Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Haruskah kita sampaikan salam kepada pemilik kafe itu? - Should we convey greetings to the owner of that cafe?

Harus means “must/have to.” The suffix -kah turns it into a yes–no question, so Haruskah… literally asks “Must we…?” In English it’s often rendered as “Should we…?” If you want a softer “Is it advisable?” use Sebaiknya…, and for “Is it necessary?” use Perlukah….

Why attach -kah to harus? Could I ask the question in other ways?

Attaching -kah to the focused word is a formal/neutral way to form a yes–no question. Alternatives:

Apakah kita harus …? (formal/neutral)
Kita harus …? (colloquial, rely on rising intonation)
Apa kita harus …? (very common colloquial speech)

Is it “Harus kah” or “Haruskah” (one word or two)?

Write it as one word: Haruskah. The clitic -kah attaches to the word it questions.

Why is it sampaikan, not menyampaikan, after harus?

After modals like harus/bisa/ingin, Indonesian often uses the “bare” active verb without the meN- prefix: harus sampaikan, bisa kirim, ingin beli. You can also say Haruskah kita menyampaikan salam…—both are correct. The version without meN- is concise and common in speech; the meN- form feels a bit more formal/explicit.

What exactly does sampaikan salam mean—greet in person or pass on regards?

Sampaikan salam (kepada …) means “convey/pass on (someone’s) regards to …,” typically when the person is absent. If you mean “greet (say hi to) the owner (in person),” use menyapa or mengucapkan salam (context-dependent).

Do I need to say whose greetings they are?

You can add a possessor for clarity:

Sampaikan salam saya/kami kepada … = “Please pass on my/our regards to …” Without it, sampaikan salam often implies “our” or contextually understood regards.

What’s the difference between sampaikan salam, mengucapkan salam, and menyapa?

Sampaikan salam (kepada …): pass along someone’s regards to a third party (usually not present).
Mengucapkan salam (kepada …): utter a greeting; in some contexts it specifically refers to saying the Islamic greeting, but it can be general.
Menyapa (seseorang): to greet/say hi to someone directly.

Why use kepada here? Could I use ke or untuk?

Kepada is the standard preposition for recipients who are people: sampaikan … kepada pemilik …
Ke is more for direction/location, but in casual speech you may hear ke with people.
Untuk means “for,” not “to,” so it’s less precise here (though you’ll hear sampaikan salam untuk … in everyday usage).

In pemilik kafe itu, what does itu modify—“owner” or “café”?

Here itu belongs to kafe itu (“that café”), so pemilik kafe itu means “the owner of that café.” If you needed “that owner (of the café),” you’d clarify differently, e.g., pemilik itu, yang punya kafe itu.

Could I say pemilik dari kafe itu?

It’s understandable, but Indonesian typically expresses “of” relationships by simple juxtaposition: pemilik kafe itu is more natural. Use dari only when needed for clarity in more complex phrases.

What’s the difference between kita and kami here?

Kita = “we” including the listener (you and I).
Kami = “we” excluding the listener. So Haruskah kita …? includes the person you’re talking to. Use kami if you mean “we” but not the addressee.

Can I omit the subject and say Haruskah sampaikan salam …?

Grammatically possible, but it sounds impersonal (“Should [one] convey…”). If you mean “we,” keep kita for clarity: Haruskah kita sampaikan ….

Is there a more polite or softer way to ask than Haruskah …?

Yes:

Perlukah kita …? (Is it necessary?)
Sebaiknya kita … (tidak)? (Would it be advisable for us to …?)
Bagaimana kalau kita …? (How about we …?)
Bolehkah/Bisakah kita …? (May/Can we …?) asks permission/feasibility rather than obligation.

How would I ask this casually in everyday speech?

Common options:

Apa kita harus sampaikan salam ke pemilik kafe itu?
Kita harus sampaikan salam ke pemilik kafe itu, nggak?
Kita perlu nyapa pemilik kafe itu, nggak?

Can I turn it into a statement instead of a question?

Yes:

Kita harus sampaikan salam kepada pemilik kafe itu. (We have to …)
For suggestion: Sebaiknya kita menyapa pemilik kafe itu.

Is the spelling kafe correct? I’ve seen “café.”

In Indonesian, the standard spelling is kafe (no accent). “Café” is the English/French spelling.