Breakdown of Tolong titipkan map merah itu di meja resepsionis sebelum rapat dimulai.
Questions & Answers about Tolong titipkan map merah itu di meja resepsionis sebelum rapat dimulai.
Tolong is a polite softener, very close to please in requests.
- Tolong + verb = Please (do)… / Help (me by doing)…
It can sound slightly more “asking for help” than English please, but in daily Indonesian it’s a normal, polite way to request something.
Menitipkan is the full verb form (to entrust / to leave something with someone). In imperatives (commands/requests), Indonesian often drops the meN- prefix and keeps the base + suffix:
- Full form: (Anda) menitipkan map… (less common as a request)
- Request/imperative: Tolong titipkan map… (natural)
So titipkan here is the imperative form of menitipkan.
-kan commonly makes the verb more explicitly transitive/causative—you’re telling someone to do the action to/for something.
In this sentence, titipkan + object means leave/entrust (something).
Compare:
- titip (base idea): to leave something in someone’s care / toฝาก
- titipkan map itu: leave/entrust that folder (to someone / at a place)
Di meja resepsionis literally means on/at the receptionist’s desk. It focuses on the location where you leave it.
If you want to focus more on the person receiving it, you could say:
- Tolong titipkan map merah itu kepada resepsionis… = please leave it with the receptionist
Both are natural; this sentence emphasizes where it should be left (the desk).
In Indonesian, map usually means a folder / file folder / document folder, not a geographical map.
A geographical map is typically peta.
So map merah = red folder.
Indonesian commonly places adjectives after the noun:
- map merah = red folder
And itu (that/the) typically comes at the end of the noun phrase:
- map merah itu = that red folder or the red folder (you know which one)
Itu literally means that, but in many contexts it functions like English the, marking something as specific/identified.
So map merah itu can be:
- that red folder (pointing/contrasting)
- the red folder (already known in context)
Context decides which English wording fits.
Di meja is often used loosely to mean at/on the desk when it’s obvious you mean the surface.
If you want to be extra explicit about on top of the desk, you can say:
- di atas meja resepsionis = on top of the receptionist’s desk
Both can be correct; di meja is just more economical/common.
Sebelum means before and introduces a time clause:
- sebelum rapat dimulai = before the meeting starts
It commonly appears at the end like this, but you can also front it:
- Sebelum rapat dimulai, tolong titipkan map merah itu di meja resepsionis.
Same meaning; fronting can sound a bit more “scheduled/organized.”
Both are used, with slightly different feel:
- rapat mulai = the meeting starts (more direct/colloquial)
- rapat dimulai = the meeting is started / is beginning (more formal, slightly more “event-like”)
In schedules/announcements, dimulai is very common.
Indonesian imperatives often omit the subject because it’s understood.
- Tolong titipkan… is already clearly directed at you (the listener).
You can add a subject for clarity or tone:
- Tolong Anda titipkan… (possible but can sound stiff)
- Tolong kamu titipkan… (more casual, depends on relationship)
Yes, it’s office-appropriate. Tolong + imperative is polite and common.
If you want it more formal, you could use:
- Mohon titipkan… (more formal/request-like)
If you want it more neutral/“inviting,” you might see:
- Silakan titipkan… (please go ahead and leave…)