Syntactic Control
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Syntactic control allows you to link two verbs without repeating the subject, making your Indonesian sound fluid and professional.
- Subject Control: The main subject performs both actions. Example: 'Saya ingin makan' (I want to eat).
- Object Control: The main object performs the second action. Example: 'Ibu menyuruh saya pergi' (Mom told me to go).
- Optional 'Untuk': In many control structures, the linker 'untuk' is optional but adds formal weight.
Meanings
A syntactic mechanism where the subject of a subordinate verb is omitted because it is identical to (and 'controlled' by) an argument in the main clause.
Subject Control
The subject of the matrix (main) verb is the understood subject of the embedded (second) verb.
“Dia mencoba membuka pintu itu.”
“Kami berencana pergi ke Bali.”
Object Control
The direct object of the matrix verb is the understood subject of the embedded verb.
“Guru memaksa murid belajar.”
“Polisi melarang kami lewat.”
Passive Control
When the main verb is passive, the 'new' subject (the original object) remains the controller.
“Saya dilarang merokok di sini.”
“Dia dipaksa menandatangani kontrak itu.”
Common Control Verbs by Type
| Type | Indonesian Verb | English Equivalent | Controller |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject Control | Ingin / Mau | Want to | Subject |
| Subject Control | Berjanji | Promise to | Subject |
| Subject Control | Mencoba | Try to | Subject |
| Subject Control | Berencana | Plan to | Subject |
| Object Control | Menyuruh | Order/Tell (someone) to | Object |
| Object Control | Meminta | Ask (someone) to | Object |
| Object Control | Memaksa | Force (someone) to | Object |
| Object Control | Mengizinkan | Allow (someone) to | Object |
Casual vs. Formal Control Markers
| Context | Marker | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Formal | untuk | Berusaha untuk pergi | Standard in writing |
| Casual | (none) | Berusaha pergi | Common in speech |
| Very Casual | buat | Coba buat ngerti | Jakarta slang style |
| Literary | guna | Berupaya guna mencapai | High-level formal |
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative (Subj) | S + V1 + V2 | Saya ingin makan. |
| Affirmative (Obj) | S + V1 + O + V2 | Dia menyuruh saya makan. |
| Formal Affirmative | S + V1 + untuk + V2 | Kami berencana untuk menikah. |
| Negative (Main) | S + tidak + V1 + V2 | Saya tidak ingin makan. |
| Negative (Embedded) | S + V1 + untuk tidak + V2 | Saya memutuskan untuk tidak makan. |
| Passive Control | S(obj) + di-V1 + V2 | Saya disuruh makan. |
| Question | Apakah + S + V1 + V2? | Apakah kamu mencoba lari? |
| Interrogative (Obj) | Siapa yang + V1 + O + V2? | Siapa yang menyuruh kamu pergi? |
Espectro de formalidad
Saya bermaksud untuk pulang ke rumah. (Expressing desire to leave)
Saya ingin pulang. (Expressing desire to leave)
Aku mau balik. (Expressing desire to leave)
Gue pengen cabut. (Expressing desire to leave)
The Control Bridge
Subject Control
- Berjanji Promise
- Mencoba Try
Object Control
- Menyuruh Order
- Melarang Forbid
Control vs. Purpose
Should I use 'untuk'?
Is it a modal verb (bisa, mau, harus)?
Is the context formal writing?
Common Control Verbs
Desire
- • Ingin
- • Mau
- • Berharap
- • Bermaksud
Command
- • Menyuruh
- • Meminta
- • Memaksa
- • Menghimbau
Examples by Level
Saya mau minum kopi.
I want to drink coffee.
Dia bisa bicara bahasa Indonesia.
He can speak Indonesian.
Kami suka makan nasi goreng.
We like to eat fried rice.
Kamu harus pergi sekarang.
You must go now.
Saya mencoba belajar setiap hari.
I try to study every day.
Dia mulai bekerja jam delapan.
He starts working at eight.
Ibu menyuruh saya beli susu.
Mom told me to buy milk.
Mereka berencana datang besok.
They plan to come tomorrow.
Saya meminta dia untuk membantu saya.
I asked him to help me.
