Entah kontraktor entah mandor, salah satunya harus memeriksa denah.

Entah ... entah ... sets up two alternatives, similar to whether ... or ..., either ... or ..., or sometimes be it ... or ... in English.

So:

• Entah kontraktor entah mandor
  = Whether the contractor or the foreman
  = Either the contractor or the foreman

It presents two possible people, and the next clause explains what is true about them.

It is normally repeated to mark both options clearly:

• entah A entah B

This is a fixed and very common pattern in Indonesian. Repeating entah makes the pairing sound complete and natural.

So:

• entah kontraktor entah mandor = either the contractor or the foreman

Using only one entah here would sound incomplete or less standard.

Not always exactly, but it is very close in many sentences.

In this sentence, entah ... entah ... works much like either ... or .... However, entah can sometimes also carry a nuance of uncertainty, like whether it's X or Y or I don't know if it's X or Y depending on context.

Here, the meaning is basically:

• Either the contractor or the foreman, one of them must check the blueprint.

So for this sentence, either ... or ... is a very good translation.

Literally, salah satunya means one of them.

Breakdown:

• salah satu = one of
• -nya = the one(s) already being talked about / them

So:

• salah satunya = one of them

In this sentence, the them refers to the two options mentioned earlier:

• kontraktor
• mandor

Because -nya points back to the previously mentioned group.

Compare:

• salah satu = one of [something]
• salah satunya = one of them / one of the ones mentioned

Since the sentence already gives the two choices, adding -nya makes it clear that we mean one of those two people.

Without -nya, the phrase can still sometimes work in other contexts, but here salah satunya sounds more complete and natural.

Harus means must or has to.

So:

• salah satunya harus memeriksa denah = one of them must check the blueprint

It expresses obligation or necessity.

Because Indonesian does not use a separate word like English to before a verb in this kind of structure.

In English:

• must check
• has to check

In Indonesian:

• harus memeriksa

So memeriksa is simply the verb following harus.

Memeriksa is the active verb form built with the meN- prefix.

Base form:

• periksa = inspect, examine, check

With prefix:

• memeriksa = to inspect / to examine / to check

The meN- prefix commonly forms active verbs in Indonesian. Because the base begins with p, the prefix changes shape and the p drops:

• meN- + periksa → memeriksa

This is a very common sound/spelling change in Indonesian verb formation.

In standard formal Indonesian, memeriksa is the expected form here.

• harus memeriksa denah = standard, natural

You may hear periksa used without the prefix in informal speech, commands, headlines, or casual conversation, but in a full neutral sentence like this, memeriksa is better.

Denah usually means a plan, layout, or diagram of a space, often something like a floor plan, site plan, or building plan.

Depending on context, it may be translated as:

• blueprint
• plan
• layout drawing

So in this sentence, it refers to a technical drawing or plan that needs to be checked.

The comma separates the opening alternative phrase from the main clause.

Structure:

• Entah kontraktor entah mandor,
  opening setup: the two alternatives
• salah satunya harus memeriksa denah.
  main statement: what must happen

It works a bit like English punctuation in a sentence such as:

• Whether the contractor or the foreman, one of them must inspect the plan.

The comma helps readability and makes the sentence structure clearer.

Yes. A more direct version would be:

• Kontraktor atau mandor, salah satunya harus memeriksa denah.
• Entah kontraktor atau mandor, salah satunya harus memeriksa denah.
• Salah satu dari kontraktor dan mandor harus memeriksa denah.

These are similar in meaning, but entah ... entah ... has a slightly more patterned, deliberate feel. It sounds a bit like setting up two possibilities before stating the requirement.

The sentence says that at least one of the two must do it, and it strongly suggests that the responsibility falls on one of them rather than talking about both together.

In normal reading, it means:

• one of the two must inspect the plan

It does not emphasize both doing it. If the meaning were both must inspect it, Indonesian would use something like:

• keduanya harus memeriksa denah = both of them must inspect the plan

So yes, the sentence points to one of the two, not both.

Yes. In the main clause:

• salah satunya = subject
• harus = modal / must
• memeriksa = verb
• denah = object

So the structure is:

• One of them
  • must
    • inspect
      • the plan

The opening phrase Entah kontraktor entah mandor sets up who them refers to.