Aspirations
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use 'ingin' or 'mau' followed by a verb to express what you want to do.
- Use 'ingin' for formal aspirations: Saya ingin belajar bahasa Indonesia.
- Use 'mau' for casual intent: Saya mau makan sekarang.
- Add 'tidak' before the verb to negate: Saya tidak mau pergi.
Meanings
These verbs express a desire, wish, or intention to perform an action.
Aspiration
A long-term goal or deep desire.
“Saya ingin menjadi dokter.”
“Dia ingin keliling dunia.”
Immediate Intent
What you want to do right now or soon.
“Saya mau minum kopi.”
“Kamu mau beli apa?”
Basic Formation
| Subject | Desire Verb | Action Verb | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saya | ingin | belajar | I want to learn |
| Kamu | mau | makan | You want to eat |
| Dia | ingin | pergi | He/she wants to go |
| Kami | mau | tidur | We want to sleep |
| Mereka | ingin | bekerja | They want to work |
| Anda | mau | minum | You want to drink |
Common Negations
| Full Form | Casual Form |
|---|---|
| Tidak mau | Enggak mau |
| Tidak ingin | Enggak ingin |
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | Subj + ingin/mau + Verb | Saya ingin makan |
| Negative | Subj + tidak + ingin/mau + Verb | Saya tidak mau makan |
| Question | Subj + ingin/mau + Verb + ? | Kamu mau makan? |
| Polite | Subj + ingin + Verb | Saya ingin bertanya |
| Casual | Subj + mau + Verb | Aku mau beli ini |
| Future Intent | Subj + mau + Verb | Saya mau pergi besok |
Formalitätsspektrum
Saya ingin pulang. (Leaving a party)
Saya mau pulang. (Leaving a party)
Aku mau pulang. (Leaving a party)
Gue mau balik. (Leaving a party)
Desire Verbs Map
Formal
- ingin desire/wish
Informal
- mau want/will
Examples by Level
Saya mau makan.
I want to eat.
Dia ingin tidur.
He wants to sleep.
Kamu mau pergi?
Do you want to go?
Kami ingin belajar.
We want to learn.
Saya tidak mau pergi sekarang.
I don't want to go now.
Apakah Anda ingin minum teh?
Would you like to drink tea?
Mereka mau membeli mobil baru.
They want to buy a new car.
Saya ingin menjadi guru.
I want to become a teacher.
Saya ingin sekali mengunjungi Jakarta.
I really want to visit Jakarta.
Dia tidak mau diganggu saat bekerja.
He doesn't want to be disturbed while working.
Kami ingin memastikan semuanya siap.
We want to ensure everything is ready.
Apa yang sebenarnya kamu mau?
What is it that you actually want?
Pemerintah ingin meningkatkan kualitas pendidikan.
The government wants to improve education quality.
Saya mau tidak mau harus setuju.
Like it or not, I have to agree.
Dia ingin agar proyek ini selesai tepat waktu.
He wants this project to be finished on time.
Jangan mau dibohongi oleh mereka.
Don't let yourself be lied to by them.
Hendaklah kita ingin mencapai kemajuan bersama.
Let us desire to achieve progress together.
Saya ingin menggarisbawahi pentingnya hal ini.
I want to underline the importance of this.
Dia tidak mau ambil pusing dengan masalah itu.
He doesn't want to bother with that issue.
Keinginan untuk berubah harus datang dari diri sendiri.
The desire to change must come from within.
Hasrat yang ingin dicapai seringkali melampaui kemampuan.
The desire one wishes to achieve often exceeds ability.
Ia ingin agar aspirasinya didengar oleh publik.
He wants his aspirations to be heard by the public.
Tak mau ia menyerah pada keadaan.
He does not want to give in to the circumstances.
Keinginannya untuk berkontribusi sangatlah besar.
His desire to contribute is very great.
Easily Confused
Learners mix up 'want' and 'like'.
Both can imply future.
Both mean desire/intent.
Häufige Fehler
Saya mau-kan makan
Saya mau makan
Saya ingin ke makan
Saya ingin makan
Mau saya makan
Saya mau makan
Saya ingin makan-nya
Saya ingin makan
Saya tidak ingin-nya
Saya tidak ingin
Dia mau-nya pergi
Dia mau pergi
Apakah ingin kamu makan?
