Jangan ketawa keras di perpustakaan.

Breakdown of Jangan ketawa keras di perpustakaan.

di
in
perpustakaan
the library
jangan
don’t
ketawa
to laugh
keras
loudly
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Questions & Answers about Jangan ketawa keras di perpustakaan.

What does jangan mean, and how is it different from tidak?
  • jangan makes a prohibition: “don’t …”. It’s used for commands/requests not to do something.
  • tidak simply negates a statement (“not”), but it’s not used to tell someone not to do something.
  • So say Jangan ketawa…, not Tidak ketawa….
  • A softer or more formal variant is janganlah (e.g., Janganlah tertawa keras).
Is ketawa the same as tertawa?
  • Meaning: Both mean “to laugh.”
  • Register: ketawa is informal/colloquial; tertawa is standard/more formal.
  • Your sentence is casual. A more neutral/formal version is Jangan tertawa keras di perpustakaan.
Does keras really mean “loudly”? I thought it meant “hard.”
  • keras primarily means “hard/firm,” but with sounds/voices it means “loud.”
  • Indonesian often lets adjectives act adverbially, so ketawa keras = “laugh loudly.”
  • Other common uses: suara keras (a loud voice), musik keras (loud music).
Should it be dengan keras instead of just keras?
  • Both are correct: ketawa keras and ketawa dengan keras.
  • Everyday speech prefers the shorter keras.
  • You’ll also hear the reduplication keras-keras for emphasis: ketawa keras-keras (“really loudly”).
Where does keras go in the sentence?
  • Default is after the verb: ketawa keras.
  • The location phrase can move: Di perpustakaan, jangan ketawa keras is also fine.
  • Putting keras before the verb (e.g., jangan keras ketawa) is not natural; use keras-keras if you front it in casual speech: Jangan keras-keras ketawa (colloquial).
Why is it di perpustakaan and not ke perpustakaan or di dalam perpustakaan?
  • di = at/in (location). ke = to (direction).
  • di perpustakaan = “at/in the library.”
  • di dalam perpustakaan adds “inside” for extra emphasis on being inside the building.
There’s no word for “the.” How do I say “the library” vs “a library”?
  • Indonesian has no articles. perpustakaan can mean “a/the library” from context.
  • To make it clearly specific: perpustakaan itu or perpustakaannya (“that/the library”).
  • To make it clearly indefinite: sebuah perpustakaan (“a library”).
Can I add a subject like “you”?
  • Usually omitted: Jangan ketawa… already implies “you.”
  • For emphasis or clarity: Jangan kamu ketawa keras… (singular “you”), Jangan kalian… (plural). This is stronger, even scolding.
  • For politeness, address by name or title: Tolong jangan tertawa keras, Pak/Bu/Mas/Mbak. Using Anda in imperatives is uncommon.
How can I make this softer or more formal?
  • Softer: Tolong jangan tertawa keras di perpustakaan.
  • Very polite/formal notice: Harap tidak tertawa keras di perpustakaan.
  • Rule-like sign: Dilarang tertawa keras di perpustakaan.
  • Casual softeners: Jangan ketawa keras ya/dong.
Are there common alternatives to express the idea?
  • More general: Jangan berisik di perpustakaan. (“Don’t be noisy.”)
  • Another common choice: Jangan ribut di perpustakaan.
  • Stronger/livelier “laugh out loud”: Jangan tertawa terbahak-bahak di perpustakaan.
Pronunciation tips for the sentence?
  • Jangan: “JAHN-gahn” (a as in “father”).
  • ketawa: “kə-TAH-wah” (the first e is a schwa).
  • keras: “kə-RAHS” (rolled/trilled r).
  • di: “dee”.
  • perpustakaan: “pər-poo-sta-ka-ahn” (break it as per-pus-ta-ka-an; first e is schwa, u like “oo,” clear a-a sequence).
  • Stress typically falls near the end of each word.
Any regional or stylistic notes (e.g., keras vs kencang)?
  • keras is the standard choice for “loud” (sound).
  • In casual speech (especially around Jakarta), people also say kencang/kenceng for “loud,” e.g., jangan ketawa kenceng. It’s informal.
  • For standard/formal contexts, stick with keras.
What’s inside perpustakaan morphologically?
  • Root pustaka = “book/literature.”
  • per- … -an forms a place noun.
  • So perpustakaan literally “place of books” → “library.”