Jangan terlalu banyak garam; saya sudah kenyang.

to be

Breakdown of Jangan terlalu banyak garam; saya sudah kenyang.

• saya: I
• sudah: already
• terlalu: too

Questions & Answers about Jangan terlalu banyak garam; saya sudah kenyang.

Why is it jangan, not tidak or bukan?

Use jangan to tell someone not to do something (negative imperative). Tidak negates verbs/adjectives in statements, and bukan negates nouns/identities.

• Command: Jangan terlalu banyak garam.
• Statement: Saya tidak suka garam.
• Identification: Ini bukan garam.

There’s no verb in Jangan terlalu banyak garam. Is that okay?

Yes. Indonesian often omits obvious verbs in commands when the action is clear from context (here: use/add/put). The implied verb could be pakai, taruh/masukkan, tambah/tambahkan, or kasih. If you want it explicit: Jangan pakai terlalu banyak garam or Jangan tambahkan garam terlalu banyak.

What are the most natural everyday ways to say this?

Common, natural options include:

• Jangan kebanyakan garam.
• Garamnya jangan terlalu banyak.
• Jangan pakai/masukin garam terlalu banyak. (colloquial; standard: masukkan) In recipes you’ll also see: Garam secukupnya or the imperative Garami secukupnya (“salt to taste”).

Where does terlalu banyak go, and what does mean?