Advanced Prepositions in Indonesian

In Brief

Use dari ... ke ... for a range or movement “from ... to ...,” di antara for a position “between/among,” and di sekitar for “in the area around.” Tentang introduces a topic (“about”), while menurut identifies the person or source behind an opinion (“according to”). These forms normally come before a noun phrase: menurut guru saya (“according to my teacher”).

Overview

A preposition is a word placed before a person, thing, place, or idea to show its relationship to the rest of the sentence. At A1, you meet basic Indonesian forms such as di “at/in,” ke “to,” and dari “from.” At A2, those basic pieces begin to work in pairs or in longer expressions, and you also learn prepositions for topics and viewpoints.

The central forms in this lesson have different jobs. Dari ... ke ... connects two endpoints. Di antara and di sekitar describe spatial relationships. Tentang tells the listener what a conversation, book, or thought concerns. Menurut attributes a statement to a person, document, theory, or other source.

English often uses one short preposition in several unrelated ways. “About,” for example, can refer to a topic (a book about history) or an approximate number (about ten people). Indonesian does not simply use tentang for both. Learning each Indonesian form by meaning and sentence pattern, rather than matching it to one English word, prevents many mistakes.

How It Works

Dari ... ke ...: from one endpoint to another

The two prepositions mark the starting and ending points of a movement, route, range, or change:

dari + starting point + ke + endpoint

The endpoints can be places, times, numbers, or states.

Indonesian	English	Pattern
dari Jakarta ke Bandung	from Jakarta to Bandung	route
dari pukul delapan ke pukul sepuluh	from eight o’clock to ten o’clock	time range
dari halaman lima ke halaman sepuluh	from page five to page ten	numerical range
dari kecil ke besar	from small to large	change or ordering

In careful descriptions of a time span, dari ... sampai ... (“from ... until/up to ...”) is also very common: dari Senin sampai Jumat (“from Monday through Friday”). With destinations and movement, ke clearly presents the endpoint as a goal: terbang dari Bali ke Surabaya (“fly from Bali to Surabaya”).

Indonesian also uses dari ... hingga ... in more formal writing. Hingga means “until/as far as,” so it is frequent in reports, schedules, and descriptions of limits. You do not need this variant to apply the beginner rule.

Di antara: between or among

Use di antara when someone or something occupies a position within a group or in the space separating two or more items:

di antara + noun phrase

A noun phrase is simply a noun together with words that describe or identify it, such as dua rumah itu (“those two houses”). Unlike English, which often distinguishes “between” for two and “among” for more than two, Indonesian can use di antara in both situations.

Indonesian	English	Meaning
di antara dua rumah	between two houses	physical position
di antara para peserta	among the participants	membership in a group
hubungan antara harga dan kualitas	the relationship between price and quality	abstract relationship

Notice the important contrast between di antara and antara. The form with di normally answers “where?”: Kucing itu tidur di antara dua kursi (“The cat is sleeping between two chairs”). Bare antara often links alternatives, endpoints, or abstract participants: pilih antara teh dan kopi (“choose between tea and coffee”) and hubungan antara bahasa dan budaya (“the relationship between language and culture”).

Di sekitar: around or in the surrounding area

Use di sekitar for an approximate surrounding area:

di sekitar + place/person/thing

It does not usually mean movement in a circle. It says that something is somewhere nearby or distributed through the area around a reference point. Compare di sekitar hotel (“around/in the vicinity of the hotel”) with mengelilingi hotel (“circle or surround the hotel”).

Without di, sekitar can also mean “approximately,” especially before quantities: sekitar dua puluh orang (“about twenty people”). This is a different use from the place phrase di sekitar.

Tentang: about or regarding a topic

Use tentang after verbs and nouns involving speech, thought, writing, information, or discussion:

verb/noun + tentang + topic

Common combinations include berbicara tentang (“talk about”), bertanya tentang (“ask about”), belajar tentang (“learn about”), and buku tentang (“a book about”). In everyday speech, soal and mengenai may also introduce a topic. Soal often sounds conversational, while mengenai is common in neutral or formal writing.

