Saya tidak mau membuat Ibu repot.

I don't want to bother Mother.

Breakdown of Saya tidak mau membuat Ibu repot.

• saya: I
• tidak: not
• membuat: to make
• ibu: the mother

Questions & Answers about Saya tidak mau membuat Ibu repot.

Why is Saya used here instead of aku?

Saya is the more neutral and polite word for I in Indonesian. It is the safer choice in formal situations, with strangers, with older people, or when speaking respectfully.

Aku is more casual and is usually used with friends, family, or in informal conversation.

Because this sentence includes Ibu, which is a respectful form of address, saya fits the tone much better.

What does tidak mau mean here?

Tidak mau literally means do not want to or am unwilling to.

In this sentence, it means the speaker does not want to do something:
Saya tidak mau membuat Ibu repot = I don’t want to make you / ma’am / mother troubled or inconvenienced.

Depending on context, tidak mau can sometimes sound stronger than simple lack of desire, almost like refuse to, but here it usually just means I don’t want to.

Why is the negative word tidak and not bukan?