Must, should, need to

By Speak Indo, from the Speak Indo Indonesian course.

harus, perlu, mesti, wajib, sebaiknya. How to pick the right one.

How it works

Indonesian has precise modal verbs: • harus, must / have to (strong, general obligation) • perlu, need to (personal necessity) • mesti, must (casual, slightly softer than harus) • wajib, obligatory, required (formal; used in rules/laws) • sebaiknya, it's better to / should (advice, soft) These go BEFORE the main verb. tidak + modal negates: _tidak harus_ = don't have to, _tidak perlu_ = don't need to.

Examples

• Saya harus belajar lebih keras.
  I must study harder.
• Kamu perlu istirahat.
  You need to rest.
• Sebaiknya kita pulang sekarang.
  We'd better go home now.
• Hadir wajib bagi semua.
  Attendance is required for everyone.