Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Ibu mengingatkan saya untuk membawa payung.

Mom/Mother when referring to your own mother (often capitalized as a form of address or a proper name).
A polite form of address for an adult woman, like “Ma’am/Mrs.” (often shortened to Bu in speech). Lowercase ibu can mean “a mother” in general.

Why is it mengingatkan, not mengingat?

Root: ingat (remember).

mengingat = to remember/recall (what you yourself do).
mengingatkan = to remind (make someone else remember). The suffix -kan makes it causative: “cause to remember.” Examples:
Saya mengingat tanggalnya. = I remember the date.
Ibu mengingatkan saya tentang tanggalnya. = Mom reminded me about the date.

What does untuk do in this sentence?

untuk + verb makes an infinitive-like phrase (“to do something”). After mengingatkan [someone], untuk introduces what the person should do:

Ibu mengingatkan saya untuk membawa payung. = reminded me to bring an umbrella.

Could I use agar/supaya/biar instead of untuk?

Yes, but the structure changes a bit:

agar/supaya/biar introduce a full clause (often with its own subject):
- Ibu mengingatkan agar saya membawa payung.
- Ibu mengingatkan saya agar membawa payung. (subject “saya” is understood in the second clause) Nuance: agar is more formal, supaya neutral, biar more informal. untuk is the most straightforward with a bare verb.

Can I drop untuk and say Ibu mengingatkan saya membawa payung?

In casual speech you’ll hear it, and most people will accept it. In careful or written Indonesian, keep untuk: … mengingatkan saya untuk membawa …

Can I omit saya?

Yes, if the context already makes the person clear:

Ibu mengingatkan untuk membawa payung.
This becomes more general/impersonal and could mean “reminded (me/us/you) to bring an umbrella,” depending on context.

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

saya: neutral/polite.
aku: informal/intimate (common with family).
-ku: enclitic “my/me” attached to a word.
Possible variants:
Ibu mengingatkan saya untuk… (neutral)
Ibu mengingatkan aku untuk… (informal)
Ibu mengingatkanku untuk… (informal; enclitic attached to the verb)

Is there a passive version of this sentence?

Yes:

Saya diingatkan Ibu untuk membawa payung.
Saya diingatkan oleh Ibu untuk membawa payung. (more formal with oleh) Agent can be dropped if obvious: Saya diingatkan untuk membawa payung.

How do I say “remind me that …” or “remind me about …” with this verb?

Common patterns with mengingatkan:

mengingatkan [orang] untuk [V] = remind someone to do something.
mengingatkan [orang] bahwa [klausa] = remind someone that …
mengingatkan [orang] tentang/akan [nomina] = remind someone about/of … You’ll also see a variant with kepada before the person in formal writing: mengingatkan kepada [orang] bahwa…, but in everyday usage mengingatkan [orang] bahwa… is simpler and very common.

Should it be mengingatkan saya or mengingatkan kepada saya?

For “remind me to do X,” use the direct-object pattern: mengingatkan saya untuk …
The kepada pattern is more common when followed by bahwa/tentang in formal style: mengingatkan kepada saya bahwa … Both occur, but for this sentence the direct-object pattern is the natural choice.

Why is it membawa, not mangbawa or something else?

The prefix meN- changes shape depending on the first letter of the root:

With roots starting with b, it becomes mem-: bawa → membawa.
With roots starting with a vowel (like ingat), it becomes meng-: ingat → mengingat(kan).

Can I use just bawa instead of membawa?

In casual speech, yes: … untuk bawa payung.
In formal or careful Indonesian, use membawa. Dropping prefixes is a common conversational shortcut.

Does payung need an article like “a/the”?

No. Indonesian has no articles. payung can mean “a(n) umbrella” or “the umbrella,” depending on context. To be explicit:

“an umbrella”: sebuah payung (rarely needed in everyday talk)
“the umbrella” (specific/previously known): payung itu or payungnya
“my umbrella”: payung saya or payungku

How do I say “remind me not to bring an umbrella”?

Put tidak before the verb inside the untuk phrase:

Ibu mengingatkan saya untuk tidak membawa payung. Be careful: Ibu tidak mengingatkan saya untuk membawa payung means “Mom didn’t remind me to bring an umbrella,” which is a different meaning.

What’s the nuance difference between mengingatkan, memberi tahu, menyuruh, and memperingatkan?

mengingatkan: remind (you probably already know; it’s a gentle prompt).
memberi tahu: tell/inform (conveys information).
menyuruh: tell/order someone to do something (directive, stronger).
memperingatkan: warn (strong caution, often about danger/consequences). Example:
Ibu mengingatkan saya untuk membawa payung. (gentle reminder)
Ibu memberi tahu saya bahwa besok akan hujan. (informing)
Ibu menyuruh saya membawa payung. (telling/ordering)
Ibu memperingatkan saya tentang badai. (warning)

Any quick pronunciation tips for mengingatkan and membawa?

ng is the nasal sound in English “sing” (never a hard “g”).
The first e in me- is a schwa-like sound (uh).
Syllables: me-ngi-ngat-kan, mem-ba-wa. So you’ll hear something like “mǝ-nging-AT-kan” and “mǝm-BA-wa.”