Saya membayar dengan uang tunai.

I pay with cash.

Breakdown of Saya membayar dengan uang tunai.

• saya: I
• dengan: with
• membayar: to pay
• uang tunai: the cash

Questions & Answers about Saya membayar dengan uang tunai.

Can I just say Saya bayar tunai instead of Saya membayar dengan uang tunai?

Yes. In everyday speech, Saya bayar tunai is shorter and very natural. Saya membayar dengan uang tunai sounds more formal or written. All of these are acceptable:

• Saya bayar tunai.
• Saya membayar tunai.
• Saya membayar dengan uang tunai. (most formal)

Is dengan necessary here? Can I use pakai or menggunakan?

You can replace it or omit it:

• Saya membayar dengan uang tunai. (with)
• Saya membayar menggunakan uang tunai. (using, more formal)
• Saya bayar pakai uang tunai. (using, casual)
• Saya (mem)bayar tunai. (omit the preposition; very common)

Do I need the word uang? What about just tunai?

You don’t need uang. Tunai already implies “cash.” Common options:

• Saya bayar tunai. (very common)
• Saya bayar pakai uang tunai. (a bit wordy but fine) Avoid treating uang tunai as the direct object after membayar (e.g., membayar uang tunai) unless you also specify what you’re paying for; otherwise it can sound odd.

What’s the difference between saya, aku, and gue here?

• Saya: neutral/polite; safe with staff, strangers, or in writing.
• Aku: informal/intimate; friends, family.
• Gue: very informal, Jakarta slang. So you might say:
• Saya bayar tunai. (polite/neutral)
• Aku bayar tunai. (informal)
• Gue bayar tunai. (Jakarta casual)

How do I say it in the past or future? Indonesian has no tense, right?

Correct—use time/aspect words:

• Past: Saya sudah bayar tunai. (I have already paid cash) / Tadi saya bayar tunai. (earlier I paid cash)
• Present/progressive: Saya sedang bayar tunai. (formal) / Saya lagi bayar tunai. (casual)
• Future: Saya akan bayar tunai. / Nanti saya bayar tunai.

What’s the difference between membayar and membayarkan?

• membayar = to pay (something).
• membayarkan = to pay something for someone / to pay out (benefactive). Examples:
• Saya membayar tagihannya. (I pay the bill.)
• Saya membayarkan tagihannya untuk dia. (I pay his/her bill for him/her.) At a counter you’d normally use (mem)bayar, not membayarkan.

What is the root word and what does the meN- prefix do in membayar?

The root is bayar (pay). meN- marks an active transitive verb; before b it becomes mem-, giving membayar. This is a regular sound change:

• meN- + bayar → membayar Colloquially, speakers often drop the prefix: saya bayar.

Can I make a passive version?

Yes:

• Tagihan itu dibayar tunai. (The bill was paid in cash.)
• Tagihan itu saya bayar tunai. (Topic-fronting with active verb; common in Indonesian.) Use passive when focusing on the thing paid rather than the payer.

Are there synonyms for tunai? Can I say cash?

• tunai: standard and common.
• kontan: means cash/spot (a bit old-fashioned/formal but still used: bayar kontan).
• cash: widely used in speech: bayar cash. For the opposite, you’ll see non-tunai/nontunai (cashless).

Is the word order fixed? Can I move the dengan phrase?

Default is Verb + Instrument:

• Saya membayar dengan uang tunai. You can front it for emphasis in careful/formal style:
• Dengan uang tunai, saya membayar. (grammatical but not conversational) Avoid Saya membayar uang tunai unless it’s clear you’re contrasting payment methods; otherwise it can sound like “I pay money,” which is odd.

How do I include the amount naturally?

All are fine:

• Saya bayar tunai Rp50 ribu.
• Saya membayar Rp50 ribu tunai.
• Tunai ya, Rp50 ribu. Formatting: Rp50.000 (dot as thousands separator), or spoken lima puluh ribu / lima puluh ribu rupiah.

Any pronunciation tips for the sentence?

• dengan: the first e is a schwa (uh): dəng-an; ng = the nasal [ŋ].
• bayar: two syllables ba-yar; tap/trill the final r lightly.
• tunai: two syllables tu-nai; ai like English “eye.”
• saya: sa-ya.