Tolong bicara lebih keras agar nenek bisa mengerti.

to understand

Breakdown of Tolong bicara lebih keras agar nenek bisa mengerti.

• agar: so that
• bisa: can
• bicara: to speak

Questions & Answers about Tolong bicara lebih keras agar nenek bisa mengerti.

What does tolong mean here, and is it the same as the verb to help?

In this sentence, tolong works like please at the start of a request.

• As a verb, menolong means to help.
• As a bare form at the beginning of a sentence (Tolong + verb…), it softens a command and turns it into a polite request.

So Tolong bicara lebih keras… ≈ Please speak louder…, not Help speak louder… in English.

Why is there no you in the sentence? Why not Kamu tolong bicara lebih keras?

Indonesian often drops pronouns when the subject is clear from context, especially in commands/requests.

• Bicara lebih keras is an imperative: Speak louder.
• Adding tolong makes it a polite request: (Please) speak louder.
• The you is understood from context (you’re talking to someone directly).

You can say:

• Kamu tolong bicara lebih keras…
• Tolong kamu bicara lebih keras…

but in everyday speech they usually just say Tolong bicara lebih keras….

What is the difference between bicara and berbicara? Could I say Tolong berbicara lebih keras?