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Questions & Answers about Saya tidak tahu jadwal rapat.
What does each word do in this sentence?
- Saya: first-person singular pronoun (I).
- tidak: negator “not,” placed before verbs and adjectives.
- tahu: verb “know.”
- jadwal rapat: noun phrase “meeting schedule,” with the head noun jadwal (schedule) modified by rapat (meeting). Word order is Subject–Negation–Verb–Object, which is normal in Indonesian.
Why is it tidak and not bukan?
Use tidak to negate verbs and adjectives, and bukan to negate nouns or for identity/definition. Here you’re negating the verb phrase tahu, so tidak is correct.
- Correct: Saya tidak tahu.
- Correct: Itu bukan jadwal rapat. (That is not the meeting schedule.)
Can I use a different word for “I,” like aku or gue?
Yes, but register changes:
- Saya: neutral/formal, safe almost everywhere.
- Aku: casual/intimate with friends or family.
- Gue/gua: very colloquial Jakarta speech. Examples: Aku tidak tahu jadwal rapat. / Gue nggak tau jadwal rapat.
Can I drop the subject and just say “Don’t know the meeting schedule”?
In conversation, yes. You can say Tidak tahu jadwal rapat or colloquially Nggak tau jadwal rapat. It relies on context to know that the speaker means “I,” so keep Saya in formal or careful writing.
Is it spelled tahu or tau?
Standard spelling is tahu. In casual writing people often write tau, reflecting common pronunciation. Keep tahu in formal contexts. Note: the food “tofu” is also tahu; many speakers pronounce the verb “to know” as “tau,” but the food as “tahu.”
Could I say mengetahui instead of tahu?
Yes, but it sounds more formal: Saya tidak mengetahui jadwal rapat. Mengetahui is a formal transitive verb often used in reports or official writing. In everyday speech, tahu is far more common.
Should I add tentang (about), like Saya tidak tahu tentang jadwal rapat?
Usually no. Tahu takes a direct object, so Saya tidak tahu jadwal rapat is the natural phrasing. Use tentang with verbs like berbicara/membahas: Kami berbicara tentang jadwal rapat.
How do I make it clearly “the meeting schedule” (definite) rather than generic?
Indonesian has no articles, so use determiners or possessives:
- jadwal rapat itu = that specific meeting schedule.
- jadwal rapatnya = the/its meeting schedule (context decides the referent).
- Add context: jadwal rapat besok = the schedule for tomorrow’s meeting.
How do I show possession (my/your/his–her) with this phrase?
- jadwal rapatku = my meeting schedule (casual).
- jadwal rapatmu = your (casual, to kamu).
- jadwal rapat Anda = your (polite/formal; don’t attach -mu to Anda).
- jadwal rapatnya = his/her/their/its meeting schedule (context decides).
- jadwal rapat Budi = Budi’s meeting schedule.
How do I talk about more than one schedule?
Use quantifiers rather than reduplication in most cases:
- beberapa jadwal rapat = several meeting schedules.
- semua jadwal rapat = all meeting schedules. Reduplication (jadwal-jadwal) is grammatical but less common in everyday use.
Can I front the object for emphasis?
Yes, for focus:
- Jadwal rapat, saya tidak tahu.
- More natural in careful speech/writing: Yang saya tidak tahu adalah jadwal rapat. Object fronting is common for emphasis, especially with yang.
How would I ask “Do you know the meeting schedule?” based on this?
- Formal: Apakah Anda tahu jadwal rapat?
- Neutral: Kamu tahu jadwal rapat? (rising intonation)
- Colloquial: Tahu jadwal rapat, nggak? or Kamu tahu nggak jadwal rapat?
What’s the difference between tahu, mengerti/paham, and kenal?
- tahu: to know a fact. Saya tidak tahu jadwalnya.
- mengerti/paham: to understand something. Saya tidak mengerti/paham jadwalnya (I can’t make sense of it).
- kenal: to be acquainted with a person. Not used with schedules.
Is rapat the only word for “meeting”? What about pertemuan or sidang?
- rapat: a meeting (often work/organizational).
- pertemuan: a meeting/encounter in general; often broader or more neutral.
- sidang: a formal session (e.g., court, parliament, academic board). Choose based on context.
Is there a difference between jadwal and jam here?
Yes. jadwal = schedule (possibly multiple items/times). jam = the time of day. If you only mean the time the meeting starts, say Saya tidak tahu jam rapat (I don’t know what time the meeting is).
Any pronunciation tips for this sentence?
- tidak: final “k” is often a glottal stop; it may sound like “tida’.”
- tahu: commonly pronounced “tau” in casual speech.
- jadwal: pronounce as two parts “jad-wal” (the “dw” cluster stays together).
- rapat: final “t” is crisp and unaspirated.
Are colloquial negations like nggak/gak/enggak/ndak/tak okay here?
Yes in informal contexts:
- Saya nggak/gak/enggak tau jadwal rapat.
- ndak is regional (e.g., Sumatra).
- tak (short for tidak) is literary/formal in Indonesian and very common in Malay. In casual Indonesian speech, nggak/gak is the go-to.
How do I add time words like “today,” “tomorrow,” “next week”?
Place them after the noun phrase:
- Saya tidak tahu jadwal rapat hari ini/besok/minggu depan. You can add untuk before the time for clarity (jadwal rapat untuk besok), but it’s often unnecessary.
What are common mistakes to avoid with this sentence?
- Using bukan with a verb: ✗ Saya bukan tahu… (should be tidak).
- Reversing the noun order: ✗ rapat jadwal (should be jadwal rapat).
- Adding tentang needlessly: ✗ tahu tentang jadwal… after tahu (drop tentang).