Possession (word order)

By Speak Indo, from the Speak Indo Indonesian course.

Put the owner after the thing owned: 'book me' = 'my book'.

How it works

Indonesian normally places the owner after the thing: • buku saya = my book • nama dia = his or her name The attached forms -ku (my), -mu (your), and -nya (his/her/its) are also common in both speech and writing: • bukuku = my book • namamu = your name • rumahnya = his/her/its house Register and rhythm affect which form sounds best; -ku and -mu often feel more personal than saya and kamu.

Examples

• Itu mobil saya.
  That is my car.
• Nama ibu saya Siti.
  My mother's name is Siti.
• Rumahnya besar.
  His/Her house is big.