Saya tidak mau bertengkar dengan teman dekat saya.

I do not want to argue with my close friend.

Breakdown of Saya tidak mau bertengkar dengan teman dekat saya.

• saya: I
• teman: the friend
• tidak: not
• dengan: with
• saya: my
• mau: want
• dekat: close
• bertengkar: to quarrel

Questions & Answers about Saya tidak mau bertengkar dengan teman dekat saya.

What is the word‑for‑word breakdown of Saya tidak mau bertengkar dengan teman dekat saya?

Roughly, word by word:

• Saya = I / me
• tidak = not
• mau = want (to)
• bertengkar = to argue / to quarrel / to fight (verb, intransitive)
• dengan = with
• teman = friend
• dekat = close (as in “close friend”)
• saya = my / I (here it marks possession: “my”)

So the Indonesian order is:

Saya (I) tidak mau (don’t want to) bertengkar (argue) dengan teman dekat saya (with my close friend).

Why is it tidak mau bertengkar and not mau tidak bertengkar?

In Indonesian, the negator tidak usually comes before the verb or adjective phrase it negates.

Here the “wanting” is being negated, not the “arguing”:

• Saya tidak mau [bertengkar]
  = I do not want [to argue].

If you said:

• Saya mau tidak bertengkar

it would literally mean “I want not to argue”. That’s grammatically possible but sounds unnatural and over-formal/logic-like in everyday speech. Indonesians almost always say tidak mau [verb] for “don’t want to [verb]”.

What is the difference between mau, ingin, and akan here?

• mau

  • Very common, neutral “want” in everyday speech.
  • Saya tidak mau bertengkar = I don’t want to argue.

• ingin

  • Slightly more formal or careful “wish / desire / want”.
  • Saya tidak ingin bertengkar = I do not wish to argue.
  • Similar meaning, just a bit more formal or distant in tone.

• akan

  • Future marker “will / going to”, not “want”.
  • Saya tidak akan bertengkar = I will not argue / I’m not going to argue.
  • This talks about a future action, not a desire.

So:

• tidak mau / tidak ingin = talk about desire.
• tidak akan = talk about future intention/plan.

What nuance does bertengkar have? Is it like “argue” or “fight”?

Bertengkar covers both:

• verbal arguing/quarreling
• fighting in a non-physical sense (heated dispute)

It’s closest to “argue” or “quarrel”, sometimes “fight” when physical violence is not the main focus.

Other related words:

• berdebat = to debate (more structured, less emotional)
• berantem (colloquial) = to fight, often more physical or very heated
• berkelahi = to fight, typically physical fighting

So Saya tidak mau bertengkar suggests “I don’t want to argue / quarrel” rather than “I don’t want to get into a physical fight.”

Can bertengkar take a direct object, like “bertengkar teman saya”?

No. Bertengkar is intransitive: it doesn’t take a direct object.

To say who you argue with, you use a preposition, usually:

• bertengkar dengan [someone]
• (colloquial) berantem sama [someone]

So:

• ✅ Saya bertengkar dengan teman saya. = I argued with my friend.
• ❌ Saya bertengkar teman saya. (ungrammatical)

What does dengan do here, and can I replace it with sama?

Dengan is a preposition meaning “with”. In this sentence:

• dengan teman dekat saya = with my close friend.

You can replace it with sama in informal speech:

• Saya tidak mau bertengkar sama teman dekat saya.

Differences:

• dengan = standard, neutral, works in formal and informal contexts.
• sama = informal, very common in everyday spoken Indonesian.

In writing or formal situations, stick to dengan. In casual conversation, sama is very natural.

Why is it teman dekat saya and not something like dekat teman saya?

In Indonesian, the normal order is:

1. Noun
2. Adjective
3. Possessive pronoun

So:

• teman (friend)
• dekat (close)
• saya (my)

→ teman dekat saya = my close friend.

Dekat teman saya would mean something different: “near my friend” (using dekat as “near” in a prepositional phrase), not “close friend.”

So:

• teman dekat saya = my close friend (a close relationship)
• dekat teman saya = near my friend (location)

Could I say teman saya yang dekat instead of teman dekat saya?

You can, but the nuance changes slightly.

• teman dekat saya

  • The normal, compact way to say “my close friend.”
  • Sounds like a fixed description of that friend.

• teman saya yang dekat

  • Literally “my friend who is close.”
  • Grammatically fine, but feels more like you’re adding a relative clause, slightly more explanatory or contrastive, e.g.:
    • Bukan teman biasa, tapi teman saya yang dekat.
      Not just a regular friend, but a friend of mine who is close.

For everyday “my close friend”, teman dekat saya is the default.

Does teman dekat saya mean one friend or several close friends?

By itself, teman dekat saya is ambiguous in number:

• It can mean “my close friend” (singular)
• Or “my close friends” (plural)

Context usually tells you which is meant.

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

• teman-teman dekat saya = my close friends
• para teman dekat saya (more formal) = my close friends

If you clearly mean just one, you can also say seorang teman dekat saya = a close friend of mine.

Why is saya at the beginning and also at the end? Isn’t that repeating “I / my”?

They play two different grammatical roles:

• First Saya = subject pronoun “I”
• Last saya = possessive pronoun “my” after the noun phrase teman dekat

So:

• Saya (I) tidak mau bertengkar (don’t want to argue)
  dengan teman dekat saya (with my close friend).

Indonesian usually puts the possessive pronoun after the noun (and its adjective):

• rumah saya = my house
• mobil baru saya = my new car
• teman dekat saya = my close friend

What’s the difference between saya and aku in a sentence like this?

Both mean “I”, but they differ in formality and relationship:

• saya

  • Neutral–polite, safe in most situations.
  • Used in formal writing, talking to strangers, work settings, etc.

• aku

  • Informal, used with friends, family, people you’re close to, or in songs, diaries, etc.

So you might say:

• Saya tidak mau bertengkar dengan teman dekat saya.
  Polite/neutral.

With a close friend, you might more naturally say:

• Aku nggak mau berantem sama sahabat aku.
  (Very informal, also swapping bertengkar → berantem and dengan → sama, and tidak → nggak.)

Can I omit Saya and just say Tidak mau bertengkar dengan teman dekat saya?

Yes, Indonesian often drops the subject when it’s obvious from context.

• Tidak mau bertengkar dengan teman dekat saya.
  = (I) don’t want to argue with my close friend.

This is natural if:

• It’s clear you’re talking about yourself from the previous sentence or situation.
• Or in casual conversation, where the subject is obvious.

If there’s any chance of confusion about who doesn’t want to argue, keep Saya.

What is the difference between tidak mau bertengkar and tidak suka bertengkar?

• tidak mau bertengkar

  • “do not want to argue (now / in this situation / in general)”
  • Focus on willingness or intention.
  • Saya tidak mau bertengkar dengan teman dekat saya.
    I don’t want to argue with my close friend (e.g. about this issue).

• tidak suka bertengkar

  • “do not like arguing (as a habit / in general)”
  • Focus on preference or dislike of arguing.
  • Saya tidak suka bertengkar dengan siapa pun.
    I don’t like arguing with anyone.

So:

• mau = want (this time / specific situation or general willingness)
• suka = like/enjoy (general preference)