Ibu mengingatkan saya untuk membawa payung.

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Breakdown of Ibu mengingatkan saya untuk membawa payung.

• ibu: the mother
• payung: the umbrella
• membawa: to bring

Questions & Answers about Ibu mengingatkan saya untuk membawa payung.

Does this mean “Mom reminds me” or “Mom reminded me”?

It can mean either. Indonesian doesn’t mark tense on the verb. Context or time words make it clear:

• Past: Ibu tadi/kemarin/barusan mengingatkan saya…, or add sudah/telah.
• Habitual/present: add sering, biasanya.
• Future: add nanti/besok or akan.

What exactly does Ibu mean here?

Ibu can mean:

• 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.