Ibu membersihkan remah roti di meja dapur dengan lap.

Ibu literally means mother, but it is also very commonly used as a respectful form of address for an adult woman, similar to Mrs., ma’am, or madam depending on context.

In this sentence, Ibu could mean:

• Mother / Mom if the sentence is about someone’s mother
• Mrs. / Ma’am if it refers respectfully to a woman

Capitalization often helps show that it is being used like a title or as the subject of the sentence.

Bersih is an adjective meaning clean.

Membersihkan is a verb meaning to clean something.

It is built from the root bersih with the affixes meN- and -kan, which often make a verb transitive, meaning it takes a direct object.

So:

• bersih = clean
• membersihkan = to clean something

In this sentence, the thing being cleaned is remah roti.

Remah roti means bread crumbs or crumbs of bread.

Breakdown:

• remah = crumb / small bits
• roti = bread

Indonesian often uses noun + noun combinations like this, so remah roti is literally something like bread crumb(s).

Even though English usually says crumbs in the plural, Indonesian does not always need a plural marker when the meaning is already clear from context.

Because Indonesian often leaves nouns unmarked for plural when plurality is obvious or unimportant.

So:

• remah roti can already mean bread crumbs
• remah-remah roti would make the plural idea more explicit

Both can work depending on context. Indonesian does not require plural marking as often as English does.

Di is a preposition meaning in, at, or on, depending on context.

Here:

• di meja dapur = on the kitchen table

Breakdown:

• di = at / in / on
• meja = table
• dapur = kitchen

English makes a stronger distinction between in, on, and at, but Indonesian often uses di for location in general. The exact English translation depends on the noun that follows and the situation.

Because Indonesian noun phrases often put the main noun first and the describing noun after it.

So:

• meja dapur = kitchen table
• literally: table kitchen

The first noun is the main thing, and the second noun describes what kind of thing it is.

Other similar patterns:

• meja makan = dining table
• sabun cuci = washing soap / detergent

Dengan lap means with a cloth or using a rag.

Breakdown:

• dengan = with / using / by means of
• lap = cloth, rag, wiping cloth

Here dengan lap tells you the instrument used for cleaning.

So the sentence includes:

• who did it: Ibu
• what action: membersihkan
• what was cleaned: remah roti
• where: di meja dapur
• with what: dengan lap

Indonesian does not have articles like English a, an, and the.

So Indonesian often leaves this information unstated, and you understand it from context.

For example:

• remah roti could mean bread crumbs, the bread crumbs, or some bread crumbs
• meja dapur could mean the kitchen table or a kitchen table
• lap could mean a cloth or the cloth

The natural English translation chooses whichever article sounds best from context.

The basic structure is:

Subject + Verb + Object + Location + Instrument

So here:

• Ibu = subject
• membersihkan = verb
• remah roti = object
• di meja dapur = location
• dengan lap = instrument

That makes the sentence very straightforward for an English speaker, because the core order is similar to English:

• Mother cleaned the bread crumbs on the kitchen table with a cloth.

In this sentence, dengan lap most naturally describes the instrument used for the cleaning: with a cloth.

So the intended meaning is:

• she cleaned the bread crumbs
• and she used a cloth to do it

In practice, Indonesian usually relies on context for this kind of attachment, just as English does. Here the most natural reading is clearly that the cloth is the cleaning tool.

Yes, Indonesian allows some flexibility, especially with prepositional phrases.

For example, these can still be natural depending on emphasis:

• Ibu membersihkan remah roti dengan lap di meja dapur.
• Di meja dapur, Ibu membersihkan remah roti dengan lap.

The original version is clear and natural, but changing the order can shift what is emphasized:

• di meja dapur first emphasizes the location
• dengan lap earlier can emphasize the method or tool

The core relationship between subject, verb, and object stays the same.