Apakah kamu ingin makan?
Saya ingin menjadi-kan dokter
Saya ingin menjadi dokter
Mau saya pergi ke sana
Saya mau pergi ke sana
Saya tidak mau-kan itu
Saya tidak mau itu
Hendak saya ingin pergi
Saya hendak pergi
Saya ingin-nya untuk pergi
Saya ingin pergi
Dia tidak mau-i saya
Dia tidak mau saya
Sentence Patterns
Saya ___ ___.
Apakah kamu ___ ___?
Saya tidak ___ ___.
Dia ___ ___ ke Jakarta.
Real World Usage
Saya mau pesan nasi goreng.
Saya ingin berkontribusi pada perusahaan ini.
Mau nongkrong di mana?
Saya ingin memesan tiket pesawat.
Ingin liburan lagi!
Saya mau kopi susu.
Keep it simple
Watch your register
Use 'ingin' for goals
Politeness matters
Smart Tips
Always use 'ingin' instead of 'mau'.
Use 'pengen' for a natural, native sound.
Use 'ingin' to state your professional goals.
Keep it short with 'mau'.
Aussprache
Ingin
Pronounced 'ee-ngin'. The 'ng' is a single nasal sound.
Mau
Pronounced 'ma-oo'. Two distinct syllables.
Question
Kamu mau makan? ↑
Rising intonation at the end indicates a question.
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Think of 'Ingin' as 'In-gain' (you want to gain something formal) and 'Mau' as 'Mow' (you want to mow the lawn right now).
Visual Association
Imagine a person in a suit (Ingin) holding a diploma, and a person in a t-shirt (Mau) holding a pizza.
Rhyme
Ingin is polite, Mau is for the night.
Story
Budi wants to be a doctor (Budi ingin jadi dokter). He studies hard. At lunch, he is hungry and says to his friend, 'Aku mau makan' (I want to eat).
Word Web
Herausforderung
Write 3 sentences about your life goals using 'ingin' and 3 about your lunch plans using 'mau'.
Kulturelle Hinweise
Using 'mau' with superiors can be seen as blunt. Always use 'ingin' or 'hendak' in formal settings.
In Javanese-influenced Indonesian, 'mau' is very common, but respect levels (krama) are often implied.
In Jakarta, 'mau' is often shortened to 'mo' or 'mw' in texting.
These are native Austronesian roots. 'Ingin' relates to internal desire, while 'mau' is a contraction of 'mahu'.
Conversation Starters
Kamu mau makan apa hari ini?
Apa yang ingin kamu capai tahun ini?
Apakah Anda ingin bekerja di luar negeri?
Apa keinginan terbesar Anda dalam hidup?
Journal Prompts
Test Yourself
Saya ___ pergi ke Bali.
Which is correct?
Find and fix the mistake:
Saya tidak mau-kan pergi.
Arrange the words in the correct order:
All words placed
Click words above to build the sentence
I want to sleep.
Answer starts with: Say...
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
A: Kamu mau ke mana? B: ___
Subject: Dia, Verb: beli, Desire: ingin
Score: /8
Ubungsaufgaben
8 exercisesSaya ___ pergi ke Bali.
Which is correct?
Find and fix the mistake:
Saya tidak mau-kan pergi.
ingin / saya / belajar / bahasa Indonesia
I want to sleep.
I want to work.
A: Kamu mau ke mana? B: ___
Subject: Dia, Verb: beli, Desire: ingin
Score: /8
FAQ (8)
Yes, but it might sound too casual in formal settings.
No, Indonesian verbs never change.
Ingin is formal/aspirational, mau is casual/immediate.
Use 'tidak' before the desire verb.
Yes, 'Saya mau kopi' (I want coffee).
Yes, but 'mau' is much more common.
Yes, 'hendak' (formal) and 'pengen' (very casual).
'Pengen' is a contraction of 'pengin', very common in speech.
In Other Languages
Querer + infinitive
Indonesian verbs do not conjugate.
Vouloir + infinitive
Indonesian lacks person-based conjugation.
Wollen + infinitive
German has complex verb placement rules.
Verb-tai
Indonesian uses a separate auxiliary word.
Uridu an...
Indonesian does not use particles like 'an'.
Yào / Xiǎng
Chinese has no conjugation, similar to Indonesian.
