mampu: Capacity and Resources | Indonesian Grammar

Mampu evaluates whether a person, group, machine, or institution has the underlying capacity and resources to achieve something. That capacity may be physical, mental, financial, technical, or organizational: Dia mampu membayar, pasien tidak mampu berdiri, rumah sakit mampu melayani seribu pasien. Unlike everyday bisa, mampu does not normally ask for momentary permission.

This page treats mampu as a capacity predicate and modal-like word. It does not analyze voice morphology or serve as a lexical reference for related nouns. Compare broader everyday bisa and formal-availability dapat.

Mampu plus a predicate

The most common pattern is:

capacity holder + mampu + predicate

Dia mampu membayar biaya kuliahnya sendiri.

He/She is able to pay the tuition independently.

Rina mampu menyelesaikan soal itu tanpa kalkulator.

Rina is capable of solving that problem without a calculator.

Tim kecil kami mampu bekerja di bawah tekanan.

Our small team is capable of working under pressure.

Mesin ini mampu beroperasi selama dua belas jam tanpa berhenti.

This machine is capable of operating for twelve hours without stopping.

Mampu remains separate and does not agree with the subject. The following predicate names the performance whose resource requirements are being evaluated.

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Ask whether the clause is about an underlying reserve—strength, knowledge, money, technology, staff, or organization. If yes, mampu is often more precise than general bisa.

Physical capacity

Setelah operasi, pasien belum mampu berdiri sendiri.

After surgery, the patient is not yet able to stand independently.

Ia tidak mampu mengangkat koper seberat itu.

He/She is unable to lift a suitcase that heavy.

Atlet itu masih mampu berlari meskipun kakinya cedera ringan.

The athlete is still capable of running despite a minor leg injury.

Baterai baru mampu bertahan sepanjang hari.

The new battery is capable of lasting all day.

The subject need not be animate. A battery or machine has technical performance capacity rather than willingness.

Mental, intellectual, and emotional capacity

Anak itu mampu memahami petunjuk yang cukup rumit.

The child is capable of understanding fairly complex instructions.

Peneliti mampu menjelaskan hasilnya dengan bahasa sederhana.

The researcher is able to explain the findings in simple language.

Dalam keadaan panik, saya tidak mampu berpikir jernih.

In a panic, I was unable to think clearly.

Dia akhirnya mampu menerima kenyataan tersebut.

He/She was finally able to accept that reality.

The last example evaluates emotional capacity developed over time. English could finally may look momentary, but Indonesian mampu highlights the difficult internal threshold.

Financial capacity

Keluarga itu mampu membeli rumah tanpa pinjaman.

That family can afford to buy a house without a loan.

Banyak pekerja tidak mampu membayar sewa yang terus naik.

Many workers cannot afford to pay continually rising rent.

Perusahaan belum mampu menaikkan gaji tahun ini.

The company cannot yet afford to raise salaries this year.

Apakah anggaran daerah mampu menanggung biaya perawatan?

Can the regional budget cover the maintenance cost?

In financial contexts, English often uses afford. Mampu evaluates available resources; bisa membayar may merely say payment is practically possible.

Institutional and technical capacity

Rumah sakit itu mampu melayani seribu pasien setiap hari.

That hospital has the capacity to serve one thousand patients every day.

Sistem baru mampu memproses lima ratus permohonan per menit.

The new system can process five hundred applications per minute.

Pemerintah daerah tidak mampu menangani banjir tanpa bantuan pusat.

The regional government lacks the capacity to handle the flooding without central assistance.

Tim penyelamat mampu mencapai desa itu sebelum malam.

The rescue team was able to reach the village before nightfall.

An institution's capacity comes from staff, budget, equipment, authority, and organization. Mampu packages these resources as a performance potential.

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With institutional subjects, mampu is often an evaluative claim that should be supported by a quantity, condition, or benchmark: patients per day, response time, budget, or technical load.

Adjective-like predication and standalone mampu

Mampu can function without a following verb when the relevant capacity is recoverable.

A: Perusahaan itu sanggup membayar utangnya? B: Mampu, tetapi perlu waktu.

A: Can the company pay its debts? B: It can, but it needs time.

A: Semua peserta sanggup menyelesaikan tes itu? B: Tidak semua peserta mampu.

A: Can all participants complete that test? B: Not all of them are capable.

With people or households, mampu can mean financially well-off, especially in formal social-policy language.

Bantuan itu ditujukan kepada keluarga kurang mampu.

