Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Dia tidak mau gagal lagi besok. - She/He does not want to fail again tomorrow.

It primarily means “doesn’t want to / is not willing to.” With controllable actions, tidak mau can imply “won’t/refuses” (e.g., Dia tidak mau pergi = He won’t/refuses to go). With gagal (to fail), “refuse” is odd, so the natural reading is “doesn’t want to fail.” To express a prediction/promise “won’t,” use tidak akan.

Why is it tidak and not bukan?

Use tidak before verbs and adjectives, and bukan before nouns/pronouns (and for correcting identity). Here gagal is a verb, so tidak is correct.

Dia bukan guru. (He/She is not a teacher.)
Dia tidak gagal. (He/She doesn’t fail.)

What exactly does lagi mean here? Could it mean “anymore” or “currently”?

Here lagi means “again.” It can mean:

“again”: gagal lagi (fail again)
“anymore/no longer” when paired as tidak … lagi: Dia tidak merokok lagi (He no longer smokes)
“currently” in colloquial progressive: lagi makan (is eating) In our sentence, tidak negates mau, not gagal, so it’s “(does) not want [to fail again],” not “no longer wants.”

Can I move lagi elsewhere, like Dia tidak mau lagi gagal besok or Dia tidak mau gagal besok lagi?

Dia tidak mau lagi gagal … shifts lagi to modify mau → “no longer wants to fail …” (different meaning).
… besok lagi often reads as “some other tomorrow/later,” and in some usage can hint at “the day after tomorrow,” so it’s confusing here. Natural placements: Dia tidak mau gagal lagi besok, or front the time: Besok dia tidak mau gagal lagi.

Do I need akan for the future since the action is tomorrow?

No. Indonesian doesn’t mark tense; besok already signals the future. Dia tidak akan gagal lagi besok adds a stronger sense of prediction/promise: “He/She will not fail again tomorrow.”

Is mau interchangeable with ingin or hendak?

mau: common/colloquial “want; be willing.”
ingin: “want/desire,” a bit more formal/neutral. Dia tidak ingin gagal lagi besok is fine.
hendak: “intend to,” formal/literary; rarely used with a negative + abstract verb like gagal. Prefer mau/ingin here.

What part of speech is gagal? Can it take an object?

Gagal functions as an intransitive verb (“to fail”) or an adjective (“failed”). It doesn’t take a direct object. To specify what one failed at:

gagal dalam ujian / gagal ujian (failed the exam)
tidak lulus ujian (didn’t pass the exam; very common)

Could the sentence mean “He refuses to fail again tomorrow”?

Not naturally. Tidak mau can convey “refuse” with voluntary actions (tidak mau makan = refuses to eat), but “refuse to fail” is odd. Stick with “doesn’t want to fail.”

Is dia gendered? Can I use ia or beliau?

Dia is gender‑neutral singular (“he/she”). Ia is a more formal/written subject form (rare after prepositions). Beliau is a respectful form for elders or dignitaries. So, depending on context: Dia / Ia tidak mau gagal lagi besok; for respect: Beliau tidak mau…

Can I drop the subject dia?

Yes, if context is clear: Tidak mau gagal lagi besok. Indonesian often omits pronouns when understood. Keep dia when you need clarity.

Any colloquial variants of the negation?

Yes:

Dia nggak/enggak/ga mau gagal lagi besok. (informal)
Dia tak mau gagal lagi besok. (concise; common in writing and some regions) All mean the same as tidak here, with register differences.

Can I front the time word besok?

Yes: Besok dia tidak mau gagal lagi. Fronting time expressions is common for emphasis or flow.

How do I say “He won’t fail anymore” without mentioning tomorrow?

General promise/prediction: Dia tidak akan gagal lagi.
“No longer fails” (present/habitual): Dia tidak gagal lagi.

Is there a difference between Dia tidak mau gagal lagi besok and Dia mau tidak gagal lagi besok?

Slight nuance:

Dia tidak mau gagal lagi besok: negates the wanting → “He/She doesn’t want to fail again tomorrow.”
Dia mau tidak gagal lagi besok: negates the failing → “He/She wants to not fail again tomorrow.” It’s grammatical but less idiomatic; natives more often say Dia mau/ingin berhasil besok (wants to succeed tomorrow) or Dia ingin memastikan besok tidak gagal lagi.

Any tips on pronunciation?

g is always hard, as in “go”: gagal, lagi.
dia = “dee‑ah.”
besok ≈ “beh‑sok,” often with a crisp final k (or a glottal stop in rapid speech).
tidak often sounds like “tidak/ti‑dak,” with a short final k.

What’s the difference between lagi, kembali, and lagi‑lagi?

lagi: neutral “again.”
kembali: “again/return,” more formal/written.
lagi‑lagi: “again (yet again),” often with an exasperated tone.