Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Tolong peganglah palu ini, dan saya akan memukul paku perlahan. - Please hold this hammer, and I will hit the nail slowly.

Literally, tolong is a verb meaning “to help”.
But when it comes before another verb (tolong + verb), it’s used as a polite request marker, very similar to “please” in English.

So:

Tolong peganglah palu ini ≈ “Please hold this hammer (for me).”
You’re not literally saying “Help hold this hammer,” but “Please hold this hammer.”

You will see tolong used before imperatives a lot:

Tolong buka pintunya. – Please open the door.
Tolong diam sebentar. – Please be quiet for a moment.

It makes a request softer and more polite.

Why is it peganglah and not just pegang? What does the suffix -lah do?

The suffix -lah in peganglah softens or emphasizes the command.

pegang = “hold” (plain imperative)
peganglah = “(please) hold” / “do hold” – sounds more polite, gentle, or encouraging.

Nuance:

Pegang palu ini. – Hold this hammer. (neutral command; can sound blunt depending on tone)
Peganglah palu ini. – Please hold this hammer. (more considerate / less abrupt)

You can add -lah to many imperative forms:

Duduklah. – Please sit.
Bukalah bukumu. – Please open your book.

It doesn’t change the core meaning; it mainly adds a softer or more persuasive tone.

Why is there no word for “you”? Why not say kamu peganglah or Anda peganglah?

In Indonesian, the subject “you” is often dropped in imperatives because it’s understood from context.

Peganglah palu ini. – (You) hold this hammer.
Adding kamu or Anda is usually unnecessary and can even sound too direct or slightly confrontational in a command.

Compare:

Peganglah palu ini. – Please hold this hammer. (natural)
Kamu peganglah palu ini. – You hold this hammer. (can sound like you’re insisting you specifically do it, not someone else)

Using explicit kamu/Anda is more common when:

You want to contrast:
Kamu pegang palunya, saya yang memukul. – You hold the hammer, I’ll be the one who hits it.
Or for clarity, if it’s not obvious who should do it.

But the default polite request just leaves “you” implicit.

What is the difference between pegang and memegang? Could I say Tolong memegang palu ini?

pegang and memegang come from the same root, but they’re used differently:

pegang
- Basic form
- Commonly used as an imperative: Pegang palu ini.
- Also appears in certain fixed phrases.
memegang
- Has the meN- verb prefix
- Used more like a normal verb in statements:
  - Dia memegang palu. – He/She is holding a hammer.
  - Saya memegang kunci rumah. – I keep the house key.

For a request, Tolong pegang palu ini is the natural form.

Tolong memegang palu ini is grammatically possible but sounds awkward or overly formal in this context. Native speakers overwhelmingly prefer:

Tolong pegang palu ini.
or Tolong peganglah palu ini.

Why is it palu ini and not ini palu? What’s the difference in word order?

Indonesian usually puts the demonstrative (ini/itu) after the noun when it means “this/that [noun]”:

palu ini – this hammer
palu itu – that hammer

So:

Tolong peganglah palu ini. – Please hold this hammer.

On the other hand, ini palu is more like “this is a hammer”, used for identification:

Ini palu. – This is a hammer.
Itu paku. – That is a nail.

So:

palu ini = “this hammer” (modifier after the noun)
ini palu = “this is a hammer” (subject + complement structure)

What does akan do in saya akan memukul paku? Is it necessary for the future?

akan is a modal that usually marks future or intended actions, like “will” or “going to”.

saya memukul paku – I hit the nail / I am hitting the nail / I hit nails (no explicit tense; time depends on context).
saya akan memukul paku – I will hit the nail / I am going to hit the nail.

In conversational Indonesian, akan is often optional if context already makes the time clear. For example, you could also say:

Tolong peganglah palu ini, lalu saya memukul paku perlahan.
The sequence and context make it future-ish anyway.

However, including akan in your sentence:

emphasizes the action as the next step / plan, and
is very clear and neutral, especially in writing or careful speech.

So it’s not strictly required for the future, but it’s very useful and common.

Why is it memukul and not pukul in saya akan memukul paku?

In Indonesian, many verbs have a bare form and a meN- prefixed form.

pukul – root form (“hit”)
memukul – with meN-, used as a standard active verb in sentences.

General pattern:

Imperative / commands: root form
- Pukul paku itu! – Hit that nail!
Statements with a subject: meN- form
- Saya memukul paku. – I hit the nail.

