Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Jangan tunggu saya di luar.

tidak = not / do not (for statements)
- Saya tidak tunggu kamu. = I do not wait for you.
bukan = not (for nouns / identification)
- Ini bukan rumah saya. = This is not my house.

You cannot use tidak or bukan to start a command like this. For a negative imperative, you must use jangan:

✅ Jangan tunggu saya di luar. = Don’t wait for me outside.
❌ Tidak tunggu saya di luar. (ungrammatical as a command)

Why is it tunggu and not menunggu here?

Both tunggu and menunggu are forms of the same verb “to wait”, but:

tunggu = base form (often used in commands and casual speech)
menunggu = meN- form, more neutral/formal, often in statements

In imperatives, Indonesian very often uses the base form:

Tunggu saya di sini. = Wait for me here.
Jangan tunggu saya di luar. = Don’t wait for me outside.

You could say:

Jangan menunggu saya di luar.

This is grammatically correct, but it sounds a bit more formal or written; in everyday speech Jangan tunggu… is more natural and common.

Where is the “you” in this sentence? Why is there no subject?

In Indonesian imperatives (commands), the subject “you” is normally left out. It is understood from context and from the use of jangan.

English:

Don’t wait for me outside.

Indonesian:

Jangan tunggu saya di luar. (literally: Don’t wait me outside.)

If you really want to make the “you” explicit, you can, but it’s not necessary:

Jangan tunggu saya di luar, ya. (you is implied)
Kamu jangan tunggu saya di luar. (more explicit, casual)
Anda jangan menunggu saya di luar. (more formal/polite)

For everyday speech, Jangan tunggu saya di luar is completely natural and clear.

Is saya necessary? Can I leave it out?

You can omit saya if the context already makes it clear who you are talking about:

Jangan tunggu saya di luar. = Don’t wait for me outside.
Jangan tunggu di luar. = Don’t wait outside.
(No object; you’re just telling them not to wait outside, for anyone.)

So:

If you mean specifically “me”, include saya/aku.
If you just mean “don’t wait outside (for anyone)”, leave it out.

In casual speech you might also hear:

Jangan nunggu aku di luar. (colloquial: nunggu and aku)

Could the word order be different, like “Jangan di luar tunggu saya”?

Natural Indonesian word order here is:

Verb – Object – Place
tunggu – saya – di luar

So:

✅ Jangan tunggu saya di luar.

Putting di luar in the middle usually sounds odd or wrong:

❌ Jangan di luar tunggu saya. (unnatural in normal Indonesian)

You can move di luar only in special emphatic or poetic contexts, but for normal speech and writing, keep:

Jangan + [verb] + [object] + [place]
Jangan tunggu saya di luar.

What exactly does di luar mean, and how is it different from keluar?

di luar = outside, as a location
- di = at / in / on (preposition)
- luar = outside (noun)

So di luar literally = “at outside” → outside (at that place)

Examples:

Dia sudah di luar. = He/She is already outside.
Jangan tunggu saya di luar. = Don’t wait for me outside.

keluar is a verb = to go out / to exit:

Saya mau keluar. = I want to go out.
Jangan keluar dulu. = Don’t go out yet.

So:

di luar → where? (location)
keluar → what action? (movement / going out)

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

Yes, Jangan tunggu saya di luar is neutral to polite.

saya = polite/neutral “I / me”, safe with strangers, older people, formal situations.
aku = informal “I / me”, used with friends, family, people close to you.

So you could choose based on the relationship:

To a friend:
- Jangan nunggu aku di luar. (very casual)
To a colleague or someone you respect:
- Jangan tunggu saya di luar. (neutral/polite)
To make it softer and less direct, you can add:
- Jangan tunggu saya di luar, ya.
- Jangan tunggu saya di luar dulu, ya. (adds a “for now” feeling)

The base sentence with saya is already safe and polite enough in most contexts.

Can this sentence mean “Don’t ever wait for me outside,” or is it only for this one time?

Indonesian verbs do not show tense (past/present/future) or frequency by themselves. Jangan tunggu saya di luar is neutral; context decides whether it’s:

about this specific time:
- (We’re meeting now, but I’ll come in through the back.)
- → Don’t wait for me outside this time.
a general rule:
- (It’s dangerous outside the building.)
- → Don’t (ever) wait for me outside.

If you want to make it clearly general / always, you can specify:

Jangan pernah tunggu saya di luar.
= Don’t ever wait for me outside.

If you want clearly only this time, you can add time words:

Nanti malam jangan tunggu saya di luar.
= Tonight, don’t wait for me outside.

Is there a softer or more “polite” way to say the same thing?

Yes. Jangan tunggu saya di luar is a direct negative command. To soften it, Indonesians often:

Use tidak usah / nggak usah / gak usah = “no need to …”
- Tidak usah menunggu saya di luar. (politer, more formal)
- Gak usah nunggu aku di luar. (casual)
Add a softening particle like ya or dulu:
- Jangan tunggu saya di luar, ya.
- Nggak usah nunggu aku di luar, ya.

These versions sound less like “Don’t do that!” and more like “You don’t need to do that / please don’t bother doing that.”

Does tunggu need an object? Can I just say “Jangan tunggu”?

Tunggu can be used with or without an object.

With object:

Jangan tunggu saya. = Don’t wait for me.
Jangan tunggu saya di luar. = Don’t wait for me outside.

Without object, the meaning is more general:

Jangan tunggu di luar. = Don’t wait outside.
Jangan tunggu, langsung masuk saja.
= Don’t wait, just come straight in.

So Jangan tunggu by itself is grammatically fine and means “Don’t wait.” If you want to specify who you shouldn’t wait for, you add the object (saya/aku/dia etc.).

Is “Don’t wait outside for me” different from “Don’t wait for me outside” in Indonesian?

In English, “Don’t wait outside for me” and “Don’t wait for me outside” are basically the same. In Indonesian, both are expressed the same way:

Jangan tunggu saya di luar.

If you really wanted to mirror the English structure more literally:

Jangan tunggu di luar untuk saya.
(Don’t wait outside for me.)

But this is much less natural; Indonesians rarely say it like that. The normal, natural sentence is:

Jangan tunggu saya di luar.