Tidak is the neutral standard negator for ordinary actions, states, and properties. Put it before the predicate that you want to deny: tidak pergi “not go,” tidak mahal “not expensive.” Indonesian does not add a negative ending or an auxiliary equivalent to English do, and tidak never changes for person or tense.
The basic position: before the predicate
With a verbal predicate, the pattern is subject + tidak + verb phrase. Time comes from context or separate expressions.
Saya tidak pergi ke kantor pada hari Sabtu.
I do not go to the office on Saturdays.
Rina tidak membawa payung tadi pagi.
Rina did not bring an umbrella this morning.
Besok kami tidak memakai ruang rapat utama.
Tomorrow we will not use the main meeting room.
The same tidak works with present habits, past events, and future plans. English changes do not to did not or will not; Indonesian leaves both negator and verb unchanged.
| Predicate type | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| action | mereka datang | mereka tidak datang |
| property | tasnya mahal | tasnya tidak mahal |
| state | pintunya terbuka | pintunya tidak terbuka |
| location | ayah di rumah | ayah tidak di rumah |
Write tidak as a separate word and keep the predicate's real affixes attached.
Dokumen itu tidak ditandatangani oleh direktur.
That document was not signed by the director.
In tidak ditandatangani, tidak is separate, while passive di- and suffix -i belong to the verb.
Tidak with adjective predicates
Indonesian adjectives can be complete predicates without a copula corresponding to English be. Because mahal, jauh, and jelas are predicates, tidak stands directly before them.
Tas kulit itu tidak mahal karena sedang didiskon.
That leather bag is not expensive because it is on sale.
Rumah barunya tidak jauh dari stasiun.
Her new house is not far from the station.
Petunjuk di layar tidak jelas bagi pengguna baru.
The instructions on the screen are not clear to new users.
Air sungai ini tidak aman untuk diminum.
The water in this river is not safe to drink.
English speakers sometimes see is not and reach for bukan. That is the wrong diagnostic. The English copula says nothing about the Indonesian predicate category: ordinary properties use tidak, while noun identities use bukan.
Pak Deni tidak sibuk sore ini.
Mr. Deni is not busy this afternoon.
Pak Deni bukan kepala bagian kami.
Mr. Deni is not our department head.
The first denies a property; the second rejects a noun identity. The wider adjective patterns appear on negating adjectives.
Negating states and locations
Tidak also negates many prepositional and state predicates. The negative still comes before the whole predicate.
Manajer tidak di ruangannya sekarang.
The manager is not in her office right now.
Kunci cadangan tidak di bawah pot bunga.
The spare key is not under the flowerpot.
Keputusan itu tidak dalam kendali kami.
That decision is not under our control.
The existential expression tidak ada means that something is absent or nonexistent.
Tidak ada kursi kosong di gerbong depan.
There are no empty seats in the front carriage.
Do not use bukan ada for ordinary nonexistence. If an expected item has not appeared yet, belum ada adds that open later possibility.
Modal scope: which idea does tidak negate?
Placement determines scope. When a modal or stance word comes before tidak, the uncertainty or possibility includes a negative proposition.
Mira mungkin tidak datang karena anaknya sakit.
Mira may not come because her child is ill.
Paket ini bisa saja tidak tiba besok kalau cuaca memburuk.
This parcel may fail to arrive tomorrow if the weather worsens.
By contrast, tidak mungkin rejects possibility itself: impossible. These are not interchangeable.
Mira tidak mungkin datang dalam lima menit; rumahnya terlalu jauh.
It is impossible for Mira to arrive in five minutes; her home is too far away.
Hasil sebesar itu tidak mungkin dicapai tanpa bantuan tambahan.
A result that large cannot possibly be achieved without additional help.
Compare the logical contrast:
- mungkin tidak datang: perhaps the negative event is true—she may fail to come.
- tidak mungkin datang: coming is impossible.
Modal combinations such as tidak boleh, tidak harus, and tidak perlu also have conventional practical outcomes. They mean not permitted, not required, and not necessary respectively; the modal pages treat their full behavior.
Pengunjung galeri tidak boleh menyentuh karya tanpa pendamping.
Gallery visitors may not touch the works without an attendant.
Peserta lokakarya tidak harus membawa laptop karena peralatan sudah disediakan.
Workshop participants do not have to bring a laptop because equipment is provided.
Frequency and constituent negation
Tidak can negate a smaller quantified or focused expression rather than deny the entire event. Tidak selalu means not always: the event still happens on some occasions.
Bus terakhir tidak selalu tiba tepat waktu.
The last bus does not always arrive on time.
Harga murah tidak selalu berarti kualitas rendah.
A low price does not always mean low quality.
