Saya sewa kereta di lapangan terbang.

I rent a car at the airport.

Breakdown of Saya sewa kereta di lapangan terbang.

• saya: I
• di: at
• kereta: the car
• lapangan terbang: the airport
• sewa: to rent

Questions & Answers about Saya sewa kereta di lapangan terbang.

Why is sewa used as the verb instead of menyewa?

In everyday Malay conversation, learners often drop the meN- prefix. The root word sewa itself functions as a verb (“to rent”). menyewa is the more formal, dictionary form (meN- + sewa → menyewa) you’ll see in writing or official contexts.

Does the sentence indicate present, past, or future tense?

Malay does not use tense like English. Saya sewa kereta di lapangan terbang is neutral—it can mean “I rent,” “I rented,” or even “I will rent,” depending on context. To specify time you add words like sudah (already), sedang (currently), or akan (will).

How do I say “a car” in Malay in this sentence?

Malay has no articles, so kereta can mean “car,” “a car,” or “the car.” If you want to emphasize “one car,” you add sebuah:
Saya sewa sebuah kereta di lapangan terbang.

What is the function of di in di lapangan terbang?

Here di is a preposition meaning “at” or “in,” marking location. di lapangan terbang = “at the airport.”

Can I say ke lapangan terbang instead of di lapangan terbang?

No—ke means “towards” or “to,” indicating motion. Saya pergi ke lapangan terbang means “I go to the airport.” Since renting happens at the airport, you use di.

How would I make this sentence passive?

Use the passive prefix di- on the verb and add oleh for the agent:
Kereta disewa oleh saya di lapangan terbang.

How do I turn this into a question?

You have several options:
1) Add Adakah at the start (formal):
Adakah saya sewa kereta di lapangan terbang?
2) Use rising intonation alone (informal):
Saya sewa kereta di lapangan terbang?
3) Address the listener with awak to ask about them:
Awak sewa kereta di lapangan terbang?

What’s the difference between lapangan terbang and bandar udara?

lapangan terbang is the standard Malay term for “airport.” bandar udara or shortened bandara is used in Indonesian. In Malaysia and Brunei, stick with lapangan terbang for everyday speech.