Learn Hardcore Malay: Masuk tanpa izin tidak dibenarkan. - Entering without permission is not allowed.

Masuk – to enter / entry
tanpa – without
izin – permission
tidak – not
dibenarkan – allowed / permitted (passive form of membenarkan, from benar = right/correct)

Literal structure: Entry without permission is not allowed.

Is masuk here a verb (to enter) or a noun (entry)?

It functions like a noun-like verb, similar to English Entering without permission is not allowed or Entry without permission is not allowed.

Malay often uses the base verb at the start of such warning sentences, and context makes it feel like a general action or activity:

Masuk tanpa izin ≈ Entering / entry without permission

So grammatically it’s the base verb masuk, but in this sentence it acts as the subject phrase (the activity of entering).

Why is there no subject like you or people in the sentence?

Malay often drops the subject when it’s general and obvious from context, especially in:

signs
rules
instructions

Here, Masuk tanpa izin is the subject itself:

Masuk tanpa izin (entry without permission)
tidak dibenarkan (is not allowed)

We could expand it more formally as:

Perbuatan masuk tanpa izin tidak dibenarkan.
(The act of entering without permission is not allowed.)

But in practice, the shorter version is natural and standard on signs.

What is the grammatical structure of Masuk tanpa izin tidak dibenarkan?

You can see it as a simple subject + predicate sentence:

Subject: Masuk tanpa izin
→ Entry / entering without permission
Predicate: tidak dibenarkan
→ is not allowed

So the full pattern is:

[Activity / action] + [is not allowed]
Masuk tanpa izin + tidak dibenarkan

What does dibenarkan mean exactly, and why is there a di- prefix?

dibenarkan comes from:

benar – true, correct, right
membenarkan – to allow, to permit, to approve, to justify (active voice)
dibenarkan – is allowed / is permitted (passive voice)

The di- prefix marks a passive form:

membenarkan – someone allows (active)
dibenarkan – is allowed (passive)

So tidak dibenarkan = is not allowed / is not permitted.

Why is tidak used here instead of bukan?

tidak and bukan are both kinds of negatives, but used in different contexts:

tidak negates verbs and adjectives
bukan negates nouns and noun phrases

In this sentence:

dibenarkan is a verb (passive form) → so we must use tidak
tidak dibenarkan = is not allowed

Using bukan here ( Masuk tanpa izin bukan dibenarkan ) would be ungrammatical.

What does tanpa izin mean, and can I replace izin with another word?

tanpa izin = without permission

tanpa – without
izin – permission

Yes, there are common alternatives:

tanpa kebenaran – without authorization / without permission
tanpa keizinan – without permission (more formal, derived noun from izin)

Examples:

Masuk tanpa kebenaran tidak dibenarkan.
Masuk tanpa keizinan tidak dibenarkan.

All are acceptable. On signs, tanpa izin and tanpa kebenaran are very common.

How is this different from Dilarang masuk?

Both are used on signs, but the emphasis is slightly different:

Masuk tanpa izin tidak dibenarkan.
– Entering without permission is not allowed.
– Focus: You may enter, but only if you have permission. Without permission, it’s not allowed.
Dilarang masuk.
– No entry / Entry is forbidden.
– Stronger blanket prohibition: Nobody may enter (no mention of any permission).

So:

Place where entry is totally forbidden → Dilarang masuk.
Place where only authorized people may enter → Masuk tanpa izin tidak dibenarkan.

Is tidak dibenarkan the same as dilarang?

They are very close in meaning, but not identical in nuance:

tidak dibenarkan – not allowed / not permitted
- Slightly more neutral or formal: this is not permitted under the rules.
dilarang – forbidden / prohibited
- Feels a bit stronger, like this is banned / strictly prohibited.

Compare:

Merokok tidak dibenarkan. – Smoking is not allowed.
Dilarang merokok. – No smoking / Smoking is prohibited.

In many real-life situations they are interchangeable, but dilarang often sounds a bit stricter.

Can I change the word order, for example: Tidak dibenarkan masuk tanpa izin?

Yes, that is also correct and natural:

Masuk tanpa izin tidak dibenarkan.
Tidak dibenarkan masuk tanpa izin.

Both mean: Entering without permission is not allowed.

The difference is minor in everyday use:

Starting with Masuk tanpa izin highlights the action as the topic.
Starting with Tidak dibenarkan highlights the prohibition first.

On signs, the original order (Masuk tanpa izin tidak dibenarkan) is very common.

Is this sentence formal, informal, or neutral?

It is formal / neutral, suitable for:

official signs (gates, offices, construction sites)
written rules and notices
security warnings

In casual spoken Malay, people might say instead:

Tak boleh masuk kalau tak ada izin.
(You can’t go in if you don’t have permission.)

But on a sign or notice, Masuk tanpa izin tidak dibenarkan is appropriate and standard.

How would you say the same idea more casually in everyday conversation?

Some natural, spoken alternatives:

Kalau tak ada izin, tak boleh masuk.
– If you don’t have permission, you can’t go in.
Masuk tanpa izin tak boleh.
– Entering without permission is not allowed.
Tak boleh masuk tanpa izin dulu.
– You can’t enter without permission first.

These keep the same meaning but use:

tak instead of tidak (more casual)
boleh / tak boleh instead of dibenarkan (simpler wording)

How do you pronounce izin and dibенarkan?

Approximate pronunciation (Malay is very phonetic):

izin → EE-zin
- i as in see
- z as in zoo
- stress usually on the first syllable: EE-zin
dibenarkan → dee-bə-NAR-kan
- di – dee
- be – schwa sound, like be in because
- nar – nar (as in NAR from narcotic, but shorter)
- kan – kahn (short)
- main stress often on nar: di-bə-NAR-kan