A0 Sentence Structure 1 min read Facile

Basic Sentence Structure

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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

Indonesian uses a simple Subject + Verb + Object order, just like English, making it very intuitive for beginners.

  • Keep the order Subject-Verb-Object: 'Saya makan nasi' (I eat rice).
  • Negate by adding 'tidak' before the verb: 'Saya tidak makan nasi' (I do not eat rice).
  • Ask questions by adding 'kah' or rising intonation: 'Kamu makan nasi?' (Are you eating rice?).
👤 (Subject) + 🏃 (Verb) + 🍎 (Object)

Meanings

The basic sentence structure in Indonesian follows a Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) pattern, which is the foundation for almost all communication.

1

Declarative

Stating a fact or action.

“Saya minum kopi.”

“Dia pergi ke pasar.”

Basic Sentence Construction

Subject Verb Object Example
Saya makan nasi Saya makan nasi.
Kamu minum teh Kamu minum teh.
Dia baca buku Dia baca buku.
Kami beli baju Kami beli baju.
Mereka tulis surat Mereka tulis surat.
Ibu masak ikan Ibu masak ikan.

Common Negation

Full Negative Meaning
Saya makan Saya tidak makan I do not eat

Reference Table

Reference table for Basic Sentence Structure
Form Structure Example
Affirmative S + V + O Saya beli roti.
Negative S + tidak + V + O Saya tidak beli roti.
Question S + V + O + ? Kamu beli roti?
Time Marker Time + S + V + O Besok saya beli roti.
Passive O + di-V + oleh + S Roti dibeli oleh saya.
Emphasis O + S + V Roti saya beli.

Spectre de formalité

Formel
Saya mengonsumsi nasi.

Saya mengonsumsi nasi. (Daily life)

Neutre
Saya makan nasi.

Saya makan nasi. (Daily life)

Informel
Aku makan nasi.

Aku makan nasi. (Daily life)

Argot
Gue makan nasi.

Gue makan nasi. (Daily life)

Indonesian Sentence Anatomy

Kalimat (Sentence)

Subjek

  • Saya I
  • Kamu You

Predikat

  • makan eat
  • pergi go

Objek

  • nasi rice
  • buku book
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Examples by Level

1

Saya makan nasi.

I eat rice.

2

Dia minum air.

He/she drinks water.

3

Kamu baca buku.

You read a book.

4

Mereka pergi ke sekolah.

They go to school.

1

Saya tidak suka kopi.

I do not like coffee.

2

Besok saya pergi ke Bali.

Tomorrow I go to Bali.

3

Apakah kamu sudah makan?

Have you eaten?

4

Ibu memasak nasi goreng.

Mother cooks fried rice.

1

Buku itu dibaca oleh saya.

The book is read by me.

2

Saya akan pergi jika hujan berhenti.

I will go if the rain stops.

3

Dia mengatakan bahwa dia lelah.

He said that he is tired.

4

Kami sedang mengerjakan tugas.

We are doing the assignment.

1

Nasi goreng ini, saya yang masak.

This fried rice, I am the one who cooked it.

2

Meskipun lelah, dia tetap bekerja.

Although tired, he keeps working.

3

Keputusan itu diambil setelah rapat.

The decision was taken after the meeting.

4

Seharusnya kamu datang lebih awal.

You should have come earlier.

1

Penting bagi kita untuk memahami konteksnya.

It is important for us to understand the context.

2

Bukan hanya dia yang datang, tapi semua orang.

Not only he came, but everyone.

3

Entah mengapa dia tidak menelepon.

I don't know why he didn't call.

4

Sejauh yang saya tahu, dia sudah pergi.

As far as I know, he has left.

1

Konon katanya, tempat ini berhantu.

It is said that this place is haunted.

2

Alangkah indahnya pemandangan ini.

How beautiful this view is.

3

Tak seorang pun tahu kebenarannya.

No one knows the truth.

4

Hendaknya kita menjaga kebersihan.

We should maintain cleanliness.

Easily Confused

Basic Sentence Structure vs Tidak vs Bukan

Learners use them interchangeably.

Basic Sentence Structure vs Active vs Passive

Learners struggle with 'di-' prefix.

Basic Sentence Structure vs Question words

Placement of question words.

Erreurs courantes

✗

Saya makans nasi

✓

Saya makan nasi

No 's' for third person.
✗

Nasi saya makan

✓

Saya makan nasi

Object must follow verb.
✗

Saya makan

✓

Saya makan nasi

Missing object.
✗

Makan saya nasi

✓

Saya makan nasi

Verb cannot be first.
✗

Saya tidak makan nasi

✓

Saya tidak makan nasi

Correct, but ensure 'tidak' is before verb.
✗

Saya bukan makan

✓

Saya tidak makan

'Bukan' is for nouns, 'tidak' for verbs.
✗

Apakah kamu makan?

✓

Kamu makan?