Tentang saya literally means “about me” or “concerning me.” It does not normally mean “in my opinion.” Therefore, the context example Tentang saya, ini yang terbaik is best understood as “As for me/concerning me, this is the best,” but it is not the usual way to state a personal judgment. For “In my opinion, this is the best,” choose Menurut saya, ini yang terbaik.

Menurut: according to a person or source

Use menurut to identify whose view, report, rule, or account supports a statement:

menurut + person/source, + statement

Pronouns and names can follow it directly: menurut saya (“in my opinion,” literally “according to me”), menurut dia (“according to him/her”), and menurut Rina (“according to Rina”). A source may also be impersonal: menurut laporan itu (“according to that report”) or menurut hukum (“according to the law”).

English speakers sometimes expect a possessive construction because English says “in my opinion.” Indonesian menurut saya needs neither di nor a word meaning “opinion.” It is a fixed and extremely useful phrase.

Core contrasts at a glance

Form	Main job	Typical complement
dari ... ke ...	starting point and endpoint	places, times, numbers, states
di antara	position between/among	two items or a group
antara	alternatives or abstract relationship	items joined by dan “and”
di sekitar	location in a surrounding area	place, person, or object
sekitar	approximation	number or quantity
tentang	topic	subject discussed or described
menurut	viewpoint or source	person, text, rule, or report

Examples in Context

Indonesian	English	Note
Kereta itu berjalan dari Jakarta ke Bandung.	The train travels from Jakarta to Bandung.	Route with two endpoints
Kami bekerja dari pukul sembilan sampai pukul lima.	We work from nine until five.	Sampai is natural for a duration
Bacalah dari halaman dua ke halaman enam.	Read from page two to page six.	Range of pages
Bank itu berada di antara kantor pos dan apotek.	The bank is between the post office and the pharmacy.	A location between two places
Dia yang paling muda di antara kami.	She is the youngest among us.	One member of a group
Ada banyak warung di sekitar stasiun.	There are many food stalls around the station.	Surrounding area
Kami berjalan-jalan di sekitar kota tua.	We walked around the old town.	Movement within the general area
Sekitar tiga puluh orang datang.	About thirty people came.	Approximation; no di
Mereka sedang berbicara tentang rencana liburan.	They are talking about their vacation plans.	Topic of conversation
Saya membaca artikel tentang lingkungan.	I am reading an article about the environment.	Topic of a text
Menurut saya, restoran ini terlalu mahal.	In my opinion, this restaurant is too expensive.	Personal judgment
Menurut dokter, saya harus lebih banyak beristirahat.	According to the doctor, I need to rest more.	Professional advice as a source
Menurut laporan cuaca, besok akan hujan.	According to the weather report, it will rain tomorrow.	Impersonal source
Pilih antara teh dan kopi.	Choose between tea and coffee.	Alternatives use bare antara

In many of these sentences, Indonesian places the prepositional phrase at the beginning to establish the setting or source first: Menurut dokter, ... or Di sekitar stasiun, .... It may also appear later when it belongs closely with a verb or noun: berbicara tentang pekerjaan.

Common Mistakes

1. Using tentang for “in my opinion”

• Wrong: Tentang saya, film ini bagus.
• Right: Menurut saya, film ini bagus.
• Why: Tentang saya means “about me/concerning me.” Menurut saya introduces your viewpoint.

2. Adding di before menurut

• Wrong: Di menurut guru, jawabannya salah.
• Right: Menurut guru, jawabannya salah.
• Why: Menurut already functions as the preposition. It does not combine with locative di.

3. Writing locative di as part of the next word

• Wrong: diantara dua gedung; disekitar sekolah
• Right: di antara dua gedung; di sekitar sekolah
• Why: The preposition di is written separately from a following word. By contrast, verbal prefix di- is attached, as in dibaca (“is read”).

4. Using di sekitar for an approximate number

• Wrong: Di sekitar sepuluh orang menunggu.
• Right: Sekitar sepuluh orang menunggu.
• Why: Before a quantity, sekitar means “approximately.” Add di only for a location in a surrounding area.

