Saya ingin pulang cepat, tetapi justru harus lembur di kantor.

I want to go home quickly, but instead I have to work overtime at the office.

Breakdown of Saya ingin pulang cepat, tetapi justru harus lembur di kantor.

• saya: I
• di: at
• kantor: the office
• cepat: quickly

Questions & Answers about Saya ingin pulang cepat, tetapi justru harus lembur di kantor.

What does justru mean here, and what nuance does it add?

Justru is an adverb that adds a sense of “on the contrary / ironically / instead”.

In this sentence:

• Saya ingin pulang cepat = I want to go home early
• tetapi justru harus lembur di kantor = but instead I have to work overtime at the office

So justru emphasizes that what actually happens is the opposite of what was desired or expected. It often carries an emotional nuance like frustration, disappointment, or irony.

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Why do we need both tetapi and justru? Would justru alone be enough?

Here, tetapi and justru play different roles:

• tetapi = but / however → joins two contrasting clauses
• justru = instead / on the contrary → emphasizes the unexpected or opposite result

You could say:

• Saya ingin pulang cepat, tetapi harus lembur di kantor.
  → but I have to work overtime at the office (simple contrast)

• Saya ingin pulang cepat, justru harus lembur di kantor.
  → instead I have to work overtime at the office (stronger “on the contrary” feel; sounds less formal as a written sentence, but common in speech)

Using both tetapi justru makes the contrast very clear and slightly stronger, especially in written or careful speech. It feels natural and expressive in Indonesian.

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