Both are okay, but 'Apakah' is formal.
✗

Nasi dimakan saya

✓

Nasi dimakan oleh saya

Need 'oleh' for passive.
✗

Saya sedang makan nasi

✓

Saya sedang makan nasi

Correct.
✗

Saya sudah makan nasi

✓

Saya sudah makan nasi

Correct.
✗

Nasi saya makan

✓

Nasi saya makan

Valid in colloquial, but formal needs passive.
✗

Dia yang makan nasi

✓

Dia yang makan nasi

Correct.
✗

Makan dia nasi

✓

Dia makan nasi

Incorrect word order.

Sentence Patterns

Saya ___ ___.

___ tidak ___ ___.

Apakah ___ ___ ___?

___ sedang ___ ___.

Real World Usage

Ordering food constant

Saya pesan nasi goreng.

Texting constant

Saya pergi sekarang.

Job interview common

Saya bekerja di perusahaan ini.

Travel common

Saya pergi ke Bali.

Social media constant

Saya suka foto ini.

Email common

Saya mengirim dokumen ini.

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💡

Keep it simple

Don't look for hidden verb forms. The verb is the verb.
⚠️

Watch the object

Always keep the object after the verb.
🎯

Use context

If the subject is clear, you can drop it in casual speech.
💬

Be polite

Add 'tolong' to make requests.

Smart Tips

Always use 'tidak' before the verb.

Saya makan nasi. → Saya tidak makan nasi.

Just add a question mark and raise your voice.

Kamu makan nasi. → Kamu makan nasi?

Use full sentences with subjects.

Makan nasi. → Saya makan nasi.

Move the object to the front.

Saya makan nasi. → Nasi saya makan.

Prononciation

ma-KAN

Stress

Stress usually falls on the second to last syllable.

Question

Kamu makan nasi? ↑

Rising pitch indicates a question.

Memorize It

Mnemonic

S-V-O: Simply Very Organized. Remember that Indonesian keeps things in order.

Visual Association

Imagine a train: The engine is the Subject, the coal car is the Verb, and the caboose is the Object. They always stay in that order.

Rhyme

Subject first, Verb in the middle, Object last, that's the riddle.

Story

Budi (Subject) eats (Verb) an apple (Object). Budi is hungry. He grabs the apple. He eats it. Simple and fast.

Word Web

SayaKamuMakanMinumBukuNasiPergi

Défi

Write 5 sentences about your day using SVO structure in 5 minutes.

Notes culturelles

In Indonesia, 'makan' (to eat) is a very common greeting. Asking 'Sudah makan?' is a way to show care.

Indonesian is an Austronesian language, and its SVO structure has been stable for centuries.

Conversation Starters

“

Apa yang kamu makan?

“

Kamu pergi ke mana?

“

Apa yang sedang kamu baca?

“

Bagaimana pendapatmu tentang ini?

Journal Prompts

Write about what you ate today.
Describe your daily routine.
Write about a trip you took.
Discuss your goals for learning Indonesian.
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Test Yourself

Fill in the verb.

Saya ___ nasi.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: makan
Makan is the verb.
Choose the correct sentence. Choix multiple

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Saya makan nasi
SVO order.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Saya makans nasi.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Saya makan nasi
No 's' for third person.
Reorder the words. Sentence Reorder

Arrange the words in the correct order:

All words placed

Click words above to build the sentence

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Saya makan nasi
SVO order.
Translate to Indonesian. Traduction

I drink water.

Answer starts with: Say...

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Saya minum air
SVO order.
Choose the negative. Choix multiple

I do not eat.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Saya tidak makan
Tidak is for verbs.
Fill in the missing word.

Saya ___ pergi ke pasar.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: tidak
Tidak negates the verb.
Build a sentence. Sentence Building

Subject: Dia, Verb: baca, Object: buku

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Dia baca buku
SVO order.

Score: /8

Exercices pratiques

8 exercises
Fill in the verb.

Saya ___ nasi.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: makan
Makan is the verb.
Choose the correct sentence. Choix multiple

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Saya makan nasi
SVO order.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Saya makans nasi.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Saya makan nasi
No 's' for third person.
Reorder the words. Sentence Reorder

nasi / makan / Saya

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Saya makan nasi
SVO order.
Translate to Indonesian. Traduction

I drink water.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Saya minum air
SVO order.
Choose the negative. Choix multiple

I do not eat.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Saya tidak makan
Tidak is for verbs.
Fill in the missing word.

Saya ___ pergi ke pasar.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: tidak
Tidak negates the verb.
Build a sentence. Sentence Building

Subject: Dia, Verb: baca, Object: buku

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Dia baca buku
SVO order.

Score: /8

FAQ (8)

No, Indonesian verbs never change.

Subject-Verb-Object.

Use 'tidak' before the verb.

Yes, in casual speech.

No, the grammar is very logical.

After the verb.

Use rising intonation.

'Tidak' is for verbs, 'bukan' for nouns.

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In Other Languages

Spanish high

SVO

Verb conjugation.

French high

SVO

Agreement rules.

German moderate

SVO/V2

Verb position.

Japanese low

SOV

Verb position.

Arabic low

VSO

Subject position.

Chinese high

SVO

Tonal vs non-tonal.

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Articles (The/A)

Related Grammar Rules

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Existential 'Ada'
A1

Subject-Verb Agreement
A1

Imperative Requests
B1

Subordinate Clauses
B1

Complex Sentences
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