Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Dokter juga mengingatkan bahwa vaksin flu perlu diberikan setiap tahun. - The doctor also reminds me that the flu vaccine needs to be given every year.

Dokter juga mengingatkan bahwa vaksin flu perlu diberikan setiap tahun.
The doctor also reminded (us) that the flu vaccine needs to be given every year.

Juga tells us that this is an additional action the doctor did, on top of something else (maybe the doctor explained the symptoms, prescribed medicine, etc., and also gave this reminder).

Common positions for juga:

After the subject:
- Dokter juga mengingatkan… (The doctor also reminded…)
After the main verb (less common here, can sound slightly awkward):
- Dokter mengingatkan juga bahwa… (The doctor reminded also that…)
Before the subject (more written/emphatic):
- Juga, dokter mengingatkan bahwa… (Also, the doctor reminded that…)

For everyday speech, Subject + juga + verb (like in the sentence) is the most natural pattern.

What is the difference between mengingat and mengingatkan?

Both come from the root ingat (to remember).

Mengingat = to remember (no object being caused to remember)
- Saya mengingat pesan dokter.
  I remember the doctor’s message.
Mengingatkan = to remind (someone), to cause someone else to remember.
It’s a causative form (with -kan), and it normally has someone as the object:
- Dokter mengingatkan saya bahwa…
  The doctor reminded me that…
- Orang tua mengingatkan anak-anaknya untuk belajar.
  Parents remind their children to study.

In the given sentence, mengingatkan is correct because the doctor is reminding others, not just remembering something personally.

Why is bahwa used here, and can I leave it out?

Bahwa functions like “that” in English when introducing a clause (indirect statement).

Dokter juga mengingatkan bahwa vaksin flu perlu diberikan setiap tahun.
The doctor also reminded (us) that the flu vaccine needs to be given every year.

Here:

mengingatkan = to remind
bahwa vaksin flu perlu diberikan setiap tahun = the content of the reminder (a full clause)

You can often omit bahwa, especially in informal spoken Indonesian:

Dokter juga mengingatkan (bahwa) vaksin flu perlu diberikan setiap tahun.

Both are correct.

With bahwa: a bit more formal / careful / clear.
Without bahwa: more natural in casual speech.

How does perlu diberikan work? Why is it not just perlu or just diberikan?

The phrase is made of two parts:

perlu = need to / necessary to
diberikan = to be given (passive form of memberikan “to give (something)”)

So:

vaksin flu perlu diberikan
= the flu vaccine needs to be given / it is necessary that the flu vaccine is given

If you said only vaksin flu perlu, it would mean “the flu vaccine is necessary”, but it wouldn’t say what needs to be done with it.
If you said only vaksin flu diberikan, it would mean “the flu vaccine is given”, but it wouldn’t clearly express the sense of necessity.

Perlu + passive verb is a common pattern:

Obat ini perlu diminum dua kali sehari.
This medicine needs to be taken twice a day.
Surat ini perlu dikirim hari ini.
This letter needs to be sent today.

Who is giving the vaccine in vaksin flu perlu diberikan? Why isn’t the giver mentioned?

In Indonesian, the passive voice often omits the agent (the one doing the action) when it’s obvious or not important.

vaksin flu perlu diberikan setiap tahun
literally: the flu vaccine needs to be given every year

The sentence focuses on:

vaksin flu (the thing affected) and
the necessity and frequency of the action.

It does not say who gives it—doctor, nurse, clinic, etc.—because that’s understood from context.

If you really want to say who gives it, you can add an agent:

Vaksin flu perlu diberikan oleh dokter setiap tahun.
The flu vaccine needs to be given by a doctor every year.

But in natural Indonesian, when the agent is obvious, people usually leave it out.

Could this be vaksin flu harus diberikan setiap tahun instead of perlu diberikan? What’s the nuance?

Yes, you can say:

Vaksin flu harus diberikan setiap tahun.

Difference in nuance:

perlu ≈ needs / is necessary
- Slightly softer, more about necessity or recommendation.
- Often used in advice, suggestions, or general rules.
harus ≈ must / have to
- Stronger, more obligatory, can feel more like a rule or command.

So:

Dokter mengatakan bahwa vaksin flu perlu diberikan setiap tahun.
Sounds like a medical recommendation.
Peraturan menyebutkan bahwa vaksin flu harus diberikan setiap tahun.
Sounds like a rule or requirement.

Why is the order “vaksin flu perlu diberikan setiap tahun” and not “perlu diberikan vaksin flu setiap tahun”?

Both orders are possible, but they feel slightly different:

Vaksin flu perlu diberikan setiap tahun.
- Topic first: “flu vaccine”.
- Emphasis: this particular vaccine should be given yearly.
Perlu diberikan vaksin flu setiap tahun.
- Starts with the necessity (“it needs to be given…”).
- Then introduces what needs to be given (flu vaccine).
- Feels more like formal/written style or part of a longer sentence.

In everyday speech, option 1 (the original sentence) is more natural and clearer.

Why isn’t there a word for “the” or “a” before dokter or vaksin flu?

Indonesian generally does not use articles like “a / an / the.”
Context usually tells you whether something is specific or general.

Dokter juga mengingatkan…
Can mean:
- The doctor also reminded (us)… (a specific doctor already known in context), or
- A doctor also reminded (us)… (some doctor, if not previously known), depending on context.
vaksin flu
Can be understood as:
- the flu vaccine (in general, as a category), or
- a flu vaccine (if you’re talking about one dose).

If you really want to mark “a doctor”, you can say:

Seorang dokter mengingatkan bahwa…
A doctor reminded (us) that…

For “the flu vaccine” specifically (already known), you often just say vaksin flu, and context does the rest.

What’s the difference between setiap tahun, tiap tahun, and setiap tahunnya?

All are related to “every year”, but with small style differences:

setiap tahun
- Very common, neutral, works in both spoken and written Indonesian.
- Meaning: every year.
tiap tahun
- Colloquial version of setiap.
- Often used in informal speech.
- Meaning is the same: every year.
setiap tahunnya
- The -nya can give a slightly more emphatic or descriptive feel.
- Often used in written, explanatory, or descriptive text.
- Roughly: every year / each year (in turn).

In your sentence, all are grammatical:

Vaksin flu perlu diberikan setiap tahun.
Vaksin flu perlu diberikan tiap tahun.
Vaksin flu perlu diberikan setiap tahunnya. (a bit more “written” or descriptive)

The original setiap tahun is the safest and most neutral.

Could I say perlu untuk diberikan instead of perlu diberikan?

You can see perlu untuk + verb in Indonesian, but in this case:

Vaksin flu perlu diberikan setiap tahun.
is more natural and concise than
Vaksin flu perlu untuk diberikan setiap tahun.

Patterns to remember:

perlu + verb (bare) is very common and natural:
- Obat ini perlu dikocok sebelum diminum.
  This medicine needs to be shaken before being drunk.
- Kita perlu berbicara.
  We need to talk.
perlu untuk + verb can appear, especially in more formal or explanatory writing, but it often sounds wordier.
For basic usage, prefer perlu + verb.