Tidak semua means not all. It leaves open that some members satisfy the following predicate.
Tidak semua kamar memiliki jendela yang menghadap laut.
Not all rooms have windows facing the sea.
Tidak semua orang setuju dengan perubahan jadwal itu.
Not everyone agrees with that schedule change.
Tidak hanya X, tetapi juga Y expands rather than simply negates: X is true, and Y is added.
Layanan itu tidak hanya terjangkau, tetapi juga mudah dipasang.
That service is not only affordable but also easy to install.
Dia tidak hanya membaca laporan, tetapi juga memeriksa datanya.
She not only read the report but also checked its data.
These constructions show why “the word after tidak is false” is too simple. Scope can target frequency, totality, or an exclusive focus. The negative scope guide develops these readings.
Short answers with Tidak
For an ordinary yes-no question about an action or property, Tidak can stand alone as a negative answer. A fuller answer repeats the relevant predicate when clarity or politeness helps.
Apakah toko itu buka hari Minggu? Tidak.
Is that shop open on Sunday? No.
Kamu ikut makan malam? Tidak, saya harus pulang lebih awal.
Are you joining dinner? No, I have to go home early.
Kamarnya terlalu sempit? Tidak, ukurannya cukup untuk dua orang.
Is the room too small? No, it is large enough for two people.
For an identity question, Bukan may be the appropriate correcting answer. For a sudah question whose event is still pending, answer Belum, not Tidak. Short answers therefore preserve the same semantic choice as full clauses.
Register
Tidak is neutral across conversation and formal writing. Nggak is extremely common (informal) in conversation and messaging, but it should remain labeled and should not replace standard spelling in formal prose.
Aku nggak ikut malam ini karena besok harus bangun pagi.
I'm not joining tonight because I have to get up early tomorrow. (informal)
Kami tidak dapat menghadiri pertemuan tersebut.
We are unable to attend that meeting. (formal)
This page leaves the wider nggak family and discourse particles to their dedicated guides.
Common Mistakes
Using bukan before an ordinary action
❌ Saya bukan pergi ke kampus hari ini.
Incorrect as a plain denial of the action pergi.
✅ Saya tidak pergi ke kampus hari ini karena kelas diliburkan.
I am not going to campus today because classes are canceled.
Using bukan before a plain property
❌ Jalan belakang itu bukan aman pada malam hari.
Incorrect — aman is an adjectival predicate here.
✅ Jalan belakang itu tidak aman pada malam hari.
That back road is not safe at night.
Adding an English auxiliary
❌ Mereka tidak do memahami petunjuk baru itu.
Incorrect — Indonesian tidak does not require an equivalent of English do.
✅ Mereka tidak memahami petunjuk baru itu.
They do not understand the new instructions.
Attaching tidak to the predicate
❌ Mesin itu tidakberfungsi setelah listrik padam.
Incorrect spelling — tidak is a separate word.
✅ Mesin itu tidak berfungsi setelah listrik padam.
The machine does not work after the power outage.
Confusing maybe not with impossible
❌ Dia tidak mungkin hadir besok, jadi kita belum tahu.
Wrong scope for uncertainty — tidak mungkin states that attendance is impossible.
✅ Dia mungkin tidak hadir besok, jadi kita belum tahu.
She may not attend tomorrow, so we do not know yet.
Key Takeaways
- Place separate tidak before ordinary verbal, adjectival, state, and location predicates.
- Indonesian does not add agreement, tense, or an auxiliary equivalent to English do.
- Position controls scope: mungkin tidak means perhaps not, while tidak mungkin means impossible.
- Tidak selalu, tidak semua, and tidak hanya negate or organize smaller constituents.
- Use Tidak as a short answer to ordinary action/property questions; identity and not-yet questions may require another negator.
Now practice Indonesian
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Start learning Indonesian →Related Topics
- Negation: Choosing the Right FormA1 — Choose tidak, bukan, belum, or jangan by predicate type and time assumptions, then recognize tak, tanpa, and colloquial nggak.
- bukan with Nouns and Contrastive CorrectionA1 — Use bukan to reject noun identities and correct a focused alternative with melainkan or conversational tapi.
- belum: Not YetA1 — Choose belum across verbal, adjectival, nominal, and existential predicates when an expected later realization remains open.
- Negation Scope with Aspect, Modals, and FocusB2 — Use word order and focus constructions to control whether Indonesian negation targets necessity, probability, frequency, completion, or one constituent.
- Negating AdjectivesA2 — Choose tidak, belum, or contrastive bukan to distinguish a denied state, an incomplete transition, and a corrected category.
- Yes-No Questions by IntonationA1 — Form everyday yes-no questions by keeping declarative word order and letting intonation, context, and punctuation mark interrogation.