#Imperatives


#Generally imperatives, requests, and invitations are expressed by the
#tone which serves as the exact meaning of an imperative.
#However, there are also indirect ways of expressing  the imperative
#to make it less harsh or blunt.

#This document presents basic form of imperatives and various types of
#imperatives in Indonesian. The document is organised into the following 
#sections:

#Basic form 
#Passive imperative
#Negative imperative
#Imperative markers
#Requests 
 
#Basic form  

#The following examples show intransitive and transitive verbs in
#imperatives.

#Commands in the written form usually end with exclamation marks.

#1

Pergi ke sana!

#go to there!
#Go there!


#2

Pergilah ke sana!

#go-lah to there!
#Go there, please!


#3

Ambil keranjang itu dari Ibu mu!

#take basket that from mother 2SG!
#Take that basket from your mother!


#4

Ambillah keranjang itu dari Ibu mu!

#take-lah basket that from mother 2SG!
#Take that basket from your mother, please!

#Particle -lah in (2) and (4) is used to soften or reduce
#the harshness of the command.


#Negative imperative

#Sentences (1) to (4) are positive imperative. To change them into
#negative imperative the negative marker jangan is used.


#5

Jangan pergi ke sana!

#NEG go to there!
#Don't go there!


#6

Jangan ambil keranjang itu dari ibu mu!

#NEG take basket that from mother 2SG!
#Don't take that basket from your mother!


#To soften the negative imperative particle -lah is attached to the
#negative marker jangan not to the intransitive or transitive verb of
#the sentence.


#7

Janganlah pergi ke sana!

#NEG-lah go to there!
#Don't go there, please!


#8

Janganlah ambil keranjang itu dari ibu mu!

#NEG-lah take basket that from mother 2SG!
#Don't take that basket from your mother, please!


#Ungrammatical:

#9

Jangan pergilah ke sana! (0! 0 0 0)

#NEG go-lah to there!
#Don't go there, please!


#Ungrammatical:

#10

Jangan ambillah keranjang itu dari ibu mu! (0! 0 0 0)

#NEG take-lah basket that from mother 2SG!
#Con't take that basket from your mother, please!


#Sneddon notes that transitive verbs lose prefix MEN- when they refer
#to specific action (see example 3). However, when the verbs refer to
#action in general, prefix MEN- can be used. 

#Examples from Sneddon (1996:325):


#11

Membaca sekarang!

#MEN-read now!
#Read now!  (Now is the time to read!)


#12

Menabung uang untuk hari tuamu!

#MEN-save money for day old-2SG!
#Save money for your old age!


#Passive imperative

#An imperative sentence can be changed into a passive imperative with the
#use of prefix di-.


#Active voice:

#13

Jangan tutup pintu itu!

#NEG close door that!
#Don't close the door!


#Passive voice:

#14

Pintu itu jangan ditutup!

#door that NEG DI-close!
#The door is not to be closed!


#The word order of passive imperative is flexible. However, the verb always
#follows jangan.


#15

Jangan ditutup pintu itu !

#NEG DI-close door that!
#The door is not to be closed!


#Prohibition is expressed with the verb larang 'to prohibit'. It is always
#preceded by prefix di-.


#16

Dilarang masuk!

#DI-prohibit enter!
#No entry!


#17

Dilarang merokok!

#DI-prohibit ME-cigarette
#No smoking!


#Imperative markers


#Certain words are used to express imperatives.
#Most of them are used to make imperatives softer or polite.

#The imperative markers introduce different types of imperatives. 
#Dardjowidjojo mentions three types of imperative introduced by the 
#imperative markers:
#Inclusive imperative with the imperative marker mari;
#Favorative imperative with the imperative marker tolong;
#Tolerative imperative with the imperative marker biar.

#Sneddon adds other imperative markers such as silakan, coba, harap
#and tag ya.

#Except tag ya, all the imperative markers are placed at the beginning
#of the sentence.


#18

Mari kita melihat pertandingan sepak bola di Stadion Sanggeng!

#come 1PL.INCL ME-see PER-compete-AN kick ball in Stadium Sanggeng!
#Let's go to see the footbal match at the Sanggeng stadium!


#19

Tolong simpan buku ini!

#help keep book this!
#Do me a favor, please keep this book!


#20

Biar kami tunggu di sini saja!

#let 1PL.EXCL wait in here just!
#Let us just wait here!


