Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Saya mau konsultasi dengan konsultan karier di kampus. - I want a consultation with the career consultant on campus.

Mau literally means want (to), but very often in everyday Indonesian it also implies a near-future action, similar to going to in English.

In this sentence, Saya mau konsultasi... is most naturally understood as:

I want to have a consultation / I’m going to consult...

Nuance and formality:

Mau is neutral to informal, very common in speech.
A bit more formal: Saya ingin konsultasi... or Saya ingin berkonsultasi...
For a very formal written style, ingin is preferred over mau.

So this sentence is polite enough in normal conversation, but slightly casual compared to a very formal written request to the campus office.

Is konsultasi a verb or a noun here? Why can it be used directly after mau?

Historically, konsultasi is a noun (consultation). However, in Indonesian, many nouns can function almost like verbs in certain patterns, especially after words like mau, bisa, harus, etc.

So:

Literal structure: Saya mau (sebuah) konsultasi = I want (a) consultation.
Functional meaning: similar to I want to consult.

More formal/“clearly verbal” alternative:

Saya mau berkonsultasi...
Here berkonsultasi is transparently a verb (to consult, to have a consultation).

In everyday speech, mau konsultasi is completely natural and common.

What is the difference between konsultasi and berkonsultasi in this context?

Both are correct, but the nuance differs:

Saya mau konsultasi...
- Slightly more casual/colloquial.
- Common in spoken Indonesian among students, coworkers, friends.
- Feels short and direct.
Saya mau berkonsultasi... or Saya ingin berkonsultasi...
- More formal / polite / “proper”.
- Sounds suitable for emails to officials, formal letters, or announcements.

Meaning-wise they are the same: you want to have a consultation. The main difference is the level of formality and style.

Why do we need dengan before konsultan karier? Could we leave it out?

Dengan means with. In Indonesian, you normally need a preposition to link the action to the person you are doing it with.

Saya mau konsultasi dengan konsultan karier...
= I want to consult with a career consultant...

If you drop dengan, the sentence sounds incomplete or wrong:

✗ Saya mau konsultasi konsultan karier – unnatural / incorrect.

Informal alternative to dengan:

Saya mau konsultasi sama konsultan karier di kampus.
Here sama works like casual with in spoken Indonesian.

So you should keep dengan (or sama in casual speech).

What does konsultan karier literally mean, and why is the word order different from English career consultant?

Konsultan karier literally is:

konsultan = consultant
karier = career

In Indonesian noun phrases, the main noun comes first, and the word that describes it comes after. So:

konsultan karier = consultant [of] career → career consultant
konsultan keuangan = financial consultant
guru bahasa Inggris = English teacher (teacher of English)

This is the opposite of English, where the modifier usually comes before: career consultant, English teacher.

Why is it di kampus and not ke kampus? What is the difference?

Di means at / in / on, used for a location.
Ke means to, used for movement towards a place.

In this sentence, the focus is where you want to have the consultation, not the movement:

Saya mau konsultasi dengan konsultan karier di kampus.
= I want to consult with the career consultant at the campus.

If you emphasized going there, you might say something like:

Saya mau pergi ke kampus untuk konsultasi dengan konsultan karier.
= I want to go to campus to consult with a career consultant.

So di kampus is correct because it describes the place of the consultation, not the direction of travel.

Should there be seorang before konsultan karier? For example: dengan seorang konsultan karier?

You can say seorang konsultan karier, but it isn’t required.

Saya mau konsultasi dengan konsultan karier di kampus.
→ Natural, general: with the (or a) career consultant at campus.
Saya mau konsultasi dengan seorang konsultan karier di kampus.
→ Emphasizes a single consultant, “a certain career consultant”.

Indonesian often omits words like a/an and the. Context usually makes it clear. Here, without seorang is perfectly natural and very common.

Can I drop Saya and just say Mau konsultasi dengan konsultan karier di kampus?

Yes, in many spoken contexts you can drop Saya if it’s obvious that you are the subject.

(Saya) mau konsultasi dengan konsultan karier di kampus.

This is common in casual speech, especially in replies where the subject is already known from context.

However:

In formal writing (emails, letters) or when you first introduce the idea, it’s better to keep Saya to be clear and polite.

Is this sentence polite and appropriate when talking to staff at a university?

It is polite enough for spoken interaction with campus staff, especially if your tone is respectful. For example:

To the receptionist:
Permisi, saya mau konsultasi dengan konsultan karier di kampus.
(Excuse me, I’d like to consult with the career consultant on campus.)

For more formal or written requests (email to an office), a more formal style is better:

Saya ingin berkonsultasi dengan konselor karier di kampus.
Saya ingin membuat janji untuk berkonsultasi dengan konsultan karier di kampus.

So: your sentence is fine for normal, polite speech; for official emails, slightly formalize the vocabulary.

Is there a difference between konsultan karier and konselor karier?

Both can be used, but there is a nuance:

konsultan karier
- Literally career consultant.
- Often used for professionals who give advice, sometimes in a more corporate or external-consultant sense.
konselor karier
- Literally career counselor.
- More associated with counseling, listening, guidance (especially in educational or psychological contexts).

Many campuses might use either term in practice. If the office on your campus uses a specific term (on their website, brochures, door sign), it’s best to match that term.

How do I know the tense? There is no past or future marker in the Indonesian sentence.

Indonesian does not conjugate verbs for tense like English does. Instead, tense and time are understood from:

Time words (kemarin, sekarang, besok, nanti, tadi, etc.).
Context.
Certain auxiliary verbs (like sudah, akan, mau).

Here:

Mau suggests desire and often near future.
So Saya mau konsultasi... naturally means I want to consult / I’m going to consult (in the near future).

If you wanted to talk about the past, you’d use:

Saya sudah konsultasi dengan konsultan karier di kampus.
= I have already consulted with the career consultant on campus.

Are there spelling variants like karier vs karir, and does the choice matter?

Yes:

Karier is the spelling that follows the current official Indonesian spelling rules (EYD/PUEBI).
Karir is still seen informally and in older texts, but karier is the recommended standard form.

In speech they’re pronounced almost the same, but in writing, especially in academic or formal contexts, you should use karier. The choice does not change the meaning in this sentence.