Guru melarang murid-murid merokok.
The teacher forbids students from smoking.
Kami memutuskan untuk membatalkan rapat.
We decided to cancel the meeting.
Dia berjanji tidak akan terlambat lagi.
He promised not to be late again.
Pemerintah berusaha untuk menekan angka inflasi.
The government is striving to suppress the inflation rate.
Terdakwa dipaksa untuk mengakui perbuatannya.
The defendant was forced to confess to his actions.
Saya berkomitmen untuk menyelesaikan proyek ini.
I am committed to finishing this project.
Manajer mengizinkan staf untuk bekerja dari rumah.
The manager allowed the staff to work from home.
Kebijakan tersebut dimaksudkan untuk meningkatkan kesejahteraan rakyat.
The policy is intended to increase the people's welfare.
Penulis cenderung untuk menggunakan metafora yang kompleks.
The author tends to use complex metaphors.
Ia berupaya keras guna menghindari konflik kepentingan.
He is making a great effort to avoid a conflict of interest.
Subjek penelitian diminta untuk merespons rangsangan visual.
The research subjects were asked to respond to visual stimuli.
Eksistensi regulasi ini seyogianya dipandang sebagai upaya untuk menegakkan keadilan.
The existence of this regulation should ideally be seen as an effort to uphold justice.
Fenomena ini mengindikasikan adanya kecenderungan untuk mengabaikan norma sosial.
This phenomenon indicates a tendency to ignore social norms.
Beliau berhasrat untuk mewariskan nilai-nilai luhur kepada generasi penerus.
He desires to pass down noble values to the succeeding generation.
Konstruksi kalimat ini memungkinkan kita untuk menelaah struktur batin sang penyair.
This sentence construction allows us to examine the inner structure of the poet.
Easily Confused
Learners mix up verbs like 'ingin' (control) with 'kelihatannya' (raising).
Using 'supaya' when the subjects are the same.
Adding 'untuk' after 'bisa' or 'mau'.
Errores comunes
Saya mau untuk makan.
Saya mau makan.
Saya bisa untuk renang.
Saya bisa berenang.
Dia suka dia lari.
Dia suka lari.
Saya harus untuk pergi.
Saya harus pergi.
Ibu menyuruh saya untuk saya beli roti.
Ibu menyuruh saya beli roti.
Saya mencoba untuk membaca buku.
Saya mencoba membaca buku.
Dia mulai untuk belajar.
Dia mulai belajar.
Saya meminta dia supaya datang.
Saya meminta dia datang.
Kami berencana bahwa pergi.
Kami berencana pergi.
Dia dilarang untuk tidak merokok.
Dia dilarang merokok.
Upaya tersebut bertujuan supaya meningkatkan hasil.
Upaya tersebut bertujuan meningkatkan hasil.
Ia berjanji akan untuk datang.
Ia berjanji akan datang.
Sentence Patterns
Saya ___ untuk ___.
Dia ___ saya untuk ___.
Kami memutuskan untuk tidak ___.
___ dilarang untuk ___ di area ini.
Real World Usage
Saya berharap untuk bergabung dengan tim Anda.
Otw ya, jangan nyuruh gue buru-buru!
Dokter menyarankan saya untuk berhenti makan gorengan.
Saya mau pesan satu porsi sate.
Penumpang diminta untuk segera menuju pintu keberangkatan.
Suka traveling dan mencoba hal baru.
The Modal Rule
Object Placement
Polite Requests
Prefix Consistency
Smart Tips
Check if the subject of the first verb is also doing the second. If yes, it's Subject Control!
Always include 'untuk' after verbs like 'bermaksud', 'berencana', or 'memohon'.
Use the 'untuk tidak' sandwich. It's very clear and sophisticated.
Delete 'untuk' from your brain. These words are like magnets; they pull the next verb directly to them.
Pronunciación
Linking Verbs
When two verbs are linked without 'untuk', there is usually no pause between them.
Untuk stress
In formal speech, 'untuk' is often reduced to 'ntuk' or 'tuk'.
Control Intonation
Saya mencoba ↗ membaca buku ↘
Rising tone on the first verb, falling on the second.