#Mari and biar can be contrasted as the examples from Sneddon (1996:334)
#below illustrates.


#21

Mari kita pergi

#let 1PL.INCL go!
#Let us (you and me) go!


#22

Biar kami pergi!

#let 1PL.EXCL go!
#Allow us (me and someone else) to go!


#23

Coba angkat kaki kirimu!

#try lift leg left-2SG!
#Please lift your left leg!


#All the imperative markers in (18) to (23) can combine with particle
#-lah.


#24

Marilah kita melihat pertandingan sepak bola di Stadion Sanggeng!

#come-lah 1PL.INCL ME-see PER-compete-AN kick ball in Stadium Sanggeng!
#Let's go see the footbal match at the Sanggeng stadium!


#25

Tolonglah simpan buku ini!

#help-lah keep book this!
#Do me a favor, please keep this book!


#26

Biarlah kami pergi!

#let-lah 1PL.EXCL go!
#Allow us (me and someone else) to go!


#27

Cobalah angkat kaki kirimu!

#try-lah lift leg left-2SG!
#Please lift your left leg!


#Harap

#Harap is softer than tolong, coba or silakan.
#Unlike other imperative marker harap cannot combine with particle -lah.


#28

Harap datang ke pertemuan sore ini!

#hope come to PER-meet-AN afternoon this.
#Would you please come to the meeting this afternoon.


#Ungrammatical:

#29

Haraplah telepon saya! (0! 0 0 0)

#hope-lah phone 1SG.
#Please phone me.


#Silakan

#Silakan is commonly used to invite people to do or have something.


#30

Silakan duduk!

#please sit.
#Please sit down.


#31

Silakan masuk!

#please enter.
#Please come in.


#Requests 


#Two requesting verbs are (me)minta and (me)mohon 'to request'.

#32

Minta roti!

#request bread.
#Can I please have some bread.


#33

Minta minum!

#request drink.
#Can I please have a drink. 


#34

Mohon maaf!

#request apology.
#Can you please forgive me.


#35

Mohon bawa kartu mahasiswa!

#request bring card student.
#Please bring your student card.


#Most imperative words only cooccur with negative marker jangan.
#However, minta and mohon can cooccur with negative markers jangan and
#tidak.


#36

Mohon tidak bawa kartu mahasiswa!

#request NEG bring card student.
#Please don't bring your student card.


#37

Mohon jangan merokok dalam gedung!

#request NEG ME-cigarette in building.
#Please don't smoke inside the building.


#Polite requests

#Some words which can be used to form polite requests are
#hendaknya, hendaklah, sudi, and kiranya.
#Hendaknya and hendaklah are very common and are used to suggest
#that an action should be done. Sudi and kiranya are very polite
#requests. They are rarely used in everyday conversation. 
#However, they are commonly used in prayer and formal speech.


#38

Hendaknya pintu-pintu rumah dikunci sebelum berangkat.

#intend-nya door-REDUP house DI-lock before leave.
#Doors of the house must be locked before leaving.


#39

Hendaklah membalas surat ini dengan segera.

#intend-lah MEN-reply letter this immediately.
#Would you please reply to this letter at once.

#Example (39) is taken from Sneddon (1996:332).


#40

Sudi bapak datang ke rumah saya.

#have.the.pleasure.to sir come to house 1SG.
#Would you please come to my house.


#41

Kiranya Tuhan mendengarkan doa kami.

#kindly God MEN-listen-KAN pray 1PL.EXCL.
#I request that (you) God kindly hear our prayer. 


#The combination of sudi and kiranya makes the sentence even 
#more polite.


#42

Sudilah kiranya Tuhan mengampuni kesalahan kami.

#have.the.pleasure.to kindly God MEN-forgive-i KE-wrong-AN 1PL.EXCL
#Would you be so good as to forgive our sin.



#References:

#Dardjowidjojo, Soenjono. Sentence patterns of Indonesian,
#University Press of Hawaii, Honolulu, 1978 (pp. 107-108,
#167-170, 187-188, 201-202).

#Sarumpaet, Jan, P. The Structure of Bahasa Indonesia,
#Sahata Pulications, Melbourne, 1977 (pp.144-167).

#Sneddon, James, N. INDONESIAN: A Comprehensive Grammar,
#Roudledge, London, 1996 (pp. 324-334).