Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Tolong tutup pintu, ya.

tolong – please / help (by doing something)
tutup – close (imperative verb: close!)
pintu – door
ya – a softening particle, roughly like okay?, will you?, or a gentle yeah at the end of a request

So a very literal sense is: “Please close (the) door, okay?”

Why is there no word for “you” in this sentence?

Indonesian often omits the subject when it’s clear from context, especially with imperatives (commands/requests).

English: Please close the door (you).
Indonesian: Tolong tutup pintu.
→ The “you” is understood: the person being spoken to.

Adding kamu, Anda, etc. would sound either unusually explicit or even rude in many everyday contexts:

Tolong tutup pintu, kamu. – Can sound scolding or irritated.
Tolong tutup pintu, Anda. – Very formal and can sound stiff or a bit distant.

So the most natural polite request is simply without an explicit “you”.

What is the role of tolong here? Is it the same as “please” in English?

Tolong literally means help (me/us), but in usage it functions very similarly to “please”, especially when you put it before a verb:

Tolong tutup pintu. – Please close the door.

Nuances:

It frames the action as helping the speaker:
Help (me) by closing the door.
It’s polite but still fairly neutral and very common in everyday speech.
Grammatically, it’s followed by a verb phrase:
- Tolong buka jendela. – Please open the window.
- Tolong matikan lampu. – Please turn off the light.

You normally don’t use tolong for things the speaker themself is doing; it’s specifically asking someone else to do something for you.

What does the particle ya do at the end of the sentence? Can I just say “Tolong tutup pintu.”?

Ya at the end is a softening and friendly particle. In this kind of request, it:

Makes the tone warmer and more casual.
Can carry a nuance of seeking agreement: okay? / alright?
Often signals that the speaker expects the listener will comply, but in a gentle way.

Compare:

Tolong tutup pintu.
– Polite, neutral, can sound a bit more direct or matter‑of‑fact.
Tolong tutup pintu, ya.
– Polite and friendly/soft; very common in speech.

You can absolutely say it without ya; it’s still polite. Adding ya just adds a friendlier tone, especially in informal or semi‑formal contexts.

Is this sentence formal, informal, or something in between?

Tolong tutup pintu, ya. is:

Polite, but
Informal to semi‑formal.

You can use it:

With friends, family, classmates, coworkers.
To people you don’t know well, in everyday contexts (cafés, shops, offices).

In a very formal written context (e.g., an official announcement), you’d usually avoid the ya and restructure the sentence:

Mohon pintu ditutup. – Please have the door closed. (formal, impersonal)
Dimohon untuk menutup pintu. – More official announcement style.

Why is it pintu and not pintunya? What’s the difference?

Both are possible, but the nuance changes slightly:

Tolong tutup pintu, ya.
– Please close the door. (generic/neutral “the door” that is understood from context)
Tolong tutup pintunya, ya.
– Literally Please close the door‑nya, okay?
– -nya adds a sense of “that specific door we both know” or can make it sound slightly more colloquial and “definite”.

In everyday conversation, both are very common. Pintunya often feels a bit more pointed or context‑anchored, like:

You’re pointing at the door.
It’s obvious which door (e.g., the only open door in the room).

For a basic learner sentence, pintu (without -nya) is perfectly fine and natural.

Is the comma before ya necessary? Does it change anything?

In writing:

Many people do write a comma before ya:
- Tolong tutup pintu, ya.
It reflects the natural pause in speech:
Tolong tutup pintu (pause) ya.

Functionally:

Whether you write the comma or not, the meaning doesn’t change.
With or without the comma, ya is still a sentence-final particle that softens the request.

So:

Tolong tutup pintu, ya.
Tolong tutup pintu ya.

Both are acceptable; the version with the comma is usually clearer in writing.

Could I say “Tolong pintu ditutup.” or “Tolong pintunya ditutup.” instead? What’s the difference?

Yes, and these are also natural:

Tolong tutup pintu.
– Imperative with active verb: Please close the door.
Focus: You (listener) doing the action.
Tolong pintu ditutup.
– Passive‑like/impersonal structure: Please (have) the door closed.
Focus: The door ending up closed, not who does it.
Tolong pintunya ditutup.
– Same structure as (2), but with pintunya:
- Emphasizes that particular door we both have in mind.
- Sounds a bit more colloquial and very common in speech.

Nuance:

(1) is a direct request to the listener.
(2) and (3) feel a bit more impersonal or less directly targeted at “you”, which can sound more polite in some contexts.

Can I say “Tolong tutupkan pintu.”? Is tutupkan correct?

In everyday usage, tutupkan here is unusual and often sounds odd or overly bookish.

In Indonesian:

tutup is already fine as a verb meaning to close.
The suffix ‑kan can:
- mark a causative (make something happen),
- or mark that the action is done for someone else’s benefit.

But for simple everyday requests like this, native speakers almost always say:

Tolong tutup pintu.
not
Tolong tutupkan pintu.

You do find tutupkan in some other structures (e.g., in certain formal or written styles), but as a learner, for speaking, it’s safest to stick with tutup here.

Is this the only way to say “Please close the door”, or are there softer/more indirect alternatives?

There are several common variants, each slightly different in politeness/softness:

Bisa tolong tutup pintu?
– Can (you) please close the door?
– Indirect, soft, very common in conversation.
Boleh tutup pintu, ya?
– Literally: Is it allowed (if we) close the door, okay?
– Can mean Would you mind closing the door? or Is it okay if I/you close the door? depending on context.
Tolong pintunya ditutup, ya.
– As discussed: a bit more impersonal, focus on the door getting closed.
Mohon tutup pintu.
– More formal/polite, used in announcements or written notices.

Tolong tutup pintu, ya. is already polite and normal; the others just tweak the tone, especially in terms of indirectness and formality.

How would I say “Please don’t close the door” in Indonesian?

You make a negative request by adding jangan (don’t) before the verb:

Tolong jangan tutup pintu.
– Please don’t close the door.

You can still add ya at the end to soften it:

Tolong jangan tutup pintu, ya.

Structure:

tolong – please
jangan – don’t
tutup – close
pintu – door

Does ya here mean the same as “yeah/yes” in English, or is it different?

Related, but not the same.

In Indonesian, ya can function in several ways:

As “yes”:
- A: Sudah makan? – Have you eaten?
- B: Ya. – Yes.
As a sentence-final particle (as in your sentence):
- Tolong tutup pintu, ya.
  Here it doesn’t literally mean “yes”.
  It:
  - softens the request,
  - adds friendliness,
  - roughly corresponds to “okay?” / “yeah?” / “all right?” in tone.

Indonesian speakers understand the difference purely from position and context. Here, at the end of a request, it’s functioning as a softening tag, not a direct “yes” answer.