Saya menulis nama saya di formulir.

I write my name on the form.

Breakdown of Saya menulis nama saya di formulir.

• saya: I
• menulis: to write
• di: on
• saya: my
• nama: the name
• formulir: the form

Questions & Answers about Saya menulis nama saya di formulir.

Does this sentence mean present or past (I write vs. I wrote)?

Indonesian doesn’t mark tense on verbs, so Saya menulis nama saya di formulir can mean:

• present: I am/usually write my name on the form.
• past: I wrote my name on the form. Add time/aspect words to be clear:
• Saya sedang menulis nama saya di formulir. (I am writing now.)
• Saya sudah menulis nama saya di formulir. (I already wrote.)
• Saya akan menulis nama saya di formulir. (I will write.)

Why is it menulis and not just tulis?

The active transitive prefix meN- is added to the root tulis (write), and because the root starts with t, the prefix becomes men- by assimilation: meN- + tulis → menulis. In casual speech, people often drop the prefix and say nulis.

Why is saya repeated (both as the subject and in nama saya)? Is that normal?

Yes. Indonesian commonly repeats the pronoun for possession. Saya is the subject, and nama saya means my name. Alternatives:

• Use the possessive suffix: namaku (more casual): Aku menulis namaku di formulir.
• Use sendiri (own): Saya menulis nama saya sendiri di formulir.

Can I use aku instead of saya? What about gue?

• saya: neutral/polite and common in most contexts.
• aku: informal/intimate.
• gue (or gua): very informal Jakarta slang. Examples:
• Aku menulis namaku di formulir.
• Gue nulis nama gue di form. (slang)

Is di the right preposition here? Why not ke or pada?

• di marks location (at/in/on): di formulir is correct.
• ke marks movement/towards (to), so not used here.
• pada is a more formal alternative to di with abstract nouns: pada formulir is fine in formal writing. Spacing rule: as a preposition, di is written separately (e.g., di formulir). As a passive prefix, it’s attached with no space (e.g., ditulis).

Should it be di formulir, di atas formulir, or di dalam formulir?

• di formulir is the normal way to say on the form (meaning on/within the form as a document).
• di atas formulir literally on top of the form (on its surface), used if you really mean the physical top.
• di dalam formulir inside the form—used if you emphasize fields within the form, but di formulir is usually enough.

Can I say pada formulir instead of di formulir?

Yes, pada formulir is acceptable and sounds more formal or written. In everyday speech, di formulir is more common.

How do I say “I am writing my name on the form right now”?

Add a progressive marker:

• Saya sedang menulis nama saya di formulir.
• Very colloquial: Saya lagi nulis nama saya di formulir.

How do I say “I already wrote my name on the form”?

Use sudah (already):

• Saya sudah menulis nama saya di formulir. You can also add time words:
• Tadi saya menulis nama saya di formulir. (earlier/just now)

How do I say “I haven’t written my name on the form yet”?

Use belum (not yet):

• Saya belum menulis nama saya di formulir. Note: tidak negates verbs/adjectives in general (Saya tidak menulis…), but belum specifically means “not yet.”

Is there a difference between menulis and menuliskan here?

Both can work:

• menulis is the neutral base: Saya menulis nama saya di formulir.
• menuliskan often emphasizes writing something down (the content) or can imply doing it for someone’s benefit: Saya menuliskan nama saya di formulir. Another related form, menulisi, focuses on writing on a surface and typically takes the surface as the object: Saya menulisi formulir dengan nama saya (less common/natural here).

What’s the passive form of this sentence?

Two common passives:

• Passive with di-: Nama saya ditulis di formulir (oleh saya). (agent optional)
• “Short passive” with the agent before the base verb: Nama saya saya tulis di formulir.

Can I drop the object and just say Saya menulis di formulir?

Yes, but it becomes vague: “I wrote on the form.” If you want to specify what you wrote (your name), keep nama saya.

How do I say “I filled out the form,” not just wrote my name?

Use mengisi (to fill in/out):

• Saya mengisi formulir.

Is formulir the only word for “form”? I’ve heard form and borang.

• formulir is the standard Indonesian word.
• form (from English) is common in casual speech/tech contexts.
• borang is Malay; not used in Indonesian.

How do I specify “this form” or “that form”?

Add demonstratives after the noun:

• di formulir ini (on this form)
• di formulir itu (on that form) You can also refer back with -nya: di formulirnya (on the form in question/the form mentioned).

How do I say “I wrote his/her name on the form” to avoid confusion with “my name”?

Use third-person possession:

• Saya menulis namanya di formulir.
• Or explicitly: Saya menulis nama dia di formulir.

Is Saya menulis formulir correct?

No. That literally means “I write the form,” which is odd. You write something on the form (menulis … di formulir) or you fill it out (mengisi formulir).

Any common casual versions of the original sentence?

Yes:

• Aku nulis namaku di formulir. (informal)
• Gue nulis nama gue di form. (Jakarta slang)