Breakdown of Saya menitipkan kunci ke tetangga karena ada urusan keluarga.
saya
I
karena
because
ke
to
kunci
the key
tetangga
the neighbor
ada
there is
menitipkan
to entrust
urusan keluarga
the family matter
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Questions & Answers about Saya menitipkan kunci ke tetangga karena ada urusan keluarga.
What does menitipkan mean exactly, and how is it different from titip or memberikan?
- titip = to entrust/leave something with someone for safekeeping (temporary; you expect it back).
- menitipkan = the formal/transitive form of titip; pattern: menitipkan [thing] (kepada/ke) [person].
- memberikan = to give (transfer possession), not necessarily temporary.
- Morphology: meN- + titip + -kan → menitipkan. The initial t of titip drops after meN- (standard sound change), leaving menitip-, then add -kan.
Why is ke used before tetangga? Can I use kepada, pada, or sama?
- All are possible with slightly different register:
- Formal/standard: menitipkan X kepada/pada Y.
- Everyday speech: titip/menitipkan X ke Y (very common).
- Very colloquial: titip X sama Y.
- In careful writing, prefer kepada when the “destination” is a person.
Can I drop -kan and just say Saya titip kunci ke tetangga?
- Yes. Saya titip kunci ke tetangga is natural and a bit more casual.
- Very casual speech often uses nitip or the colloquial suffix -in: Saya nitip/titipin kunci ke tetangga.
What’s the difference between menitipkan and menitipi?
- With -kan, the direct object is the thing: Saya menitipkan kunci kepada tetangga.
- With -i, the direct object is the recipient/place: Saya menitipi tetangga kunci (grammatical but rare/old-fashioned).
- In practice, speakers prefer either the -kan version or a passive with -i on the recipient: Tetangga saya dititipi kunci.
How would I say this in the passive?
- Long passive (di-): Kunci dititipkan ke/kepada tetangga (oleh saya) karena ada urusan keluarga.
- Short passive/topicalization: Kunci saya titipkan ke tetangga karena ada urusan keluarga. Both are common; the short version sounds very natural.
Do I need to say tetangga saya to mean my neighbor?
- tetangga by itself is ambiguous (a/the neighbor). Indonesian doesn’t mark definiteness.
- To be explicit: tetangga saya (my neighbor), tetangga itu (that/the neighbor), or seorang tetangga (a neighbor, introducing someone).
- If you mean the neighbor’s place: ke rumah tetangga.
Is kunci singular or plural here? How do I make it clear?
- kunci could be one or many; context decides.
- To specify:
- One: satu/sebuah kunci.
- Several: beberapa kunci, dua/3 dst. kunci.
- Reduplication (kunci-kunci) is possible but less common than using numbers/quantifiers.
How do I show past, present, or future time?
- Indonesian is tenseless; add time/aspect words:
- Past/completed: sudah, tadi, kemarin, barusan.
- Future/intended: akan, nanti, mau (about to/intend).
- Example: Saya sudah menitipkan kunci…, Saya akan menitipkan kunci….
Why use ada in karena ada urusan keluarga? Could I say saya punya?
- ada is existential (“there is/are”), a neutral way to state a reason: “because there is a family matter.”
- saya punya urusan keluarga sounds a bit more personal/possessive and is also fine in speech.
- You can also say karena saya ada urusan keluarga; adding the subject is optional.
What’s the nuance difference between urusan keluarga, masalah keluarga, and acara keluarga?
- urusan keluarga = family matter/affair (neutral; often used as a polite reason).
- masalah keluarga = a family problem (implies difficulty/issue).
- acara keluarga = a family event/occasion (e.g., gathering, ceremony).
Is karena the only way to say “because”? What about sebab or gara-gara?
- karena = neutral, most common.
- sebab = more formal/literary; interchangeable with karena in meaning.
- gara-gara = colloquial and often implies blame/negative cause; avoid in neutral/formal contexts.
Can I put the reason first? Do I need a comma?
- Yes: Karena ada urusan keluarga, saya menitipkan kunci ke tetangga.
- When the reason clause comes first, use a comma. When it comes after, a comma is usually omitted.
Should it be ke tetangga or ke rumah tetangga?
- ke tetangga focuses on the recipient (the person).
- ke rumah tetangga specifies the location (to the neighbor’s house). Use this if you want to emphasize where you left the key.
How do I avoid repeating kunci if it’s already known?
- Use the clitic -nya: Saya menitipkannya ke tetangga… Here, -nya replaces “the key” that’s understood from context.