Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Sebenarnya saya ingin pulang lebih awal.

It’s a discourse marker meaning roughly actually, in fact, or to be honest. It signals contrast with expectation or softens a potentially face-threatening statement.

Without it: Saya ingin pulang lebih awal. (a plain statement)
With it: Sebenarnya saya ingin pulang lebih awal. (I’m admitting or correcting something; it often prepares the listener for a justification or a gentle disagreement)

Can I move sebenarnya to other positions?

Yes. All of these are natural, with slight differences in emphasis:

Sebenarnya, saya ingin pulang lebih awal. (fronted; comma optional)
Saya sebenarnya ingin pulang lebih awal. (mid-sentence, very common)
Saya ingin pulang lebih awal, sebenarnya. (as a softening tag at the end)

Fronting highlights the contrast from the start; the end position sounds more offhand.

Is sebetulnya or sesungguhnya the same as sebenarnya?

sebetulnya: near-synonym of sebenarnya, often slightly more colloquial/regional in feel; interchangeable in most contexts.
sesungguhnya: more formal/literary/solemn (as in truly/as a matter of fact).
Also common: sejujurnya (to be honest), which highlights honesty rather than factual correction.

Why use saya here instead of aku?

Saya is the polite/neutral first-person pronoun, suitable for formal situations, strangers, or mixed company. Aku is informal and used with friends, family, or peers.

Formal/neutral: Sebenarnya saya ingin pulang lebih awal.
Informal: Sebenernya aku mau pulang lebih awal. Regional/city slang pronouns exist too (e.g., gue in Jakarta), but use them only where appropriate.

What’s the difference between ingin, mau, and pengin/pengen?

ingin: to want; neutral to formal; expresses desire.
mau: to want / going to; very common in everyday speech; can imply intention.
pengen/pingin: very casual/colloquial (often Javanese-influenced). Examples:
Formal-ish: Sebenarnya saya ingin pulang lebih awal.
Casual: Sebenernya aku mau pulang lebih awal.
Very casual: Sebenernya aku pengen pulang duluan.

Do I need untuk after ingin?

No. Ingin can take a verb directly:

Correct: saya ingin pulang
Not needed: ✗ saya ingin untuk pulang

What exactly does pulang mean?

Pulang means go home or return to one’s base/home/origin. It’s intransitive (no direct object). It’s different from:

pergi = to go (to some place)
kembali/balik = to return/go back (to a place you were before), not necessarily home Typical uses:
pulang kerja (leave work to go home)
pulang kampung (return to one’s hometown)

Can I say pulang ke rumah, or is that redundant?

You can. Pulang ke rumah is common and not considered wrong, even though pulang already implies going home. It can add clarity or emphasis.

Go home from the office: pulang dari kantor
Return to the office: kembali/balik ke kantor (not usually pulang ke kantor, unless the office is treated as your “home base” in context)

Is pulang transitive? Can I say pulang something?

No. Pulang is intransitive. If you need a transitive form, use memulangkan (to send someone/something home).

Bos memulangkan karyawan lebih awal. (The boss sent the employees home early.)

What does lebih awal mean exactly?

Lebih marks comparison (more), and awal means early. So lebih awal = earlier (than expected/scheduled/usual). Related:

paling awal/terawal = the earliest
terlalu awal = too early

When should I use lebih awal vs lebih cepat vs lebih dulu/duluan vs terlebih dahulu vs lebih dini?

lebih awal: earlier in time relative to a schedule/expectation. Example: Saya ingin pulang lebih awal dari jadwal.
lebih cepat: sooner (can also mean faster); with pulang, it often means sooner/earlier. Example: Saya ingin pulang lebih cepat.
lebih dulu / duluan: earlier/before others; very common in conversation. Example: Aku pulang duluan, ya.
terlebih dahulu: formal/polite set phrase meaning first/before that. Example: Mohon isi formulir terlebih dahulu.
lebih dini: earlier in a developmental sense (early stage/age), or very early in time (more formal). Example: Deteksi lebih dini.

Can I just say pulang awal?

It’s understood, but in standard Indonesian pulang lebih awal, pulang lebih cepat, or the colloquial pulang duluan sound more natural. Pulang awal is common in Malaysian usage and is heard in Indonesia, but it can sound less standard/formal in Indonesian.

Is the word order saya ingin lebih awal pulang okay?

Prefer Saya ingin pulang lebih awal. The adverbial phrase lebih awal normally follows the verb pulang. Fronting lebih awal is possible only for strong focus in specific contexts; Saya ingin lebih awal pulang is awkward.

How do I show past or future time with this sentence?

Indonesian doesn’t mark tense morphologically; add time words:

Past/earlier today: Sebenarnya tadi saya mau pulang lebih awal, tapi…
Future: Sebenarnya besok saya akan pulang lebih awal.
Later today: Sebenarnya nanti sore saya mau pulang lebih awal.

Should there be a comma after Sebenarnya at the start?

Optional. Sebenarnya, saya… is fine; many writers omit the comma (Sebenarnya saya…) in short sentences. The pause in speech is what matters.

How can I turn this into a polite request for permission?

Add a permission phrase and, often, a reason:

Pak/Bu, sebenarnya saya ingin pulang lebih awal. Apakah boleh?
Mohon izin, saya ingin pulang lebih awal karena kurang sehat. Softer casual versions: Boleh ya kalau aku pulang duluan?

What are natural informal ways to say this?

Sebenernya aku mau pulang duluan.
Aku balik duluan, ya.
Jakarta slang: Gue cabut duluan, ya. Particles like ya, sih, deh, dong can soften or color the tone: Sebenernya aku mau pulang duluan, ya.

Any pronunciation tips for this sentence?

sebenarnya: se-be-nar-nya. Many speakers say it like sebenernya in casual speech; the written standard is sebenarnya.
The rny in -rn‑nya is two sounds: an r plus the palatal nasal ny.
pulang ends with the velar nasal ng (as in singer, not finger).
lebih has a pronounced final h.
awal: the aw is like the vowel in English now.