Negation with tidak, bukan, belum, and jangan
Can negate sentences correctly using tidak, bukan, belum, and jangan
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
Saya tidak lapar.
I am not hungry.
Ini bukan rumah saya.
This is not my house.
Dia belum datang.
He/She has not come yet.
Jangan lupa!
Don't forget!
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
Indonesian has four main negation words:
| Word | Used for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| tidak | verbs & adjectives | Saya tidak suka. |
| bukan | nouns & pronouns | Dia bukan guru. |
| belum | not yet | Saya belum makan. |
| jangan | don't (imperative) | Jangan lupa! |
The key rule: tidak for verbs/adjectives, bukan for nouns. Belum implies future possibility.
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises
Practice ExercisesUsed 'tidak' with a noun or 'bukan' with a verb/adjective
tidak = verbs/adjectives. bukan = nouns/pronouns. Ask: Am I negating a thing (bukan) or an action/quality (tidak)?
Used 'tidak' when 'belum' (not yet) was intended
'Belum' implies future possibility. 'Tidak' is a simple negation. 'Belum menikah' = not married yet.
Saya tidak lapar.
I am not hungry.
'Tidak' negates the adjective 'lapar' (hungry). Use 'tidak' for verbs and adjectives.
Ini bukan rumah saya.
This is not my house.
'Bukan' negates the noun 'rumah saya'. Use 'bukan' before nouns and pronouns.
Dia belum datang.
He/She has not come yet.
'Belum' = not yet. Implies the action will happen in the future. Compare: 'tidak datang' = did not come (fact).
Jangan lupa!
Don't forget!
'Jangan' is the imperative negation — 'don't'. Used for commands and requests.
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises