Tolong lap meja di ruang tamu.

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Breakdown of Tolong lap meja di ruang tamu.

• ruang tamu: the living room
• tolong: please
• meja: the table

Questions & Answers about Tolong lap meja di ruang tamu.

What does the word order tell me? Is this an imperative?

Yes. Starting with Tolong makes it a polite request. The verb lap comes first (no subject stated), so it reads as a direct instruction/request: Tolong lap meja di ruang tamu.

What exactly does tolong do? Is it just “please”?

Tolong literally means “help (me)” and is used to soften an instruction into a polite request. Without it, Lap meja di ruang tamu feels blunt. You can also put it after the clause for a softer tone: Lap meja di ruang tamu, tolong.

Is lap a verb or a noun here?

A verb: “to wipe.” The base word lap is also a noun meaning “cleaning cloth,” but in commands the bare root commonly functions as a verb: lap meja = “wipe the table.”

Can I use mengelap instead of lap?

Yes. Tolong mengelap meja di ruang tamu is grammatical and a bit more “standard/formal.” In everyday speech, the bare verb is more common: Tolong lap meja… Colloquially you’ll also hear Tolong ngelap meja…

Is melap correct?