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Tolong taruh sayur segar di meja dapur.

Tolong taruh sayur segar di meja dapur.
Please put the fresh vegetables on the kitchen table.
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Questions & Answers about Tolong taruh sayur segar di meja dapur.

Why is there no word for “you” in this sentence? In English we say “Please put...”, but in Indonesian it’s just Tolong taruh....

In Indonesian, the subject (“you” here) is often dropped when it’s obvious from context, especially in commands and requests.

So:

  • Tolong taruh sayur segar di meja dapur.
    → literally “Please put fresh vegetables on the kitchen table.”

The “you” is understood: you are the person being spoken to.
If you really want to include it, you can say:

  • Tolong taruh sayur segar di meja dapur, ya. (still no explicit “you”, but sounds natural)
  • Tolong kamu taruh sayur segar di meja dapur. (adding kamu, more explicit but slightly heavier)

In everyday speech, omitting “you” in this kind of request is the most natural choice.

What exactly does tolong mean here? Is it like “please”, or more like “help”?

Tolong literally means “help (me)”, but in requests it functions very much like “please”.

In this sentence:

  • Tolong taruh sayur segar di meja dapur.
    → “(Please) put the fresh vegetables on the kitchen table.”

Nuance:

  • Tolong
    • verb = polite request, but still a direct instruction.
  • Without tolong: Taruh sayur segar di meja dapur.
    → Sounds more like a direct command, less polite, depending on tone and relationship.

You’ll often hear:

  • Tolong... (neutral-polite)
  • Tolong ya... (softer, friendly)
  • Tolong dong... (very casual, between close friends/family)

So here tolong makes the sentence sound more polite and less bossy.

What’s the nuance of taruh? Is it the same as “put”, or are there more formal or different verbs I should know?

Taruh is an everyday, neutral verb meaning “to put / place (something somewhere)”. It’s very common in spoken Indonesian.

Other related verbs:

  • Letakkan – more formal, often in writing or polite instructions.
    • Tolong letakkan sayur segar di meja dapur.
  • Tempatkan – “to place / position”, more formal/technical.
    • Silakan tempatkan barang Anda di sini.
  • Taruhin / naro – colloquial, especially in Jakarta slang (informal).
    • Tolong naro sayur segar di meja dapur. (very casual)

For normal daily conversation, taruh is natural and appropriate.

Why is it sayur segar and not segar sayur? What is the usual order between noun and adjective?

In Indonesian, the typical order is:

Noun + Adjective

So:

  • sayur segar = fresh vegetables
  • meja besar = big table
  • mobil baru = new car

Putting the adjective first (segar sayur) is not grammatical in standard Indonesian.

So the rule is:
Noun comes first, its describing word (adjective) comes after.

Does sayur mean “vegetable” or “vegetables”? There’s no plural -s, so how do I know?

Indonesian usually doesn’t mark plural with word endings. Sayur can mean:

  • “a vegetable”
  • “(the) vegetables”
  • “vegetable(s)” in general

You figure out whether it’s singular or plural from context.

To emphasize plurality, you can:

  • Use sayur-sayuran or sayuran
    • Tolong taruh sayuran segar di meja dapur.
      → emphasizes “various kinds of vegetables” / “veggies”
  • Use a number or quantifier:
    • Tolong taruh tiga sayur segar di meja dapur. (three fresh vegetables)

In the original sentence, sayur segar naturally reads as “the fresh vegetables” in English.

What’s the difference between sayur and sayuran? Could I say sayuran segar here?

Yes, you can say:

  • Tolong taruh sayuran segar di meja dapur.

Differences:

  • sayur
    • basic word “vegetable”
    • can be singular or plural depending on context
  • sayuran / sayur-sayuran
    • emphasizes “vegetables” as a group or a variety of vegetables
    • often used when talking about “veggies” in general

In this context:

  • sayur segar = the fresh vegetables (neutral)
  • sayuran segar = fresh vegetables (with a little more emphasis on variety or category “veggies”)

Both are correct and natural.

Why is it meja dapur and not dapur meja? How do noun phrases like “kitchen table” work?

The pattern is:

Head noun + modifying noun

So:

  • meja dapur
    • meja = table (head)
    • dapur = kitchen (modifier)
      → a table related to the kitchen → “kitchen table”

Other examples:

  • pintu kamar = bedroom door
  • lampu meja = table lamp
  • jendela kamar mandi = bathroom window

Dapur meja would literally sound like “table kitchen”, which doesn’t make sense in Indonesian.

So meja dapur = “kitchen table” is the correct order.

What’s the difference between meja dapur and meja di dapur?

Subtle but useful distinction:

  1. meja dapur

    • a type of table, a kitchen table
    • sounds more like a fixed phrase: “the kitchen table” (the main table in the kitchen)

  2. meja di dapur

    • literally “a/the table in the kitchen”
    • just any table that happens to be located in the kitchen

So:

  • Tolong taruh sayur segar di meja dapur.
    → likely “on the kitchen table” (the one everyone knows)

  • Tolong taruh sayur segar di meja di dapur.
    → “on the table in the kitchen” (clarifying location, maybe there are many tables in the house)

Both are grammatical; choice depends on what you mean.

Why is it just di meja dapur, not di atas meja dapur (“on the kitchen table”)?

In everyday Indonesian, di meja often already implies “on the table”, unless you need to be very specific.

  • di meja dapur
    → normally understood as “on the kitchen table”

If you want to be more explicit:

  • di atas meja dapur
    → literally “on top of the kitchen table”

Use di atas when:

  • You need to contrast with under / inside / next to, etc.
    • Di atas meja, bukan di bawah meja.
  • You want to be very clear about physical position.

But for a normal request like this, di meja dapur is perfectly natural.

Is this sentence polite? When would I use Tolong taruh... with someone?

Yes, Tolong taruh sayur segar di meja dapur. is polite in most everyday contexts.

Use tolong + verb:

  • with family members
  • with colleagues
  • with staff/service people (tone of voice matters, of course)

To make it even softer or friendlier:

  • Tolong taruh sayur segar di meja dapur, ya.
  • Tolong taruh sayur segar di meja dapur dulu, ya. (the dulu softens it too)

Saying just:

  • Taruh sayur segar di meja dapur.

can sound more like a direct command; OK if you’re in a position of authority or talking casually to someone close, but less polite with strangers.

There’s no tense marking here. How do Indonesians know if this is “put”, “are putting”, or “will put”?

Indonesian normally does not mark tense on the verb. Context tells you whether it’s:

  • now, later, or a repeated action.

In commands/requests like this, it’s automatically understood as something the listener should do from now / soon:

  • Tolong taruh sayur segar di meja dapur.
    → “(Please) put the fresh vegetables on the kitchen table (now / when you get to them).”

If you want to be more specific:

  • Nanti tolong taruh sayur segar di meja dapur.
    → later, please put...
  • Sekarang tolong taruh sayur segar di meja dapur.
    → now please put...

But you don’t need any tense change on taruh itself.

Is the final h in taruh pronounced strongly, or is it more silent?

In standard Indonesian:

  • taruh is usually pronounced like “taru” with a very soft or almost silent h at the end.
  • You might hear: /ta-ruh/ or more commonly /ta-ru/ with a slight breath.

The important syllables are ta and ruh/ru.
You do not say it like English “taruH” with a strong, aspirated “h”. It’s much softer.