5. Treating di antara and antara as interchangeable

• Wrong: Pilih di antara teh dan kopi.
• Right: Pilih antara teh dan kopi.
• Why: Bare antara is the straightforward choice for alternatives. Di antara emphasizes position or selection from within a group, as in salah satu di antara mereka (“one among them”).

6. Translating every English “to” with ke

• Wrong: dari Senin ke Jumat when describing a weekly schedule
• Better: dari Senin sampai Jumat
• Why: Ke is excellent for a destination or endpoint, but sampai or hingga often sounds more natural for the end of a continuous time span.

Usage Notes

Word order and commas

A short phrase can appear before or after the main statement. When menurut + source begins a sentence, writers normally place a comma after it: Menurut saya, usul itu masuk akal. In speech, the comma corresponds to a brief pause. A location phrase does not always need a comma: Di sekitar rumah ada beberapa pohon (“There are several trees around the house”).

Formal and informal choices

Tentang is neutral and works in conversation and writing. Soal is a frequent conversational alternative: Kita bicara soal itu nanti (“We’ll talk about that later”). Mengenai and perihal often appear in formal notices, letters, or administrative writing. For an A2 learner, tentang is the safest general-purpose form.

Menurut saya is also neutral. In casual conversation, speakers may use kalau menurut saya (“as for what I think”) to mark a personal stance more explicitly. In reports and essays, naming evidence—menurut data, menurut penelitian, menurut undang-undang—makes the source clear.

English equivalents depend on context

Do not memorize these expressions as rigid one-to-one translations. Di sekitar may become “around,” “near,” or “in the vicinity of.” Menurut saya is idiomatically “in my opinion,” even though its literal structure is “according to me.” Antara may mean “between,” while di antara can mean either “between” or “among.” Choose the natural English translation only after understanding the Indonesian relationship.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master every distinction below at A2, but these patterns are common in more advanced reading and speech.

Antara ... dan ... versus dari ... ke ...

Both constructions can mention two endpoints, but they frame them differently. Antara A dan B presents two limits, alternatives, or related parties: perbedaan antara teori dan praktik (“the difference between theory and practice”). Dari A ke B presents direction, progression, or an ordered span: perubahan dari teori ke praktik (“a shift from theory to practice”). The conjunction after antara is normally dan, not ke.

Menurut is not always an opinion marker

With a person, menurut often reports a view. With a document, system, or rule, it can mean “in accordance with” or “as stated by”: menurut aturan yang berlaku (“according to the applicable rules”). This wording does not suggest that the rule has a personal opinion; it identifies the standard being followed.

Topic fronting with tentang

A writer may place a topic first: Tentang rencana itu, kami belum mengambil keputusan (“Regarding that plan, we have not made a decision yet”). This is grammatical, but it sounds more deliberate and formal than keeping the phrase near its verb: Kami belum berbicara tentang rencana itu (“We have not yet talked about that plan”). This fronted use explains why Tentang saya, ... can mean “as for me,” but menurut saya remains the normal expression for an opinion.

Layered spatial phrases

Indonesian can build many location expressions from di, ke, or dari plus a relational noun: di dalam (“inside”), ke luar (“out/to the outside”), and dari belakang (“from behind”). The same logic supports di antara and di sekitar. Changing the first preposition changes the relationship: ke sekitar pusat kota can indicate movement toward the central area, while dari sekitar pusat kota indicates origin somewhere around it. Such combinations are possible, but speakers often rephrase if a stack of location words becomes hard to follow.

Practice Tips

1. Sort examples by function. Make five headings—route, position, surrounding area, topic, and source—and place new sentences under dari ... ke ..., di antara, di sekitar, tentang, or menurut. This trains meaning rather than word-for-word translation.
2. Describe one familiar place. Say where it is, what lies between two landmarks, and what is nearby: Kafe itu di antara bank dan toko. Ada taman di sekitar kafe. Then add a route with dari ... ke ....
3. Practice the topic–source contrast. Pair sentences such as Kami berbicara tentang film itu (“We are talking about the film”) and Menurut Rina, film itu bagus (“According to Rina, the film is good”). Ask yourself each time: “Is this the subject being discussed, or the source of the claim?”

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Basic Prepositions — review di, ke, and dari before combining them into longer relationships.