Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Saya mau menang dalam pertandingan debat besok.

However, in everyday speech, especially with a time word like besok (tomorrow), mau can also sound close to “going to” / “will” in English, because wanting to do something for tomorrow usually implies you intend to do it.

So:

Saya mau menang… = “I want to win…” (primary meaning)
In context, it can feel like: “I really intend to win tomorrow.”

What’s the difference between mau, ingin, and akan here? Can I replace mau?

Yes, you can replace mau, but the nuance changes:

Saya mau menang…
- Neutral, everyday, slightly casual.
- Very common in spoken Indonesian.
Saya ingin menang…
- More formal or polite, less casual than mau.
- Feels a bit more “proper” or thoughtful.
- Good in writing, speeches, or polite conversation.
Saya akan menang…
- Akan is a future marker: “I will win…”
- Sounds like a confident prediction or promise, less about desire.

All are grammatically correct; choice depends on tone: desire (mau/ingin) vs prediction/promise (akan).

Can I leave out besok or move it to another position?

Yes. Besok (tomorrow) is a flexible time adverb.

Possible positions:

Besok saya mau menang dalam pertandingan debat.
Saya besok mau menang dalam pertandingan debat.
Saya mau menang dalam pertandingan debat besok. (your original)

All are natural.
If you omit besok, you just lose the time information: Saya mau menang dalam pertandingan debat. = “I want to win in the debate competition.”

Can I omit Saya? When is that natural?

You can omit Saya if the subject is clear from context, especially in casual speech or writing:

Mau menang dalam pertandingan debat besok.

This would normally be understood as “(I) want to win…”, but without context it could also mean “(someone) wants to win…”. In careful or formal Indonesian, it’s safer to keep Saya. Dropping it feels more casual and conversational.

Why is dalam used here? Could I say di pertandingan debat instead?

Both are possible, but there’s a nuance:

dalam pertandingan debat
- Literally “within the debate competition”.
- Slightly more formal or “bookish”.
- Emphasizes the idea of being in the context of that competition.
di pertandingan debat
- Literally “at the debate competition”.
- More common in everyday speech.
- Sounds very natural and a bit more casual.

So:

Saya mau menang dalam pertandingan debat besok.
Saya mau menang di pertandingan debat besok.

Both are correct; di will probably be what you hear most in speech.

Could I just say Saya mau menang pertandingan debat besok without dalam/di?

Yes, that’s also used in real Indonesian:

Saya mau menang pertandingan debat besok.

Here, menang is treated like “win (something)” directly, so pertandingan debat is its object. This is common in speech, especially in informal contexts.

Three natural options, from more “structured” to more casual:

menang dalam pertandingan debat
menang di pertandingan debat
menang pertandingan debat (no preposition)

Is pertandingan debat the usual way to say “debate competition”? What about lomba debat?

Both are correct, with a slight nuance:

pertandingan debat
- Literally “debate match/competition”.
- Often suggests a more “sport-like” or formal contest, but this is subtle.
lomba debat
- Very common in schools, campuses, and competitions.
- Many Indonesians would probably say this first for “debate competition”.

Your sentence would sound very natural as:

Saya mau menang dalam lomba debat besok.

What kind of verb is menang? Do I ever say menangkan or kemenangan instead?

Menang is an intransitive verb meaning “to win”, but in practice it is often used with an object in casual speech (as in menang pertandingan).

Related forms:

menangkan (transitive): “to win (something)” or “to make someone/something win”
- Saya ingin memenangkan pertandingan debat. = “I want to win the debate competition.”
kemenangan (noun): “victory”
- Saya ingin meraih kemenangan dalam pertandingan debat besok. = “I want to achieve victory in the debate competition tomorrow.”

Your original Saya mau menang… is the most straightforward, everyday way to say it.

Is Saya mau… polite enough, or should I avoid mau in formal situations?

Saya mau… is neutral and acceptable in many contexts, but:

In formal writing, prepared speeches, or polite official contexts, Saya ingin… or more elaborate phrases are preferred:
- Saya ingin menang dalam pertandingan debat besok.
- Saya berharap bisa menang dalam pertandingan debat besok.
In everyday conversation, even in semi-formal settings, Saya mau… is fine and very common.

So you don’t have to “avoid” mau, but switch to ingin or a more formal phrase when you want a more polished tone.

How would I say this more casually, like to friends?

You can make it more casual by:

Using aku instead of saya
Using di instead of dalam
Possibly using lomba debat

For example:

Aku mau menang di lomba debat besok.

That sounds very natural among friends or classmates. In some regions, you might also hear even shorter forms like:

Gue mau menang di lomba debat besok. (Jakarta slang)

There’s no word for “the” in pertandingan debat. How do I say “in the debate competition tomorrow” in Indonesian?

Indonesian doesn’t use articles like “a / an / the”. Context usually shows whether you mean “a” or “the”.

If you want to be explicit that it’s a specific competition, you can add a determiner:

Saya mau menang dalam pertandingan debat besok itu. = “…in that debate competition tomorrow.”
Saya mau menang dalam pertandingan debat besok ini. = “…in this debate competition tomorrow.”

But in most contexts, pertandingan debat besok will already be understood as “the debate competition tomorrow” that both speakers know about.

How is future time expressed here? There’s no separate future tense like English “will”.

Indonesian does not have verb conjugation for tense. Future time is shown by:

Time words: besok (tomorrow), nanti (later), minggu depan (next week), etc.
Optional future marker akan.

In your sentence, besok is enough to show it’s in the future. You could also say:

Saya akan menang dalam pertandingan debat besok.

Both are future; the difference is mostly nuance (desire vs prediction), not grammar.