Prepositions
Prepositions: di (at/in), ke (to), dari (from), pada, untuk, dengan, tanpa, tentang
Can use basic prepositions to describe location, direction, and origin
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
Saya tinggal di Jakarta.
I live in Jakarta.
Dia pergi ke kantor setiap hari.
He/She goes to the office every day.
Kopi ini untuk kamu.
This coffee is for you.
Saya datang dari Indonesia.
I come from Indonesia.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
Prepositions show relationships between nouns and the rest of the sentence. The three core Indonesian prepositions are: di (at/in — location), ke (to — direction), dari (from — origin). Additional prepositions: pada (at/on — time), untuk (for), dengan (with), tanpa (without), tentang (about). Unlike English, there are no complex preposition rules — no 'in/on/at' confusion!
Common Error Patterns
Confusing 'di' (location) with 'ke' (direction)
Use 'di' for where you ARE and 'ke' for where you're GOING. 'di rumah' = at home, 'ke rumah' = to home.
Writing 'di' preposition attached to noun, or 'di-' prefix separated from verb
'di rumah' (preposition, separate) vs 'dimakan' (passive prefix, attached). Preposition + noun = separate. Prefix + verb = attached.
Saya tinggal di Jakarta.
I live in Jakarta.
'di' marks location — where you are. Always written separately from the noun.
Dia pergi ke kantor setiap hari.
He/She goes to the office every day.
'ke' shows direction/destination — where you're going to. 'setiap hari' = every day.
Kopi ini untuk kamu.
This coffee is for you.
'untuk' = for. Indonesian word order is simple: subject + 'untuk' + recipient.
Saya datang dari Indonesia.
I come from Indonesia.
'dari' marks origin — where someone or something comes from.
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises