Ibu merebus brokoli untuk makan malam.

Ibu literally means mother, so in this sentence it most naturally means Mom/Mother.

But Ibu is also commonly used in Indonesian as a polite title for an adult woman, a bit like Mrs., Ma’am, or Madam, depending on context.

So outside this sentence, Ibu could mean:

• mother
• Mrs. + name
• a polite way to address an older woman

In this sentence, if the meaning shown to the learner is Mother boils broccoli for dinner, then Ibu is being used as mother.

When Ibu is used like a name or direct family title, it is often capitalized, just like Mom in English.

Compare:

• Ibu merebus brokoli. = Mom is boiling broccoli.
• ibu saya = my mother

So capitalization can reflect whether it is being treated more like a title/name than a general noun.

The base word is rebus, which means boil or to boil.

When the prefix me- is added, it becomes merebus, an active verb meaning to boil.

So:

• rebus = boil / boiled / boiling, depending context
• merebus = to boil, in an active verbal form

In dictionary form, you may often find the root rebus.

The prefix me- is part of the Indonesian active verb system. It often marks that the subject is actively doing the action.

So:

• Ibu merebus brokoli = Mother is boiling broccoli

It helps signal that Ibu is performing the action.

More broadly, this prefix appears in several forms depending on the first sound of the root:

• membaca from baca
• menulis from tulis
• mengambil from ambil
• merebus from rebus

So merebus is the expected active form of rebus.

In normal sentences, Indonesian often prefers the marked active verb form with meN- when the subject is clearly doing something to an object.

That is why:

• Ibu merebus brokoli sounds natural and standard.

Using just rebus can happen, but it usually sounds more like:

• an instruction
• a recipe step
• a less formal or reduced style

For example:

• Rebus brokoli selama lima menit. = Boil the broccoli for five minutes.

So in a full statement, merebus is the more standard choice.

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

So merebus by itself does not specifically mean:

• boils
• is boiling
• boiled
• will boil

The time is usually understood from:

• context
• time words
• aspect markers

So this sentence could mean different things depending on context, though learners often first read it as something like Mother is boiling broccoli for dinner or Mother boils broccoli for dinner.

If you want to make time clearer, you can add words such as:

• sedang = in the process of
• tadi = earlier
• besok = tomorrow
• akan = will

Examples:

• Ibu sedang merebus brokoli. = Mother is boiling broccoli.
• Ibu akan merebus brokoli. = Mother will boil broccoli.

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

So:

• brokoli can mean broccoli, the broccoli, or sometimes some broccoli, depending on context.
• makan malam can mean dinner or the evening meal, depending on context.

This is very normal in Indonesian. Definiteness is often left unstated unless the speaker needs to make it specific in some other way.

Untuk usually means for.

In this sentence, it shows purpose:

• untuk makan malam = for dinner

So the idea is that the broccoli is being boiled with dinner in mind.

Untuk is very common and can also be used in other ways, such as:

• Ini untuk kamu. = This is for you.
• Dia belajar untuk ujian. = He/She studies for the exam.

Yes, literally it is made from:

• makan = eat
• malam = night

But together, makan malam is the normal expression for dinner or to eat dinner, depending on context.

So it can function as:

• a noun-like expression: dinner
• a verb phrase: to have dinner / eat dinner

In untuk makan malam, it is best understood as for dinner.

This follows a very common Indonesian pattern:

Subject + Verb + Object + Extra information

So here:

• Ibu = subject
• merebus = verb
• brokoli = object
• untuk makan malam = purpose phrase

This is quite similar to standard English word order, which is one reason Indonesian sentences can feel approachable to English speakers.

Yes, Indonesian word order is somewhat flexible, especially with adverbial or purpose phrases.

For example, these are possible:

• Ibu merebus brokoli untuk makan malam.
• Untuk makan malam, Ibu merebus brokoli.

The first is the most neutral and straightforward.
The second puts more emphasis on for dinner.

So the original version is the most basic and natural default.

Yes. That would be a very common way to make it clear that the action is happening right now.

• Ibu merebus brokoli untuk makan malam. = neutral; time depends on context
• Ibu sedang merebus brokoli untuk makan malam. = Mother is boiling broccoli for dinner right now

Sedang is a very useful word for ongoing actions.

In casual speech, many speakers also use lagi:

• Ibu lagi merebus brokoli untuk makan malam.

That is more informal.

It is basically neutral and perfectly natural.

Why?

• Ibu is standard and polite
• merebus is a normal standard verb form
• untuk is standard
• makan malam is standard

A more casual spoken version might be:

• Ibu lagi rebus brokoli buat makan malam.

That sounds more conversational, but the original sentence is a good standard model for learners.

Yes, but usually it does not need one unless you really want to emphasize plurality.

Indonesian often leaves nouns unmarked for singular/plural when context is enough.

So:

• brokoli can refer to broccoli in general, one amount of broccoli, or several pieces/portions depending on context.

If needed, Indonesian can show plurality in different ways, including reduplication:

• brokoli-brokoli

But that would usually sound unnecessary here. In this sentence, plain brokoli is the natural choice.

Sometimes yes, if the context already makes it obvious who is doing the action.

For example, in conversation:

• Sedang merebus brokoli untuk makan malam.

That could mean (She/I’m) boiling broccoli for dinner, depending on context.

But in a standalone learning sentence, including Ibu makes it clear and complete. Indonesian often omits subjects in conversation more easily than English does, but not always.

In this sentence, it behaves more like a set expression referring to dinner.

That is one thing learners should get used to in Indonesian: many expressions are flexible and do not map neatly onto English grammar categories.

So while makan is a verb, the phrase makan malam is very often used as a fixed expression meaning:

• to have dinner
• dinner

Here, after untuk, the most natural English translation is for dinner.