Language/Indonesian/Grammar/Negation

Indonesian Grammar - Negation

Hi Indonesian learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn about negation in Indonesian grammar. Negation is an important aspect of any language as it allows us to express negative or contrary meanings. In Indonesian, negation can be expressed in several ways, such as with the use of "tidak" or "bukan". Let's explore each one of them!

Tidak

The most common way to negate sentences in Indonesian is by using the word "tidak", which means "not". It is placed before the verb or the adjective it negates. Here are a few examples:

Indonesian	Pronunciation	English
Saya tidak suka kopi.	/sa.ja ti.dak su.ka ko.pi/	I do not like coffee.
Mereka tidak tahu di mana rumah saya.	/me.re.ka ti.dak ta.hu di ma.na ru.mah sa.ja/	They do not know where my house is.
Dia tidak cantik.	/di.a ti.dak can.tik/	She is not pretty.
Anak-anak tidak mau makan nasi.	/a.nak-a.nak ti.dak mau ma.kan na.si/	Children do not want to eat rice.

As you can see, "tidak" is used to negate both verbs and adjectives.

Dialogue

• Person 1: Apa kamu suka makan sate? (/a.pa ku.mu su.ka ma.kan sa.te/ - Do you like eating satay?)
• Person 2: Tidak, saya tidak suka makan sate. (/ti.dak, sa.ja ti.dak su.ka ma.kan sa.te/ - No, I do not like eating satay.)

Bukan

"Bukan" is another way of expressing negation in Indonesian. It is used when negating a noun or a noun phrase. "Bukan" means "not" or "not the one that is". Here are some examples:

Indonesian	Pronunciation	English
Ini bukan rumah saya.	/i.ni bu.kan ru.mah sa.ja/	This is not my house.
Dia bukan guru Bahasa Inggris.	/di.a bu.kan gu.ru ba.ha.sa in.ggris/	She is not an English language teacher.
Mobil itu bukan milik saya.	/mo.bil i.tu bu.kan mi.lik sa.ja/	That car is not mine.

Dialogue

• Person 1: Apa kamu suka nonton TV? (/a.pa ku.mu su.ka non.ton TV/ - Do you like watching TV?)
• Person 2: Bukan, saya tidak suka nonton TV. (/bu.kan, sa.ja ti.dak su.ka non.ton TV/ - No, I do not like watching TV.)

In some cases, "bukan" can be used as a response to a question, to indicate a negative answer.

Jangan

"Jangan" is used to give a negative command or prohibition. It means "do not" or "should not". It is placed before the verb it negates.

Indonesian	Pronunciation	English
Jangan makan makanan yang tidak sehat.	/jan.gan ma.kan ma.ka.nan yang ti.dak se.hat/	Do not eat unhealthy food.
Jangan lupa membawa payung.	/jan.gan lu.pa mem.ba.wa pa.yung/	Do not forget to bring an umbrella.
Jangan terlalu banyak bicara.	/jan.gan ter.la.lu ba.nyak bi.ca.ra/	Do not talk too much.

Dialogue

• Person 1: Boleh saya pinjam buku ini? (/bo.leh sa.ja pin.jam bu.ku i.ni/ - Can I borrow this book?)
• Person 2: Jangan, buku itu milik teman saya. (/jan.gan, bu.ku i.tu mi.lik te.man sa.ja/ - No, that book belongs to my friend.)

Tidak or Bukan?

Sometimes it can be confusing to decide which one to use, "tidak" or "bukan". Here are some tips to help you:

• If you want to negate a verb or an adjective, use "tidak".
• If you want to negate a noun, use "bukan".
• If you want to negate a command or prohibition, use "jangan".

Remember that sometimes context and common sense can also help you decide which one to use!

To improve your Indonesian Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

Sources

• Indonesian Negation: Learn How to Form Negative Sentences
• Difference between Indonesian Negation "Tidak" and "Bukan"
• EXTERNAL NEGATION IN MALAY/INDONESIAN

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