Tolong simpan nomor telepon saya.

Please save my phone number.

Breakdown of Tolong simpan nomor telepon saya.

• saya: my
• tolong: please
• nomor telepon: the phone number
• simpan: to save

Questions & Answers about Tolong simpan nomor telepon saya.

What does tolong do in this sentence? Does it just mean please?

Tolong literally means help, but before a verb it works like please to soften a request. It’s polite and very common in everyday Indonesian. It doesn’t name the subject; the listener is understood to be the one asked to act.

Is it okay to drop tolong? Will it sound rude?

Yes. Simpan nomor telepon saya. is grammatically fine, but it’s a bare command and can feel blunt. To soften it without tolong, you can add particles like ya or dong:

• Simpan nomor telepon saya, ya. (friendly/soft)
• Simpan nomor telepon saya, dong. (casual, friendly)

Why is the verb in the bare form simpan, not menyimpan?

Imperatives in Indonesian typically use the base verb: simpan. After tolong, you also use the base form: Tolong simpan.... Tolong menyimpan... sounds awkward/incorrect in most contexts. Use menyimpan when you’re not giving an imperative, e.g., in a statement or some questions: Anda sedang menyimpan..., Bisakah Anda menyimpan... (both are fine), though many speakers still prefer bisa simpan.

Is Tolong disimpan nomor telepon saya correct? Why use passive?

Yes. Tolong disimpan nomor telepon saya. uses the passive di- form to make the request less direct and more polite/neutral. You can also front the object: Nomor telepon saya tolong disimpan. All are natural.

What exactly does simpan mean here? Are there better verbs for this context?

Simpan means save/keep/store. In phone/contact contexts, it’s perfect. Alternatives:

• catat = note/write down (if you want them to write it somewhere)
• masukkan (ke kontak) = put into contacts
• tambahkan (ke kontak) = add to contacts Examples: Tolong simpan di kontak., Tolong tambahkan ke kontak., Tolong catat nomor saya.

Is nomor telepon the standard spelling? I see telpon, telefon, and abbreviations like no. or HP.

• Standard Indonesian: telepon (not telefon); telpon is common informally.
• nomor is standard; no. is its abbreviation (you’ll see No. on forms/signs).
• HP (handphone = mobile) is everyday usage: nomor HP.
• People also say nomor WA (WhatsApp number) in casual speech.

Where does the possessive go? Why nomor telepon saya and not saya nomor telepon?

Indonesian puts the possessor after the noun: nomor telepon saya = my phone number. Variants:

• nomor teleponku (using the clitic -ku, informal)
• nomor teleponmu (your phone number, informal)
• nomor telepon Anda (your phone number, formal/polite)

Can I shorten it to nomor saya?

Yes. In context, nomor saya is usually understood as phone number. If you want to be explicit: nomor HP saya (mobile number) or nomor WA saya (WhatsApp number).

How can I make this more formal or more casual?

• More formal/polite:
  • Mohon simpan nomor telepon saya.
  • Bisakah Anda menyimpan nomor telepon saya?
  • Add address terms: Mohon disimpan nomor telepon saya, Pak/Bu. (sir/ma’am)
• More casual:
  • Tolong simpan nomor aku, ya.
  • Bisa simpan nomor aku nggak?

Can I add an explicit subject like kamu or Anda?

You can, but it’s usually unnecessary. If you need to target someone specifically:

• Tolong kamu simpan nomor telepon saya. (casual)
• Tolong Anda simpan nomor telepon saya. (formal) Dropping the subject is the default and sounds more natural in most situations.

What does the particle -lah do in simpanlah?

-lah can soften an imperative or make it sound more courteous. Simpanlah nomor telepon saya. is a politely phrased command. With tolong, it’s optional and a bit more formal-sounding: Tolong simpanlah nomor telepon saya.

How do I say Please don’t save my phone number?

Use the negative imperative with jangan:

• Tolong jangan simpan nomor telepon saya.
• More formal: Mohon jangan disimpan nomor telepon saya.

What are common everyday variations people actually use?

• Tolong simpan nomor HP saya.
• Tolong simpan nomor saya, ya.
• Bisa simpan nomor saya?
• Borrowed-English mix is common in speech: Tolong save nomor aku, ya. (understood, but as a learner it’s better to use simpan)

How do I specify saving it to contacts or to a phone?

• Tolong simpan di kontak.
• Tolong tambahkan ke kontak.
• Tolong simpan di HP Anda/kamu. All are natural. di marks location; ke marks destination (both occur with contacts in practice).

What’s the difference between saya and aku here?

Both mean I/my. saya is neutral/formal and safe with strangers or in polite settings. aku is informal/intimate (friends, peers). Match your pronouns consistently with how you address the listener (e.g., saya–Anda is formal; aku–kamu is casual).

How do I pronounce each word?

• Tolong: roughly TOH-long (ng as in sing)
• simpan: SEEM-pahn (short a as in father)
• nomor: NOH-mor (rolled/flapped r)
• telepon: tuh-LEH-pon (the first e is a schwa uh) Indonesian stress is light, often near the end; don’t over-stress syllables.