Tolong lengkapi formulir ini sebelum rapat dimulai.

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Breakdown of Tolong lengkapi formulir ini sebelum rapat dimulai.

• sebelum: before
• rapat: the meeting
• dimulai: to start

Questions & Answers about Tolong lengkapi formulir ini sebelum rapat dimulai.

What does tolong literally mean here, and how polite is it compared to English please?

Tolong literally means help (as a verb or noun), but at the start of a sentence like Tolong lengkapi formulir ini… it functions as a polite request marker, roughly please.

Nuances:

• Tolong = “please (help by doing X)”. It implies you’re asking for someone’s help, not giving an order.
• It’s neutral and widely used in both spoken and written Indonesian.
• Slightly more urgent/appealing than English please; it can sound like “please, do help with this”.
• More formal alternatives:
  • Harap lengkapi formulir ini… – very formal, like “Kindly complete this form…”
  • Mohon lengkapi formulir ini… – also formal, often used in official written announcements.

So tolong is polite and perfectly acceptable, especially in semi-formal contexts and everyday situations.

Why is there no word for you (like Anda or kamu) in this sentence?