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 several modal verbs: • harus, must or have to (general obligation) • perlu, need to (necessity) • mesti, must or have to; common in some regions and conversational styles, with strength depending on context • wajib, obligatory or required (common in rules and official language) • sebaiknya, it would be better to or should (advice) These usually go before the main verb. Be careful with negation: tidak harus means 'do not have to', not 'must not'. Use tidak boleh or jangan for a prohibition.

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.