Advanced Prepositions in Indonesian

Overview

Beyond the basic trio of di, ke, and dari, Indonesian has a range of more complex prepositions and prepositional phrases that allow you to express nuanced spatial, temporal, and logical relationships. These include compound prepositions like di antara (between), di sekitar (around), and content-related prepositions like tentang (about) and menurut (according to).

Many advanced prepositions are formed by combining di, ke, or dari with a noun or adjective: di antara (between, literally "at among"), di luar (outside, literally "at outside"). Understanding this compositional pattern makes them easy to learn.

How It Works

Compound Prepositions

Indonesian	English	Example
di antara	between/among	di antara dua rumah
di sekitar	around	di sekitar kota
di luar	outside of	di luar kantor
di dalam	inside of	di dalam gedung
di dekat	near	di dekat stasiun

Directional Compounds

Indonesian	English	Example
dari...ke	from...to	dari Jakarta ke Bandung
ke arah	toward	ke arah selatan
sepanjang	along	sepanjang jalan
melewati	past/through	melewati taman

Abstract Prepositions

Indonesian	English	Example
tentang	about/regarding	tentang Indonesia
menurut	according to	menurut saya
terhadap	toward/regarding	terhadap masalah ini
berdasarkan	based on	berdasarkan data
selain	besides/apart from	selain itu

Examples in Context

Indonesian	English	Note
Dari Jakarta ke Bandung.	From Jakarta to Bandung.	Directional pair
Di antara dua rumah.	Between two houses.	Spatial compound
Tentang saya, ini yang terbaik.	For me, this is the best.	Opinion
Menurut saya.	In my opinion.	Viewpoint
Di sekitar sini ada toko?	Is there a shop around here?	Area
Selain kopi, ada teh juga.	Besides coffee, there is also tea.	Addition
Di dekat sekolah ada masjid.	Near the school there is a mosque.	Proximity
Ke arah mana?	In which direction?	Direction
Berdasarkan pengalaman saya.	Based on my experience.	Formal
Melewati jembatan, belok kanan.	Past the bridge, turn right.	Directions

Common Mistakes

Confusing di antara and di tengah

• Wrong: Di tengah dua rumah for "between two houses"
• Right: Di antara dua rumah
• Why: Di antara means "between" (two or more things). Di tengah means "in the middle of" (a single area).

Using tentang too broadly

• Wrong: Tentang saya, nama saya Ali. (About me, my name is Ali)
• Right: Nama saya Ali. — tentang is for discussing topics, not introducing yourself
• Why: Tentang is best used for topics of discussion or study, not personal introductions.

Forgetting the base preposition in compounds

• Wrong: Antara dua rumah (between two houses)
• Right: Di antara dua rumah
• Why: The compound preposition requires the full form including di/ke/dari.

Usage Notes

Advanced prepositions are used more frequently in written and formal Indonesian. In casual speech, simpler alternatives or just context may suffice. Menurut and berdasarkan are particularly common in academic writing and news. Selain itu (besides that) is a very useful discourse connector in both speech and writing.

Practice Tips

1. Practice giving directions using compound prepositions: Di dekat stasiun, melewati jembatan, ke arah kanan, di antara toko dan bank.
2. Use menurut saya to express opinions — it is one of the most useful phrases for discussions and essays.

Related Concepts

• Basic Prepositions — the foundational prepositions di, ke, dari