Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Tolong jangan menyentuh gawai milik orang lain tanpa izin. - Please don’t touch gadgets belonging to other people without permission.

Tolong literally means please / help (me). In this sentence it softens the command, making Jangan menyentuh… (don’t touch…) sound more polite.

You can drop it and say:

Jangan menyentuh gawai milik orang lain tanpa izin. – Still correct, but sounds more direct/firm.

You can also put Tolong at the end in casual speech:

Jangan menyentuh gawai milik orang lain tanpa izin, tolong. – Feels a bit like “please, ok?”

Why do we use jangan and not tidak for don’t?

In Indonesian, jangan is the standard word for don’t in commands and instructions (negative imperative).

Jangan menyentuh… = Don’t touch… (telling someone not to do something)
Tidak menyentuh… would be part of a statement, not a command, e.g. Dia tidak menyentuh gawai itu. (He/She did not touch that device.)

So for “Don’t do X”, always use jangan + verb.

What is the difference between menyentuh and sentuh?

The base verb is sentuh (touch). Menyentuh is meN- + sentuh, a common verb formation in Indonesian.

menyentuh = to touch (neutral, used in normal sentences)
- Dia menyentuh layar. – She/He touches the screen.
In commands, the bare root sentuh is very common:
- Sentuh layar. – Touch the screen.
- Jangan sentuh itu. – Don’t touch that.

Both Jangan sentuh and Jangan menyentuh can be heard. Jangan sentuh is shorter and very natural in everyday speech; Jangan menyentuh feels a bit more formal or careful.

What exactly is gawai? Can I just say HP or telepon?

Gawai means device / gadget, usually electronic (phone, tablet, laptop, etc.). It’s a relatively formal/standard word, often used in written Indonesian or by speakers who consciously use Indonesian instead of English borrowings.

In everyday speech, people often say:

HP (short for handphone) – very common for mobile phone
ponsel – mobile phone (a bit more formal)
telepon – phone in general, usually phone calls
perangkat – device (more technical/IT contexts)

So a very natural spoken version might be:

Tolong jangan menyentuh HP orang lain tanpa izin.

How does milik orang lain work grammatically?

Milik is a noun meaning ownership / property (of), and it behaves a bit like belonging to.

gawai milik orang lain
- gawai = device
- milik = property belonging to
- orang lain = other people

Literally: device belonging to other people.

You could also say:

gawai orang lain – other people’s device
gawai punya orang lain – more casual, literally “device that someone else owns”

Is milik necessary, or can I leave it out?

You can leave milik out without changing the meaning much:

Tolong jangan menyentuh gawai orang lain tanpa izin.

This is very natural and common. Milik just makes the idea of possession slightly more explicit and formal. In casual speech, gawai orang lain is more likely than gawai milik orang lain.

What does orang lain literally mean? Why not say their?

Orang lain literally means other person / other people. Indonesian often uses nouns instead of pronouns like their.

So:

gawai milik orang lain = the device belonging to other people = other people’s device

Indonesian doesn’t need an explicit their. The combination [noun] + orang lain effectively means somebody else’s [noun].

What does tanpa izin mean, and can it be said differently?

Tanpa izin literally means without permission.

tanpa = without
izin = permission

Some variations:

tanpa ijin – alternate spelling, same pronunciation (less standard)
tanpa seizin pemilik – without the owner’s permission (more formal)
tanpa bertanya dulu – without asking first (more colloquial and concrete)

In this sentence, tanpa izin is the normal, clear way to say without permission.

Is there a subject in this sentence? Where is you?

There is no explicit subject. In commands in Indonesian, you is usually understood from context and left out.

Tolong jangan menyentuh… implicitly means (You) please don’t touch…

If you really want to add you, you could say:

Kamu tolong jangan menyentuh… (informal)
Anda tolong jangan menyentuh… (polite/formal)

But normally, Indonesians just omit the subject in imperatives like this.

How polite or strong does this sentence sound? Is it rude?

Tolong jangan menyentuh gawai milik orang lain tanpa izin. is polite but still clearly a warning / rule.

Tolong softens it: “Please don’t…”
Using full forms (menyentuh, gawai, milik, tanpa izin) sounds neutral–formal, suitable for signs, rules, or polite spoken reminders.

A harsher version would drop tolong and use a shorter verb:

Jangan sentuh gawai orang lain tanpa izin.

A softer, friendlier spoken version might be:

Jangan pegang HP orang lain dulu ya, minta izin dulu.

Can I change the word order, like moving tanpa izin earlier in the sentence?

The natural order is as given:

Tolong jangan menyentuh gawai milik orang lain tanpa izin.

If you move tanpa izin earlier, it starts to sound odd or at least very marked:

Tolong jangan, tanpa izin, menyentuh gawai milik orang lain. – Grammatically understandable, but sounds like you’re pausing for emphasis, more like written rhetoric than normal speech.

So for everyday, correct Indonesian, keep tanpa izin at the end, right after the thing being restricted.

Is gawai singular or plural here? How do you show plural?

Indonesian usually does not mark plural explicitly if it’s clear from context.

Gawai here can mean:

a device or
devices (in general)

If you really want to emphasize plurality, you can use:

gawai-gawai – repetition to show plural (sounds like “devices”)
semua gawai milik orang lain – all devices belonging to other people

But in rules and signs, the singular form gawai naturally includes plural meaning, just like English “Do not touch any device…” can be written as “Do not touch the device…” depending on style.

What would be some more casual or alternative ways to say the same thing?

Here are some natural alternatives with similar meaning:

Jangan pegang HP orang lain tanpa izin.
– Don’t hold/touch other people’s phones without permission. (very common, informal–neutral)
Jangan sembarangan pegang barang orang lain.
– Don’t casually touch other people’s stuff. (more general, less specifically about devices)
Kalau mau pegang HP orang lain, minta izin dulu.
– If you want to handle someone else’s phone, ask permission first. (friendlier, explanatory)

Your original sentence is a good neutral–formal version, suitable for written rules or polite reminders.