The aid is intended for low-income families. (formal/social-policy term)

Siswa dari keluarga tidak mampu mendapat pembebasan biaya.

Students from families lacking financial means receive a fee waiver. (formal)

Kurang mampu/tidak mampu are conventional but can reduce people to economic status. In sensitive writing, a more precise phrase such as keluarga berpenghasilan rendah “low-income families” may be preferable.

Mampu and mampu untuk

Both mampu melakukan and mampu untuk melakukan occur. The version without untuk is usually more concise and neutral.

Tim kami mampu menyelesaikan proyek tepat waktu.

Our team is capable of finishing the project on time.

Tim kami mampu untuk menyelesaikan proyek sebesar itu.

Our team is capable of completing a project that large. (possible, slightly heavier)

Teknologi ini mampu mendeteksi perubahan yang sangat kecil.

This technology can detect extremely small changes.

Teknologi ini dirancang agar mampu untuk mendeteksi perubahan kecil.

This technology is designed to be capable of detecting small changes. (formal/heavy)

Untuk can make a long complement boundary clearer, especially in formal prose, but it is not required. Do not insert it mechanically after every mampu.

Mampu versus bisa and dapat

Saya bisa masuk karena pintunya belum dikunci.

I can enter because the door has not been locked.

Saya mampu berjalan sepuluh kilometer tanpa berhenti.

I am capable of walking ten kilometers without stopping.

Pengunjung dapat memasuki ruang pamer mulai pukul setengah sepuluh.

Visitors may enter the exhibition hall starting at nine thirty. (formal availability)

Bisa masuk describes immediate feasibility, mampu berjalan an underlying performance capacity, and dapat masuk formal availability. The facts may overlap, but the evaluation differs.

Permission favors boleh/bisa, not mampu:

Boleh saya menggunakan kursi ini?

May I use this chair?

Asking Mampu saya menggunakan kursi ini? wrongly asks about capacity in an unnatural order rather than permission.

Negation, change, and scope

Pasien itu tidak mampu berdiri setelah jatuh.

The patient was unable to stand after falling.

Setelah dua minggu terapi, pasien sudah mampu berjalan sendiri.

After two weeks of therapy, the patient can now walk independently.

Tim tersebut belum mampu memenuhi target bulanan.

That team is not yet capable of meeting the monthly target.

Mesin lama itu masih mampu bekerja dengan baik.

That old machine is still capable of working well.

Tidak mampu denies capacity; belum mampu leaves later capacity open; sudah mampu marks newly achieved capacity; masih mampu says it persists.

Common Mistakes

Using mampu for momentary permission

❌ Mampu saya duduk di sini?

Incorrect for asking permission—mampu evaluates capacity.

✅ Boleh saya duduk di sini sambil menunggu?

May I sit here while waiting?

Treating mampu and bisa as identical in every context

❌ Mampu selalu dapat menggantikan bisa untuk izin dan kemungkinan sesaat.

Incorrect analysis—mampu evaluates underlying capacity, not ordinary permission or momentary feasibility.

✅ Karena pintunya terbuka, saya bisa masuk tanpa mengetuk.

Because the door is open, I can enter without knocking.

Requiring untuk after every mampu

❌ Tim itu hanya benar jika dikatakan ‘mampu untuk menyelesaikan’.

Incorrect rule—untuk is optional, not obligatory.

✅ Tim itu mampu menyelesaikan pekerjaan sebelum tenggat.

That team is capable of finishing the work before the deadline.

Joining mampu to the following predicate

❌ Sistem ini mampumemproses ribuan data sekaligus.

Incorrect spelling—mampu is separate.

✅ Sistem ini mampu memproses ribuan data sekaligus.

This system can process thousands of data items at once.

Combining contradictory threshold markers

❌ Setelah alat dilepas, dia belum sudah mampu bernapas sendiri.

Incorrect marker sequence—belum and sudah cannot jointly mark the same capacity threshold.

✅ Setelah alat bantu dilepas, dia sudah mampu bernapas sendiri.

After the breathing support was removed, he/she can now breathe independently.

Key Takeaways

Mampu evaluates underlying physical, mental, financial, technical, or institutional capacity.
It can precede a predicate or stand alone when the relevant capacity is recoverable.
Mampu untuk + predicate is possible but heavier; untuk is usually optional.
Bisa is broader for situational possibility, while dapat is common in formal availability statements.
Tidak/belum/sudah/masih mampu track absence, emerging, achieved, or continuing capacity.

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