So:

Saya akan memukul paku perlahan. – correct, natural.
Saya akan pukul paku perlahan. – can appear in speech (especially informal), but the textbook/neutral form is memukul.

The meN- prefix often marks an active verb whose subject is the doer.

Is there a difference between memukul paku and memaku? Which is better here?

Yes, both exist but they focus slightly differently:

memukul paku
- Literally “to hit the nail”
- Describes the action of hitting, using something (a hammer) on the nail.
- Very transparent for learners.
memaku
- From paku (nail) with meN-: “to nail (something)”
- Means to fasten something with nails, more like the English verb “to nail”.
- Usually needs an object that is being nailed:
  - Dia memaku papan ke dinding. – He nails a board to the wall.

Your sentence is focusing on the act of hitting a nail with a hammer, so:

memukul paku is perfectly natural and clear.
memaku would slightly shift the focus to the act of nailing something down, and you’d expect an object (what is being nailed).

So the original phrasing is good and idiomatic.

What does perlahan mean exactly, and how is it different from pelan-pelan or perlahan-lahan?

All of these are related to “slowly” / “gently”:

perlahan
- Adverb: slowly, gently, gradually.
- Slightly more neutral or formal.
- Example: Dia berbicara perlahan. – He/She speaks slowly.
pelan-pelan
- Colloquial, very common in speech.
- Literally a reduplication of pelan (slow): “slow-slow”.
- Often used in daily conversation:
  - Pelan-pelan ya! – Take it easy / Go slowly, okay?
perlahan-lahan
- Reduplication of perlahan.
- Sounds more emphatic or descriptive: “very slowly, little by little”.
- E.g. Air itu naik perlahan-lahan. – The water is rising slowly (bit by bit).

In your sentence, perlahan suggests:

hitting the nail slowly/carefully/gently, not too hard or too fast.

You could also say:

...saya akan memukul paku pelan-pelan. (more conversational)
...saya akan memukul paku perlahan-lahan. (emphasizing “very slowly / gradually”).

Can perlahan be placed in another position, like saya akan perlahan memukul paku?

In Indonesian, adverbs like perlahan are fairly flexible, but not all positions sound equally natural.

Natural options:

Saya akan memukul paku perlahan.
Saya akan memukul paku dengan perlahan.
Saya akan memukul paku secara perlahan. (more formal/written)
Perlahan, saya akan memukul paku. (stylistic, more like written narrative)

The pattern saya akan perlahan memukul paku is not typical; Indonesian generally does not put the adverb directly between the auxiliary akan and the main verb the way English does (“will slowly hit”). It’s understandable, but sounds odd.

So the original memukul paku perlahan is the most natural everyday phrasing.

Is the comma before dan necessary: Tolong peganglah palu ini, dan saya akan memukul paku perlahan?

In Indonesian punctuation, the comma before dan is optional here and depends on style.

With comma:
Tolong peganglah palu ini, dan saya akan memukul paku perlahan.
– Slight pause; visually separates the request and the description of your action.
Without comma:
Tolong peganglah palu ini dan saya akan memukul paku perlahan.
– Also acceptable; feels a bit smoother as one combined sentence.

Both are grammatically fine. Many writers would place the comma because the two clauses have different subjects (implicit “you” vs saya). Others omit it in casual writing.

Is this sentence polite? When would I use saya instead of aku here?

Yes, this sentence is polite and neutral.

saya is the neutral / polite “I”.
aku is more informal / intimate, used with friends, family, or people your age in relaxed situations.

So:

Tolong peganglah palu ini, dan saya akan memukul paku perlahan.
– Good in most situations, even semi-formal.

Informal version with aku could be:

Tolong pegang palu ini, nanti aku yang memukul paku pelan-pelan.

In a workplace, with strangers, in writing, or with people older/higher status, saya is safer. With close friends, you’d more likely use aku (and also drop -lah and even akan, sounding more casual).

What exactly do palu and paku mean? Are they always “hammer” and “nail”?

In this context:

palu = hammer
paku = nail (the metal nail you hit with a hammer)

Both are very common everyday words.

Notes:

palu is specifically the tool (hammer). There is also martil, another word for hammer, but palu is very widely used.
paku can also be a verb when combined with the meN- prefix:
- memaku – to nail (fasten with nails).
In other contexts, paku can mean a type of fern (botanical sense), but that’s a specialized usage and not relevant here.

In building or DIY contexts, palu + paku are the standard words you need.