Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Kemeja itu perlu disetrika; kausmu juga. - That shirt needs to be ironed; your T-shirt too.

In Indonesian, demonstratives like itu (that/the) come after the noun. So kemeja itu means “that shirt” or “the shirt (already known in context).” If you said itu kemeja, it would more likely be an identification like “that is a shirt,” which doesn’t fit here.

Why is the passive disetrika used instead of an active form?

Indonesian often uses the passive to highlight the thing affected and leave the doer unspecified, especially for chores. Kemeja itu perlu disetrika focuses on the shirt needing ironing. An active version would be Kamu perlu menyetrika kemeja itu (you need to iron the shirt), which shifts the focus to the person doing it.

If I want to mention the doer, how can I do it?

You have a few options:

Passive Type 2: Kemeja itu perlu kamu setrika. (very natural)
Active: Kamu perlu menyetrika kemeja itu.
With an agent after passive: Kemeja itu perlu disetrika oleh… This is grammatical but sounds formal or heavy in everyday speech unless the agent is important.

What’s the difference between perlu and harus here?

perlu = “need/necessary” (practical need, advisable)
harus = “must/have to” (obligation/requirement, stronger) So perlu disetrika is milder than harus disetrika.

Is perlu untuk disetrika correct?

You’ll hear it, but the most natural phrasing is simply perlu disetrika. Perlu untuk + verb is usually avoided in everyday speech; use perlu + di-verb instead.

What does the semicolon with kausmu juga do?

The semicolon links two closely related clauses. Kausmu juga is ellipsis for Kausmu juga [perlu disetrika]. You can also write a comma or make it full: Kausmu juga perlu disetrika.

What does kausmu mean morphologically?

kaus = T‑shirt
-mu = your (second person, informal/neutral) So kausmu = “your T‑shirt.” The clitic -mu attaches directly to the noun (no space). A more formal version is kaus Anda; another neutral option is kaus kamu.

What’s the difference between kemeja and kaus?

kemeja = a collared, button-up shirt (dress shirt)
kaus = a T‑shirt So the sentence contrasts two different kinds of tops.

Can I write kaosmu instead of kausmu?

Yes. Kaus is the standard spelling; kaos is very common in everyday writing and speech. Both are widely understood.

Why is it disetrika and not something like diseterika or menyetri…?

The noun is setrika (iron).
Passive: di- + setrika → disetrika (one word).
Active: meN- + setrika → menyetrika (the s assimilates: se- → nye-). Colloquially you’ll hear nyetrika for the active. The form diseterika is a nonstandard spelling.

Could I say disetrikakan or disetrikain?

disetrikakan (with -kan) often implies “to have something ironed” (causative) and can feel formal/less common here.
disetrikain is colloquial Jakarta-style morphology. In standard Indonesian, stick with disetrika.

Is the word order perlu disetrika fixed? Could I say disetrika perlu?

Keep it as perlu disetrika. Perlu comes before the verb phrase it modifies. Disetrika perlu sounds unnatural. Fronting for emphasis like Perlu disetrika kemeja itu can occur but is stylistic.

How do I negate or add aspect words?

Negation: tidak perlu disetrika (doesn’t need to be ironed).
Already: sudah disetrika (has already been ironed).
Not yet: belum disetrika.
Still: masih perlu disetrika.

Can I use pun instead of juga?

Yes, pun is a bit more formal/literary: Kemeja itu perlu disetrika; kausmu pun [begitu]. In everyday speech, juga is more common. Placement differs: X juga vs X pun (pun tightly follows the word).

Is there any spacing rule with di here?

Yes. The passive prefix di- attaches to a verb with no space: disetrika. The preposition di meaning “at/on/in” is written separately: di meja (on the table).

Could I simply repeat the verb phrase instead of ellipsis?

Absolutely: Kemeja itu perlu disetrika; kausmu juga perlu disetrika. The original just omits the repeated part for brevity.

Is there an alternative verb to mean “iron,” like gosok?

Some regions say (di)gosok for ironing clothes, but in Indonesian gosok also means “rub/polish,” so it can be ambiguous. (di)setrika is the safest, unambiguous choice for ironing garments.

How would I ask this as a question?

Apakah kemeja itu perlu disetrika?
Perlukah kemeja itu disetrika? Both are natural yes/no question forms.

Is using -mu polite?

-mu is neutral to informal and fine among peers. For more formality or politeness (to strangers, superiors), use Anda: kaus Anda. You can also avoid direct possession altogether if needed, e.g., Kausnya (the/that T-shirt) depending on context.