

This is very natural. The listener understands who is entering from the earlier part of the sentence.

All of those can fit depending on context.

Masuk broadly means:

• enter
• go in
• come in

In this sentence, the best English wording is usually:

• before entering
• before going in
• before we entered

The exact English choice depends on the broader situation.

Yes. Indonesian allows some flexibility.

For example, you could also say:

• Sebelum masuk, satpam itu meminta kami menunjukkan kartu identitas.

This puts before entering first for emphasis or smoother flow.

Both versions are natural. The original version is completely normal.

It is neutral and very natural. It works in both everyday and fairly formal contexts.

A few notes:

• satpam is everyday but standard
• meminta is slightly more formal than plain minta
• kartu identitas sounds neutral to formal

So overall, the sentence sounds like standard Indonesian you might hear in real life.

Yes. Meminta can mean:

• ask for
• request
• ask someone to do something

In this sentence, it means:

• asked us to show...
• or more formally, requested that we show...

Both are accurate, though asked us to show sounds more natural in everyday English.

Because meminta is used for asking for something or asking someone to do something, while bertanya means to ask a question.

Compare:

• Satpam itu bertanya... = The security guard asked a question...
• Satpam itu meminta kami menunjukkan... = The security guard asked us to show...

So meminta is the correct verb here because the guard is making a request, not asking a question.

Yes. A passive version would be something like:

• Kami diminta satpam itu menunjukkan kartu identitas sebelum masuk.

This means:

• We were asked by the security guard to show ID before entering.

Indonesian uses passive forms quite often, but the active version in your sentence is very natural and straightforward.