Sebelum pulang, kami pamit kepada nenek di ruang tamu.

In Indonesian, the subject is often omitted when it is already clear from context.

So sebelum pulang literally means before going home / before returning home, and the listener naturally understands that it refers to kami because that is the subject of the main clause.

You could also say:

• Sebelum kami pulang, kami pamit kepada nenek di ruang tamu.

This is more explicit, but not always necessary. The shorter version sounds natural and efficient.

Pulang means to go home or to return home.

It is specifically used for returning to one’s home or place of residence. That is different from a more general verb like:

• pergi = to go
• berangkat = to depart
• kembali = to return

So sebelum pulang is not just before leaving, but more specifically before going home.

This is an important Indonesian distinction:

• kami = we, but not including the person being spoken to
• kita = we, including the person being spoken to

So kami tells us that the speaker and some other people are going home, but the listener is not part of that group.

If the speaker were including the listener, kita would be used instead.

Pamit is a very common Indonesian verb that means something like:

• to say goodbye before leaving
• to take one’s leave
• sometimes to politely ask permission to leave

It often carries a sense of politeness and respect, especially toward elders or hosts.

So kami pamit kepada nenek means more than just we said goodbye to grandmother. It suggests a culturally appropriate, respectful leave-taking.

Kepada is a preposition often used before the person who receives an action, especially in formal or neutral Indonesian.

Here:

• kami pamit kepada nenek = we said goodbye to grandmother

It marks nenek as the person toward whom the action is directed.

In conversation, sama is also common:

• Kami pamit sama nenek.

That sounds more casual. Kepada is a bit more standard or formal.

Yes, sometimes pada can replace kepada, especially in certain styles:

• Kami pamit pada nenek.

This is understandable and natural. However, kepada is often felt to be slightly more complete or formal when referring to people.

So:

• kepada nenek = very standard
• pada nenek = also possible
• sama nenek = more informal/spoken

Usually, yes, in a family context nenek means grandmother.

However, Indonesian can also use family terms more broadly. Depending on context, nenek could sometimes refer to:

• an elderly woman
• an old woman addressed respectfully

But in a sentence like this, the most natural interpretation is grandmother.

The most natural reading is that the leave-taking happened in the living room:

• Sebelum pulang, kami pamit kepada nenek di ruang tamu.

So: Before going home, we said goodbye to grandmother in the living room.

However, Indonesian can sometimes leave this a little structurally open. In context, di ruang tamu could also be understood as describing where nenek was. Usually the broader situation makes it clear.

If you wanted to make it clearer that grandmother was the one in the living room, you might say:

• Sebelum pulang, kami pamit kepada nenek yang ada di ruang tamu.

If you wanted to emphasize that the action took place there, you could say:

• Sebelum pulang, kami pamit kepada nenek di ruang tamu itu.

Context normally solves the ambiguity.

Because here di is a preposition meaning in / at / on.

As a preposition, it is written separately from the following word:

• di ruang tamu = in the living room
• di rumah = at home
• di sekolah = at school

This is different from di- as a passive verb prefix, which is attached to the verb:

• dibuka = opened
• ditulis = written
• dibaca = read

So:

• di ruang tamu = correct
• diruang tamu = incorrect

Literally, yes:

• ruang = room/space
• tamu = guest

But in actual usage, ruang tamu usually means living room, sitting room, or front room for receiving guests.

So you should understand it as the area where guests are received, which often overlaps with what English speakers call the living room.

The comma separates the introductory time expression from the main clause.

• Sebelum pulang, kami pamit kepada nenek di ruang tamu.

This is similar to English:

• Before going home, we said goodbye to grandmother in the living room.

In Indonesian writing, this comma is natural and helpful when a sentence begins with a phrase like sebelum pulang, setelah makan, ketika sampai, and so on.

Yes, in informal writing people may omit it:

• Sebelum pulang kami pamit kepada nenek di ruang tamu.

This is still understandable. But in careful writing, the comma is better because it makes the structure clearer.

Pamit does not behave like a simple English transitive verb such as see or meet.

In this sentence, the person involved is introduced with a preposition:

• pamit kepada nenek

So rather than treating nenek as a direct object, Indonesian presents grandmother as the person to whom the leave-taking is directed.

This is one reason translating word-for-word from English can be misleading.

Yes, berpamit exists and is understandable, but pamit is more common and natural in everyday Indonesian.

Both relate to taking leave, but for most learners:

• pamit = the more useful everyday form

So the original sentence sounds very natural.

Yes. Sebelum can be followed by a verb or clause to mean before doing something.

Examples:

• sebelum makan = before eating
• sebelum tidur = before sleeping
• sebelum pulang = before going home

This is very common in Indonesian. A full subject can be added if needed:

• sebelum kami pulang
• sebelum dia tidur

But if the subject is already obvious, it is often omitted.

The original sentence is already natural, but spoken Indonesian might use slightly more casual forms, for example:

• Sebelum pulang, kami pamit sama nenek di ruang tamu.
• Sebelum pulang, kami pamitan sama nenek di ruang tamu.

Changes you might hear in speech include:

• kepada → sama
• sometimes pamit → pamitan

But the original version is a good standard sentence for learners.

Both relate to saying goodbye, but there can be a slight nuance:

• pamit = to take leave / say goodbye
• pamitan = to say goodbye, often with emphasis on the act of farewells or leave-taking

In real usage, especially in speech, they can overlap a lot. For a learner, pamit is the simpler core word to remember.

So:

• Kami pamit kepada nenek = perfectly natural
• Kami pamitan kepada nenek = also possible, depending on style and region