Learn Indonesian Prepositions and How to Use Them

A preposition is one of the essential pieces of a language. Most of the information required an adverb to make it clear and sharp. Besides, using the correct preposition would show how far you master the language while effectively boosting your process of information delivery with the others.

In this article, we will learn how to use Indonesian prepositions of Positions and Time. It is helpful to describe the position of an object or the time of a situation. We will also learn how to use it in a conversation. In English, such words are called the Adverb of Place and Adverb of Time.

Please read the Indonesian version loudly.

Indonesian Preposition of Positions

Di dalam (In)

Para murid sedang belajar di dalam ruang kelas.

The students are studying in the classroom.

Ayu meletakkan bonekanya di dalam kotak mainan.

Ayu put her dolls in the toy box.

Di Atas (On)

Ibu meletakkan makanan kesukaanku di atas meja makan.

Mom puts my favorite food on the table.

Bambang menumpahkan selai di atas lantai.

Bambang spilled the jam on the floor.

Di bawah (Under)

Kucingku sedang bersembunyi di bawah kasur.

My cat is hiding under the bed.

Ayah biasanya menyimpan kunci di bawah tikar.

Dad usually puts the key under the mat.

Di depan (In front of)

Mawar sudah menunggu Melati di depan sekolah.

Mawar already waits for Melati in front of the school.

Toko alat tulis berada di depan toko buah.

The stationary is located in front of the fruit shop.

Di samping (Beside)

Saya bangga pernah berfoto di samping Bapak Presiden.

I am proud to have taken a picture beside Mr. President.

Prita hanya ingin duduk di samping Tejo.

Prita only wants to sit beside Tejo

Di belakang (Behind)

Pasar loak terletak di belakang gedung bioskop.

The flea market is located behind the cinema building.

Anjingku bersembunyi di belakang tirai.

My dog is hiding behind the curtain.

Di antara (Between)

Toko sepatu terletak di antara toko buku dan toko bunga.

The shoe store is located between the bookstore and the florist.

Bali terletak di antara pulau Jawa dan pulau Nusa Tenggara.

Bali is located between Java and Nusa Tenggara island.

Dekat (Near)

Rumah Eka berada di dekat pegunungan Dieng.

Eka’s house is located near the Dieng Plateau.

Kamu bisa menemukan ikan segar di pasar dekat pantai.

You can find fresh fish in the market near the beach.

Jauh (Far)

Jarak antara hotel hingga ke pantai cukup jauh.

The distance from the hotel to the beach is quite far.

Dari (From)

Rahmat menaiki kereta dari Jakarta ke Surabaya.

Rahmat takes the train from Jakarta to Surabaya.

Saya berangkat dari rumah menuju Gunung Agung pukul 3 pagi.

I departed from home to Agung Mountain at 3 a.m.

Ke (To)

Lisa tidak pernah telat berangkat ke sekolah.

Lisa is never late to go to school.

Indonesian Prepositions of Time

Ketika (When)

Rani suka berkebun ketika matahari baru terbit.

Rani loves gardening when the sun is about to rise.

Suasana paling romantis di Kuta adalah ketika matahari terbenam.

The most romantic situation in Kuta is when it is sunset.

Sebelum (Before)

Sebelum menjadi koki, Jamal adalah seorang pelayan restaurant.

Before becoming a chef, Jamal was a waiter in a restaurant.

Anita sudah di rumah sebelum siang hari.

Anita already got home before the afternoon.

Setelah (After)

Aku akan pulang setelah menyelesaikan pekerjaan.

I will go home after finishing my work.

Giliranmu akan tiba setelah saya.

Your turn will come after me.

Selama (During)

Makan makanan bernutrisi penting selama kehamilan.

Eating nutritious food is important during pregnancy.

Saya mengantuk selama rapat tadi.I was so sleepy during the last meeting.

Sampai (Until)

Nelayan bekerja dari sore sampai dini hari.

The fisherman works from the evening until dawn.

Aku akan menunggu sampai pukul 10 malam.

I will wait until 10 p.m.

Sejak (Since)

Pak Putu sudah menjadi pilot sejak tahun 1960.

Mr. Putu has become a pilot since 1960.

Aku sudah menunggu kamu sejak tadi pagi.

I have been waiting for you since the morning.

That is the preposition of position and time in Indonesia. It is so easy to learn, right? Please make a note and memorize them, so you use them on any Indonesian-speaking occasion.

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