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Remember 'The Invisible Bridge': The first verb builds a bridge to the second, and the subject walks across it without needing to be mentioned again.
Visual Association
Imagine a puppeteer (Verb 1) pulling the strings of a puppet (Verb 2). The puppeteer controls the action, so the puppet doesn't need its own brain (subject).
Rhyme
When two verbs act as one, the second subject's work is done!
Story
Budi wants to go to the market. He doesn't say 'Budi wants Budi goes.' He says 'Budi wants to go.' In Indonesian, Budi is the boss of both 'ingin' and 'pergi'.
Word Web
Desafío
Write 3 sentences about your goals for this year using 'berencana untuk', 'berusaha untuk', and 'berharap bisa'.
Notas culturales
Indonesians value indirectness. Using 'meminta' (ask) is often preferred over 'menyuruh' (order) even in control structures to sound more polite.
In Jakarta, 'buat' is frequently used as a substitute for 'untuk' in control structures, though it's technically non-standard.
Official documents heavily use passive control to avoid naming a specific person as the 'orderer', focusing on the rule instead.
Indonesian syntactic control evolved from Classical Malay, which used 'akan' or 'hendak' as markers that eventually became modern auxiliaries or control verbs.
Conversation Starters
Apa yang kamu rencanakan untuk lakukan akhir pekan ini?
Siapa yang menyuruh kamu belajar bahasa Indonesia?
Ceritakan tentang sesuatu yang pernah kamu coba lakukan tapi gagal.
Bagaimana cara pemerintah mengizinkan warga untuk berbisnis?
Journal Prompts
Test Yourself
Which of these is grammatically correct for 'I can speak Indonesian'?
Ibu menyuruh adik ___ mandi sekarang.
Find and fix the mistake:
Dia mencoba untuk dia lari lebih cepat.
Polisi melarang kami masuk.
A: Kenapa kamu tidak datang? B: Maaf, bos saya ___ saya lembur.
You can use 'untuk' after the word 'harus' (must).
Score: /8
Ejercicios de practica
8 exercisesWhich of these is grammatically correct for 'I can speak Indonesian'?
Ibu menyuruh adik ___ mandi sekarang.
Find and fix the mistake:
Dia mencoba untuk dia lari lebih cepat.
Polisi melarang kami masuk.
A: Kenapa kamu tidak datang? B: Maaf, bos saya ___ saya lembur.
You can use 'untuk' after the word 'harus' (must).
Score: /8
Preguntas frecuentes (8)
No. With modal verbs like `bisa` or `mau`, it is forbidden. In formal writing with verbs like `berusaha` or `meminta`, it is highly recommended for clarity.
`Menyuruh` is a direct order (tell/order), while `meminta` is a polite request (ask). Both use object control.
No. `Yang` is for relative clauses (The man *who* is eating). `Untuk` is for linking actions (I want *to* eat).
`Buat` is the informal/slang version of `untuk` used in Jakarta and casual conversation. Avoid it in formal essays.
To negate the first verb, use `tidak` before it. To negate the second verb, use `untuk tidak` before the second verb.
In formal Indonesian, yes, if it's transitive. For example, `Saya mencoba menulis` is better than `Saya mencoba tulis`.
Yes! `Saya ingin mencoba belajar` (I want to try to study). Each verb controls the next one in a chain.
`Ingin` is more formal and slightly 'softer' than `mau`, but both function as subject control verbs.
In Other Languages
to-infinitive (I want to go)
Indonesian modals (can, must, want) never take a linker.
Infinitive (Quiero comer)
Spanish changes the verb ending; Indonesian changes the prefix or adds 'untuk'.
zu + Infinitiv
Word order: Indonesian is S-V1-(O)-V2; German is S-V1-(O)-...-zu-V2.
koto/no (suru koto wo kimeru)
Japanese is head-final (Verb 2 comes before Verb 1); Indonesian is head-initial.
An + Subjunctive (Urīdu an adh-haba)
Arabic verbs still conjugate for person in the second clause; Indonesian verbs do not.
Serial Verb Construction (Wo xiang qu)
Chinese never uses a linker like 'untuk'; Indonesian uses it in formal registers.
