Troli itu hampir menabrak rak minuman ketika anak kecil mendorongnya terlalu cepat.

In Indonesian, demonstratives like ini (this) and itu (that/the) usually come after the noun.

So:

• troli itu = that cart / the cart
• rak minuman itu = that drink shelf / the drink shelf

This is different from English, where this/that come before the noun.

It can mean either, depending on context.

In Indonesian, itu often works as:

• a true demonstrative: that cart
• a marker that the noun is already identifiable: the cart

So troli itu hampir menabrak... could naturally be understood as either:

• That cart almost hit...
• The cart almost hit...

Context decides which translation sounds best.

Hampir means almost.

So:

• hampir menabrak = almost hit / almost crashed into

It comes before the verb phrase it modifies. This is very similar to English almost + verb.

Examples:

• Saya hampir jatuh. = I almost fell.
• Dia hampir terlambat. = He/She almost was late.

Tabrak is the root meaning hit/crash into.
Menabrak is the active verb form built with the meN- prefix.

• tabrak = root
• menabrak = to hit / to crash into

This is a very common pattern in Indonesian. Many dictionary roots become everyday active verbs with meN-.

For example:

• dorong → mendorong = to push
• baca → membaca = to read
• tulis → menulis = to write

So menabrak is the normal active verb form here.

This happens because the meN- prefix changes shape depending on the first sound of the root.

Very roughly:

• before t, the t often disappears:
  tabrak → menabrak
• before d, the d usually stays:
  dorong → mendorong

This is part of Indonesian sound patterns with the meN- prefix. Learners usually memorize these as they encounter them.

Rak minuman literally looks like shelf drinks, but it means drink shelf or shelf for drinks.

Indonesian often puts two nouns together, where the second noun describes the first:

• rak minuman = drink shelf
• botol air = water bottle
• toko buku = book store / bookstore

So there is no separate word like English of here. The relationship is understood from the noun order and context.

Indonesian often leaves out words that English would include, such as a/an.

So:

• anak kecil = a child / the child / a small child / a little child

If you say seorang anak kecil, that is also possible, but it is more explicitly a child / one child and can sound slightly more specific or formal depending on context.

In natural storytelling, anak kecil by itself is very normal.

It most naturally means little child or young child.

Literally:

• anak = child
• kecil = small

But in context, English usually says little child, young child, or simply a child, rather than focusing on physical size.

Ketika means when.

In this sentence:

• ketika anak kecil mendorongnya terlalu cepat = when the little child pushed it too fast

Yes, ketika can often be replaced by saat or waktu in many contexts:

• ketika
• saat
• waktu

All can mean when, though ketika may sound a bit more formal or written in some situations.

Mendorongnya = pushed it / was pushing it

It breaks down as:

• mendorong = to push
• -nya = it, him, her, or sometimes the ... depending on context

Here, -nya refers to troli itu, so:

• anak kecil mendorongnya = the little child pushed it, meaning pushed the cart

No. -nya is very flexible.

It can mean:

• his
• her
• its
• him
• her
• it
• sometimes something like the in context

In this sentence, -nya means it, referring back to troli itu.

This flexibility is very common in Indonesian, so learners need to rely on context.

Grammatically, -nya could in theory refer to something mentioned earlier, but in this sentence the most natural referent is troli itu.

Why?

Because the overall scene strongly suggests:

• the cart almost hit the shelf
• the child pushed the cart too fast

So even though -nya is not as explicit as English pronouns sometimes are, the intended meaning is clear from context.

Cepat means fast/quickly.
Terlalu cepat means too fast / too quickly.

So:

• mendorongnya cepat = pushed it quickly
• mendorongnya terlalu cepat = pushed it too quickly

The word terlalu adds the idea that the speed was excessive.

In Indonesian, adjectives often also function as adverbs without changing form.

So:

• cepat can mean fast or quickly
• lambat can mean slow or slowly
• keras can mean hard or loudly, depending on context

That means terlalu cepat can naturally mean too fast or too quickly.

The main structure is:

• Troli itu = subject
• hampir menabrak = predicate/verb phrase
• rak minuman = object
• ketika anak kecil mendorongnya terlalu cepat = time clause

So the pattern is roughly:

Subject + Verb + Object + when-clause

More literally:

• Troli itu = The cart
• hampir menabrak = almost hit
• rak minuman = the drink shelf
• ketika anak kecil mendorongnya terlalu cepat = when the little child pushed it too fast

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

So:

• menabrak does not itself mean specifically hits, hit, or will hit
• mendorong does not itself mean specifically pushes, pushed, or will push

Time is usually understood from:

• context
• time words
• the situation being described

In this sentence, English may translate it in the past because it sounds like a narrated event:

• The cart almost hit the drink shelf when the little child pushed it too fast.

But without more context, Indonesian itself does not force a past reading as strongly as English does.

Yes, sometimes ketika can be translated as when or as, depending on natural English style.

For example:

• The cart almost hit the drink shelf when the little child pushed it too fast.
• The cart almost hit the drink shelf as the little child pushed it too fast.

However, when is usually the safest and most direct translation.

Indonesian does not normally use articles like a/an and the.

Whether a noun is:

• a cart
• the cart
• a shelf
• the shelf

is usually understood from context, word order, and words like ini/itu.

For example:

• troli = cart / a cart / the cart
• troli itu = that cart / the cart

So learners need to get used to Indonesian leaving article information unstated unless needed.

Yes, some parts can move, especially the time clause.

For example, this is also possible:

• Ketika anak kecil mendorongnya terlalu cepat, troli itu hampir menabrak rak minuman.

This puts the when clause first, just like in English:

• When the little child pushed it too fast, the cart almost hit the drink shelf.

Both versions are natural. The original simply starts with the main event first.