Learn Hardcore Indonesian: 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.

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.

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.

Why is it pulang cepat, not cepat pulang? Are both correct?

Both pulang cepat and cepat pulang can be heard, but there is a nuance:

pulang cepat
- More standard and neutral.
- Treats cepat as describing how you go home (early/quickly).
- Common in everyday speech and writing.
cepat pulang
- Often sounds more like a command or emphasis: “Go home quickly!”
- Used in imperatives: Cepat pulang! (Go home quickly / Go home now!)

In your sentence, Saya ingin pulang cepat (I want to go home early) is the normal, natural way. Saya ingin cepat pulang is also possible and understandable, but it may sound a bit more emotional or urgent, like “I really want to get home quickly.”

What is the difference between ingin and mau here? Could I say Saya mau pulang cepat instead?

Yes, you can say:

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

The difference is mainly formality and tone:

ingin
- More formal or polite.
- Common in writing, formal speech, and slightly more careful conversation.
mau
- More casual, very common in everyday spoken Indonesian.
- Nuance of “want to / going to”.

Meaning-wise, both are fine here: I want to go home early.

In a neutral, everyday conversation, mau is extremely common. In writing or polite speech, ingin sounds a bit more refined.

How do we know the tense? How can this sentence mean the past, present, or future?

Indonesian does not mark tense with verb conjugations like English. Context and time expressions tell you when something happens.

The sentence by itself can be interpreted as:

Present:
Right now I want to go home early, but instead I have to work overtime at the office.
Past (with context):
Tadi saya ingin pulang cepat, tetapi justru harus lembur di kantor.
(Earlier I wanted to go home early, but instead I had to work overtime at the office.)
Future (with context):
Nanti saya ingin pulang cepat, tetapi justru harus lembur di kantor.
(Later I want to go home early, but instead I have to work overtime at the office.)

So the base sentence is time-neutral; adverbs like tadi, sekarang, nanti, besok or context specify the time.

What exactly does lembur mean? Is it a verb or a noun?

Lembur refers to overtime work. It can function like both a noun and a verb in Indonesian, depending on context.

In harus lembur, it behaves like a verb phrase in English:

harus lembur = have to work overtime

You might also see:

kerja lembur / bekerja lembur = to work overtime (more explicitly “work overtime”)
uang lembur = overtime pay (here lembur is clearly a noun)

So in your sentence, lembur is best translated as to work overtime.

What does di kantor modify? Could I put it earlier in the sentence?

Di kantor means at the office, and it modifies lembur:

harus lembur di kantor = have to work overtime at the office

You can move it, but the most natural positions are:

Saya ingin pulang cepat, tetapi justru harus lembur di kantor. (standard)
Saya ingin pulang cepat, tetapi di kantor justru harus lembur. (stylistic emphasis on di kantor)

Placing di kantor earlier, like:

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

…is grammatically possible but sounds a bit awkward and unusual for this meaning. The original word order is the most natural.

Can I drop saya in the second clause instead of repeating it?

Yes. In Indonesian, if the subject stays the same, you do not need to repeat it:

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

Here, it’s understood that the subject of harus lembur is still saya. Repeating saya in the second clause:

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

…is correct but sounds more emphatic or slightly heavier. The version without saya in the second clause feels more natural in everyday speech.

What is the difference between tetapi and tapi? Which is better here?

Both mean but / however and are very similar in meaning.

tetapi
- More formal or neutral.
- Preferred in writing, formal speech, and careful conversation.
tapi
- Informal, very common in speech.
- Feels casual or conversational.

You could say:

Saya ingin pulang cepat, tetapi justru harus lembur di kantor. (neutral / written)
Saya ingin pulang cepat, tapi justru harus lembur di kantor. (very natural in speech)

Both are correct; the choice depends mainly on formality.

Could I say pulang lebih cepat or pulang awal instead of pulang cepat?

Yes, but with some nuances:

pulang cepat
- Very common, natural: go home early / quickly (often understood as “earlier than usual”).
pulang lebih cepat
- Literally go home earlier, with a clearer comparison: earlier than usual or than others.
- Example: Hari ini saya ingin pulang lebih cepat dari biasanya.
pulang awal
- Grammatically possible, but much less natural than pulang cepat or pulang lebih cepat.
- Indonesians usually say pulang lebih awal if they want to use awal:
  - Saya ingin pulang lebih awal.

In your sentence, pulang cepat is the most natural and common choice. Pulang lebih cepat is also fine if you want to stress the idea of “earlier than normal.”

Is there any difference between pulang, kembali, and balik here?

All three can relate to “going back” or “returning”, but their usage differs:

pulang
- Specifically go home / return to one’s home base.
- Perfect here: Saya ingin pulang cepat = I want to go home early.
kembali
- More like return / come back in a general sense.
- You would not normally say kembali cepat here; it would sound off.
balik
- Informal, often used in speech, meaning go back / come back.
- You might hear Saya mau cepat balik. (casual, colloquial)

For the idea of going home after work, pulang is the standard, natural verb.