Tolong lap meja di ruang tamu.

Please wipe the table in the living room.

Breakdown of Tolong lap meja di ruang tamu.

• di: in
• ruang tamu: the living room
• tolong: please
• meja: the table
• lap: to wipe

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?

You may hear melap, but the widely accepted standard active form is mengelap. For imperatives, the bare root lap is perfectly natural.

Why is di written separately in di ruang tamu?

Because here di is a preposition meaning “at/in,” and prepositions are written separately: di ruang tamu. When di- is a passive verb prefix, it attaches to the verb: dilap (“is/was wiped”), e.g., Tolong dilap mejanya.

Active vs passive: what’s the difference between Tolong lap… and Tolong dilap…?

• Tolong lap meja di ruang tamu (active): “Please wipe the table… (you do it).”
• Tolong dilap mejanya (di ruang tamu) (passive): “Please have the table wiped.” This puts the focus on the table and can feel slightly more indirect/polite.

How do I specify exactly which table?

Use determiners or a relative clause:

• Tolong lap meja itu di ruang tamu. (“that/the table”)
• Tolong lap mejanya di ruang tamu. (the specific/known table; -nya marks definiteness)
• Tolong lap meja yang di ruang tamu. (“the table that is in the living room”)

How do I talk about more than one table?

• Tolong lap semua meja di ruang tamu. (all the tables; most natural)
• Tolong lap meja-meja di ruang tamu. (reduplication to mark plural)

How can I soften the request further?

• Bisa tolong lap meja di ruang tamu? (Could you please…?)
• Tolong lap meja di ruang tamu ya. (soft, friendly)
• Tolong lap meja di ruang tamu dong. (informal/friendly) Very formal/written: Mohon dibantu untuk mengelap meja di ruang tamu.

What’s the difference between tolong and silakan?

• Tolong = please (help by doing X). It asks someone to do something.
• Silakan = please (go ahead/you’re welcome to). It gives permission or invites. Silakan lap meja… sounds like “Feel free to wipe the table,” not a request to do it.

Do I need to say “you” (kamu/Anda)?

No. Imperatives normally omit the subject. You can add a vocative for clarity/politeness: Pak/Bu, tolong lap meja di ruang tamu. Adding kamu can sound scolding: Tolong kamu lap…

How do I say “Don’t wipe the table in the living room”?

Jangan lap meja di ruang tamu.
Softer: Tolong jangan lap meja di ruang tamu dulu. (“please don’t … yet”)

Is there ambiguity about whether the table is in the living room vs doing the action there?

Slightly. Disambiguate like this:

• Table located there: Tolong lap meja yang di ruang tamu.
• Do the wiping there (on a specific table): Tolong lap meja itu di ruang tamu.
  You can also front the place for clarity: Di ruang tamu, tolong lap meja itu.

Where else can I put the place phrase?

Natural options:

• Neutral: Tolong lap meja di ruang tamu.
• Fronted (set the scene): Di ruang tamu, tolong lap meja.
  Avoid splitting verb and object in unnatural ways.

What’s the difference between ruang tamu, ruang keluarga, and ruangan?

• Ruang tamu = living room (where you receive guests). Set phrase.
• Ruang keluarga = family room/den (more private).
• Ruangan means “an enclosed room/space” in general; ruangan tamu is not the standard term for “living room.” Use ruang tamu.

Any quick pronunciation tips?

• tolong: to-long, final ng as in “song.”
• lap: “lahp” (short a as in “father”).
• meja: MEH-jah (j as in “jump”; the e is a schwa).
• ruang: roo-ahng (two syllables, ng as in “song”).
• tamu: TAH-moo.
  Stress is usually on the penultimate syllable.

Why not ke or pada instead of di?

• di = at/in (location): di ruang tamu.
• ke = to/toward (movement): ke ruang tamu.
• pada = “to/at” for abstract recipients, times, or certain nouns, not for physical location like a room here.

How do I add time to say when to do it?

Just add a time word:

• Tolong lap meja di ruang tamu sekarang. (now)
• Tolong lap meja di ruang tamu nanti. (later)
• Tolong lap meja di ruang tamu sebentar lagi. (in a moment)