Saya harus hati-hati di jalan tol.

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Breakdown of Saya harus hati-hati di jalan tol.

• di: on
• harus: must
• jalan tol: the toll road

Questions & Answers about Saya harus hati-hati di jalan tol.

What is the function of harus in this sentence?

harus is a modal verb meaning “must,” “have to,” or “need to.” It expresses obligation or necessity. In Indonesian, modals like harus always come before the predicate (verb, adjective, or verb‐like phrase)—here, hati-hati.

Why is hati-hati repeated? Is it a noun, a verb, or an adjective?

hati-hati is a verb-like or adverbial expression meaning “to be careful.” The repetition (reduplication) intensifies the root hati (“heart,” “attention”) to convey “carefulness.” Many Indonesian words use reduplication to create an adverbial or verbal nuance.

Why doesn’t the sentence use the prefix ber- as in berhati-hati?

Actually, both hati-hati and berhati-hati are correct and interchangeable. ber- is a verbal prefix, but here the bare form hati-hati already conveys the same meaning. Omitting ber- is more colloquial, while adding ber- can sound slightly more formal.

Could I say Saya harus berhati-hati di jalan tol instead? Would it change the meaning?

Yes, you can. Saya harus berhati-hati di jalan tol has the same meaning and only a minor register difference. Some speakers feel berhati-hati sounds a bit more “standard,” but everyday usage accepts both forms.