Tolong simpan kunci cadangan di laci bawah.

Please store the spare key in the bottom drawer.

Breakdown of Tolong simpan kunci cadangan di laci bawah.

• di: in
• simpan: to store
• tolong: please
• laci: the drawer
• bawah: bottom
• kunci cadangan: the spare key

Questions & Answers about Tolong simpan kunci cadangan di laci bawah.

What does the word bolded as Tolong do here? Is it the same as “please,” and how polite is it?

Tolong softens an imperative and is the most common way to say “please (help to…)” in Indonesian. Without it, Simpan kunci cadangan di laci bawah sounds more direct/blunt. Variants:

• Bisa tolong simpan…? more tentative/polite (“Could you please…”).
• Mohon simpan… formal/written.
• Harap simpan… sign-like/instructional.
• Silakan invites someone to do something, not a request for help, so it doesn’t fit here.

Why is there no subject like “you”? Do I need Anda or kamu?

Indonesian often drops the subject, especially in imperatives. Simpan… already implies “(You) keep…”. Adding a pronoun is possible but changes the tone:

• Anda makes it formal and can feel stiff: Tolong Anda simpan… (rare).
• Kamu is casual and can sound too direct: Kamu simpan…. Most natural: leave the subject out or use Bisa tolong… to keep it polite.

Why is the verb in the base form simpan and not menyimpan?

In imperatives, Indonesian commonly uses the bare root: simpan!. Use menyimpan when you state who is doing it in a normal declarative:

• Imperative: Tolong simpan kunci cadangan…
• Declarative: Saya menyimpan kunci cadangan… You can add -lah to soften a command: Simpanlah… (polite, slightly formal).

What’s the nuance difference between simpan, taruh, and letakkan?

• simpan = keep/store (often implies safekeeping or longer term).
• taruh = put/place (neutral, everyday).
• letakkan = place/put down (a bit more formal/literary than taruh). All work here, but simpan suggests “keep it there (so it’s safe/available).”

Why is it di laci bawah and not ke laci bawah?

di marks location (in/at/on). ke marks movement toward. With verbs that inherently place something, Indonesian usually names the final location with di:

• Simpan/Taruh di laci bawah = put/keep in the bottom drawer. Use ke if the verb itself means “put into/into”:
• Masukkan kunci cadangan ke laci bawah = insert/put the key into the drawer.

Does di laci bawah mean “in the bottom drawer” or “under the drawer”? I get confused with bawah.

• di laci bawah = in the bottom drawer (the lower drawer in a stack).
• di bawah laci = under the drawer (outside, beneath it). So the sentence says “in the bottom drawer,” not “under the drawer.”

Is laci bawah definitely the lowest drawer? Do I need paling?

laci bawah usually means “the lower/bottom drawer” (in contrast with an upper one). If there are many drawers and you want the absolute lowest, say:

• laci paling bawah (safest, unambiguous).
• Alternatives: laci terbawah, laci bagian bawah.

What exactly does kunci cadangan mean? Are there other common ways to say “spare key”?

kunci cadangan = spare/backup key (neutral/standard). Common alternatives:

• kunci serep (very common, informal/colloquial).
• kunci duplikat (duplicate key; focuses on the fact it’s a copy). All are understood; cadangan is safest in neutral contexts.

How do I show “the” vs “a” and singular vs plural with kunci?

Indonesian doesn’t mark definiteness or plural by default. kunci cadangan can mean “the spare key” or “a spare key,” singular or plural, depending on context. To be explicit:

• Definite: kunci cadangannya, kunci cadangan itu.
• Singular: satu kunci cadangan.
• Plural: beberapa kunci cadangan.

Can I add di dalam for “inside,” like “inside the bottom drawer”?

Yes. di dalam laci bawah emphasizes the inside. Both are natural:

• di laci bawah (normal).
• di dalam laci bawah (adds emphasis on “inside”).

Is di here the preposition or the passive prefix? How can I tell?

Here, di is a preposition, so it’s written separately: di laci. The passive prefix di- attaches to a verb: disimpan (“is/was kept”). Compare:

• Preposition: di laci bawah
• Passive: Kunci cadangan disimpan di laci bawah

Could I phrase this more formally or impersonally?

Yes:

• Tolong disimpan di laci paling bawah. (impersonal passive; very natural request)
• Mohon/Harap simpan di laci paling bawah. (formal/signage tone)
• Kunci cadangan harap disimpan di laci paling bawah. (notice-style)

Can I soften it further with sentence-final particles like ya or dong?

Yes:

• Tolong simpan…, ya. friendly, checking alignment.
• Tolong simpan…, dong. casual/colloquial, persuasive; avoid in formal settings.
• …deh can signal “just do it, OK?”—very informal.

What’s the passive version if I want to avoid addressing “you”?

• Tolong disimpan di laci bawah.
• Or with the object: Tolong kunci cadangan disimpan di laci bawah. These focus on the action/result rather than the doer.

How is each word pronounced?

• Tolong: TOH-long (o as in “told”; ng as in “sing”).
• simpan: SEEM-pahn (caution: final -an is a schwa-like a).
• kunci: KOON-chee (c = “ch”).
• cadangan: chah-DAHNG-ahn.
• laci: LAH-chee.
• bawah: BAH-wah.

Is laci di bawah okay too?

laci di bawah literally means “the drawer that’s below (something),” so it’s more like a relative phrase and can be ambiguous without a reference point. For “the bottom drawer (of this unit),” use laci bawah or laci paling bawah. Another option is laci yang bawah (“the one that’s at the bottom”) in a two-choice context.

I’ve seen anak kunci elsewhere. Should I use it?

In Indonesian, kunci alone is the normal word for a key. anak kunci is common in Malay; in Indonesian it’s understood but uncommon/old-fashioned in everyday speech. Stick to kunci (cadangan).