Log inSign up

Tolong ambilkan obeng dari laci meja.

Tolong ambilkan obeng dari laci meja.
Please get the screwdriver from the desk drawer.
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Indonesian grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Indonesian now

Questions & Answers about Tolong ambilkan obeng dari laci meja.

Why does the sentence start with tolong? Is it required?

Tolong is a politeness marker meaning please (literally help). It softens an imperative/request. It’s not grammatically required, but without it (Ambilkan obeng dari laci meja.) the sentence can sound more blunt/commanding depending on tone and context.

What does the suffix -kan in ambilkan do?

Ambil = take/pick up.
Ambilkan typically means take/get something for someone (a “benefactive” meaning). It implies the action is done for the requester or another beneficiary, even if that person isn’t stated explicitly.

If ambilkan implies “for someone,” why isn’t untuk saya/kami/dia included?

Indonesian often leaves the beneficiary understood from context. In a direct request, the default beneficiary is usually the speaker. If you want to be explicit, you can add it:

  • Tolong ambilkan saya obeng dari laci meja. (more explicit; can sound a bit formal/stiff)
  • More natural phrasing: Tolong ambilkan obengnya buat saya, dari laci meja.
Could I also say Tolong ambil obeng dari laci meja? What’s the difference?

Yes.

  • Tolong ambil obeng dari laci meja = Please take/get the screwdriver from the drawer. (neutral request)
  • Tolong ambilkan obeng dari laci meja = Please get me the screwdriver from the drawer. (more clearly “do it for me,” and often sounds more like “fetch it and bring it to me.”)

In many everyday situations they’re both acceptable, but ambilkan adds that “fetch for me” nuance.

Why is it dari laci meja and not di laci meja?

Because the verb implies movement out of a location.

  • dari = from/out of (source) → you take it from the drawer
  • di = in/at/on (location) → describes where something is, not the source of taking

Compare:

  • Obengnya di laci meja. = The screwdriver is in the desk drawer.
  • Ambil obengnya dari laci meja. = Take the screwdriver from the desk drawer.
What does laci meja mean structurally—“drawer table” looks odd in English.

In Indonesian, noun + noun often works like “X of Y” or a compound.
laci meja is most naturally understood as the drawer of the desk/table (a desk drawer / table drawer). The second noun (meja) specifies what kind of drawer it is.

You could also say:

  • laci (di) meja (drawer in the desk/table) — but laci meja is common and compact.
Does meja mean “table” or “desk” here?

Meja can mean both table and desk. Context decides. If you’re talking about tools like a screwdriver, it could be a workbench/table or a desk—Indonesian doesn’t always force a distinction.

Is the word order flexible? Could I move dari laci meja earlier?

Some flexibility is possible, but the original order is very natural:
Tolong ambilkan obeng dari laci meja.

You can front the location for emphasis:

  • Dari laci meja, tolong ambilkan obeng. (emphasizes where to get it from; sounds a bit more deliberate)

In casual speech, people also add particles:

  • Tolong ambilkan obengnya dari laci meja, ya.
Why is there no subject like kamu/Anda (“you”)?

Imperatives in Indonesian commonly omit the subject because it’s understood:

  • (You) Tolong ambilkan obeng dari laci meja.

If you include it, it adds a certain tone:

  • Tolong kamu ambilkan obeng... can sound a bit pointed/insistent.
  • Tolong Anda ambilkan obeng... is polite but can feel formal.
Should it be obeng or obengnya? What’s the difference?
  • obeng = a screwdriver (unspecified/indefinite in many contexts)
  • obengnya = the screwdriver / that screwdriver (more specific; implies it’s known which one)

If there’s a particular screwdriver both of you know about, obengnya is very natural:

  • Tolong ambilkan obengnya dari laci meja.
How would this change in a more formal or more casual style?

More formal/polite options:

  • Mohon ambilkan obeng dari laci meja. (more formal than tolong)
  • Tolong ambilkan obeng dari laci meja, ya. (polite, friendly)

More casual options:

  • Ambilin obeng dari laci meja, dong. (ambilin is colloquial for ambilkan; dong adds a casual “come on/please”)