Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Tolong ambilkan arsip rapat dari laci bawah. - Please get the meeting archive from the bottom drawer.

Yes—tolong is the usual way to say “please” when you’re asking someone to do something for you. It frames the request as asking for help, which softens the imperative. It’s not the same as silakan (which is “please, go ahead”). For more formal or deferential requests, you might hear Bisa tolong …?, Mohon …, or Minta tolong ….

Why ambilkan and not just ambil? What does -kan do here?

The suffix -kan on ambil makes it a benefactive: ambilkan = “take/fetch something for someone.” Plain ambil is just “take.” So Tolong ambilkan … implies “please fetch (it) for me (or someone),” whereas Tolong ambil … is a bit more neutral/direct about the action.

Where is the “for me” part in the Indonesian? It’s not written.

It’s implied by -kan and the context: by default, the beneficiary is the speaker. To make it explicit, you can say:

Tolong ambilkan saya arsip rapat dari laci bawah.
Tolong ambilkan arsip rapat dari laci bawah untuk saya.

If I include both the person and the thing, what’s the natural word order?

Two common patterns:

Double-object: Ambilkan saya arsip itu. (Recipient right after the verb.)
Prepositional: Ambilkan arsip itu untuk saya. (Use untuk
- recipient.) Both are fine; the untuk version is very clear, especially with longer noun phrases.

Can I say di laci bawah instead of dari laci bawah?

Both occur in real life. Dari marks the source (“from the bottom drawer”), which matches a “taking” verb. Di states the location of the action (“take it there, at the bottom drawer”). In careful or formal Indonesian, dari is crisper with ambil; in everyday speech, di is also widely used.

Does laci bawah mean “the bottom drawer” exactly? How precise is it?

Laci bawah usually means the lower/bottom drawer in a stack. To be unambiguous (the lowest of several), say laci paling bawah or laci yang paling bawah. If there are only two drawers, laci bawah = the lower one. You’ll also hear laci yang bawah in casual speech.

Does arsip rapat specifically mean meeting “minutes”?

Not necessarily. Arsip rapat is broader—“meeting archive/records/files.” If you mean the minutes, say notulen rapat or risalah rapat. Other options: berkas rapat (meeting files), dokumen rapat (meeting documents).

How do I say “the meeting archives” (definite), not just “meeting archives” in general?

Add itu after the noun phrase: arsip rapat itu. Another common way is using -nya: arsip rapatnya, which often refers to “those particular meeting archives (we both know about).” Note that -nya can also mean “its,” so context matters.

Is ambilkan formal? What about ambilin?

Ambilkan is neutral and fine in both formal and informal contexts. Ambilin (with -in) is colloquial, common in Jakarta/informal speech: Tolong ambilin arsip rapat di laci bawah. Use ambilkan in writing or when you want to sound more standard/polite.

Could I use bawakan instead of ambilkan?

Yes, but the nuance shifts. Ambilkan emphasizes fetching from a place; bawakan emphasizes bringing it (to someone). For example:

Ambilkan arsip rapat dari laci bawah. (Go get it from there, for me.)
Bawakan arsip rapat dari laci bawah. (Bring it for me, from that drawer.)

Other polite ways to phrase the request?

Bisa tolong ambilkan arsip rapat dari laci bawah?
Tolong ambilkan arsip rapat dari laci bawah, ya.
Mohon diambilkan arsip rapat dari laci bawah. (Passive, formal/very polite.)
Minta tolong ambilkan arsip rapat dari laci bawah.

Is it okay to drop tolong?

Yes: Ambilkan arsip rapat dari laci bawah. Without tolong, it’s a straightforward imperative and may sound more like an order. Use tolong (or other softeners) to keep the tone polite.

Can I move the location phrase around?

Yes. Word order is flexible for focus:

Tolong ambilkan arsip rapat dari laci bawah.
Dari laci bawah, tolong ambilkan arsip rapat.
You can also add a relative clause: Tolong ambilkan arsip rapat yang di laci bawah.

How do I make it clearly plural, like “all the meeting archives”?

Use a quantifier or reduplication:

Semua arsip rapat. (all)
Arsip-arsip rapat. (plural by reduplication, more formal/rare in speech) You can combine with definiteness: Semua arsip rapat itu/nya.

How do I show time or urgency (now, later)?

Add time words:

Tolong sekarang ambilkan … (now)
Tolong nanti ambilkan … (later)
For past completion, you’d usually ask/confirm: Arsip rapatnya sudah diambilkan? (Have the meeting archives been fetched?)

What if the beneficiary isn’t me? How do I say “for Ms. Ani,” for example?

Make the beneficiary explicit:

Tolong ambilkan Bu Ani arsip rapat dari laci bawah. (recipient after the verb)
Tolong ambilkan arsip rapat dari laci bawah untuk Bu Ani. (use untuk
- recipient)

Any quick pronunciation tips?

ambilkan: am-bil-kan (the -kan often sounds like “-kən” in casual speech).
arsip: AR-sip (like “arseep” without the long vowel).
rapat: RA-pat (final t is a crisp t).
laci: LA-ci (Indonesian c = “ch”).

Should it be dari or daripada here?

Use dari for a source/origin (“from the bottom drawer”). Daripada is mainly for comparisons (“than”) or certain contrastive choices. It isn’t used in this sentence.