Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Tolong taruh piring kotor di wastafel.

Tolong literally means help, but before a verb it works like please. It makes a request sound polite and cooperative. It’s neutral and widely used in speech. More formal is mohon (often in notices or formal writing), while silakan is more like you may/please go ahead and is used to give permission or invite someone to do something.

Why is there no subject pronoun? Who is being asked?

Indonesian imperatives normally drop the subject; it’s understood to be you. If you need to specify or adjust politeness, you can add a pronoun or name: Tolong taruh …, kamu/Anda/Mas/Mbak/Pak/Bu. Adding a name or kinship term is common and polite.

What’s the difference between taruh, menaruh, letakkan, and meletakkan?

taruh is the basic, very common everyday verb put/place. It’s perfect for conversation and imperatives.
menaruh is the active, more formal variant; you’d use it in narration: Dia menaruh piring…
letakkan is an imperative with a slightly more formal tone than taruh.
meletakkan is the active formal verb to place.
All four mean place/put, but taruh is the most casual and frequent in speech.

Why is it di wastafel and not ke wastafel?

Use di to mark the final location (at/in/on). With placement verbs like taruh/letakkan, you specify where the object ends up, so di is right. Use ke to emphasize movement toward a place, often with verbs like bawa (bring) or pergi (go): bawa piring kotor ke dapur.

Is wastafel the right word for a kitchen sink?

Many Indonesians use wastafel mainly for a bathroom sink. For a kitchen sink, you’ll also hear bak cuci piring, tempat cuci piring, or wastafel dapur. In daily speech, people will still understand wastafel, but bak cuci piring is unambiguous for the kitchen.

Why is it piring kotor and not kotor piring?

In Indonesian, adjectives usually follow the noun, so piring kotor is the normal order. You can add yang for emphasis or specificity: piring yang kotor (the ones that are dirty), often used when contrasting with clean ones.

How do I show singular or plural here?

Indonesian does not require plural marking. piring kotor can mean a dirty plate or dirty plates. To be explicit, use a number (dua piring kotor), semua (semua piring kotor), or reduplication (piring-piring kotor) for emphasis on plurality.

Can I omit Tolong? How does that change the tone?

Yes: Taruh piring kotor di wastafel is a plain command and can sound more direct. Tolong softens it. In casual speech, you can also soften with particles like ya or dong: Taruh piring kotor di wastafel, ya.

I’ve heard taruhin or taro. Are those acceptable?

In colloquial Jakarta Indonesian, you’ll hear taruh pronounced like taro and the colloquial causative taruhin (put something somewhere). They’re fine in informal settings. In standard or written Indonesian, stick to taruh.

What’s the deal with di as a separate word vs attached to verbs?

When di means at/in/on (a preposition), it’s written separately: di wastafel. When it’s the passive prefix, it attaches to the verb: ditaruh. A soft passive request is possible: Tolong piring kotor ditaruh di wastafel.

How do I pronounce taruh and wastafel?

taruh: ta-ruh; the final h is lightly audible in standard speech, though many speakers drop it in casual talk (taro).
wastafel: was-TA-fel; the a as in father, stress typically on the second syllable.

Does di here mean in, on, or at?

di can cover in/on/at depending on the noun. With wastafel, it usually means in the sink or at the sink. If you need to be explicit, use di dalam (inside) or di atas (on top of): di dalam wastafel, di atas wastafel.

Is Silakan taruh piring kotor di wastafel correct?

Yes, but the nuance is different. Silakan invites or grants permission, so it fits signs or customer-facing contexts (Please go ahead and put…). For everyday requests among family or coworkers, Tolong… sounds more like a request for help and is more common.

How can I make this very formal or very casual?

Very formal/polite: Mohon taruh piring kotor di bak cuci piring, ya, Pak/Bu. or Bisa tolong taruh piring kotor di bak cuci piring, Pak/Bu?
Very casual: Taro piring kotor di wastafel, ya.

Can I use -nya to mean the dirty dishes (the ones we both know about)?

Yes. piring kotornya can mark definiteness or shared knowledge: Tolong taruh piring kotornya di wastafel. It often implies the specific dirty plate(s) we’ve been referring to.