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Pronouns & Basic Sentence Structure

Personal pronouns, formality levels, SVO word order and possession by juxtaposition
Spektrum formalitas: saya/Anda vs aku/kamu
Formality spectrum: formal vs informal pronoun pairs
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Choosing the right pair signals the right social register
Bapak/Ibu, Mas/Mbak, Kak
Kinship/title-based address terms
BAH-pak / EE-boo, mas / uhm-BAH
Titles are often used in place of "you"
kau
contracted informal "you"
kow
A poetic or very casual contraction of kamu
-nya
third-person possessive/object suffix
-nya
bukunya = his/her book
Kepemilikan lewat urutan kata
Possession by word order
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noun + possessor, with no linking word needed
rumah saya vs rumah aku
formal vs informal possession phrasing
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Same structure, different formality level of the pronoun used
Melesapkan kata ganti subjek
Dropping subject pronouns when context is clear
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Common in natural conversation once the subject is established
Pak, Bu, Dokter, Profesor
Titles used as pronouns
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Professional/social titles substitute for direct pronouns
yang
relative/nominalizing particle
yahng
the one who/which — introduces a defining clause or phrase
Siapa nama kamu?
What's your name?
see-AH-pa NAH-ma KAH-moo
Literally "who is your name"