Tolong ikat tali kasut awak dengan rapat.

with

Breakdown of Tolong ikat tali kasut awak dengan rapat.

• tolong: please
• awak: your
• tali kasut: the shoelace

Questions & Answers about Tolong ikat tali kasut awak dengan rapat.

What does tolong mean here?

Here, tolong makes the sentence sound like a polite request: please.

So Tolong ikat tali kasut awak dengan rapat means something like Please tie your shoelaces tightly.

A useful thing to know is that tolong can also mean help in other contexts, but in front of a verb it often works like please:

• Tolong buka pintu. = Please open the door.
• Tolong saya. = Help me.

Why is it ikat and not mengikat?

Because this sentence is a command/request.

In Malay, verbs in commands are often used in their base form, without meN-:

• Ikat tali kasut awak. = Tie your shoelaces.

If you use mengikat, it sounds more like a statement or a more formal verbal form, not a direct instruction:

• Dia mengikat tali kasutnya. = He/She is tying his/her shoelaces.

So in requests and instructions, ikat is the natural choice.

What does tali kasut mean exactly?