# Indonesian: Aku cinta kepada kamu



## ryagra

My girlfriend said this the other day, but she wouldn't say what it means...
I'm not sure about the spelling, but I think it's all right.
Oh, she's from Java, if that helps. Thank you!


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## Mauricet

Aku = I , cinta = love , kepada = to , *k*amu = you (singular). So she said "I love you". Surprising, isn't it ?


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## Mauricet

To Indonesian natives or experts: how would you negate _Aku cinta kepada kamu_ ? My dictionary says _cinta_ is a noun, so I analyse the sentence as of the type <noun 1> + <noun 2> where _Aku_ stands for <noun 1> and _cinta kepada kamu_ for <noun 2>. In this case the negation might be _Aku bukan cinta kepada kamu_ (I don't love you) or _Bukan aku cinta kepeda kamu_ (It is not that I love you, I don't exactly love you). Or is _cinta_ here used as a verb in place of the correct (?) _me(n)cintai_ (or _menyintai_) (in _Aku mencitai kamu_) and you would negate as _Aku tidak cinta (kepada) kamu_ ?


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## parhobass

Mauricet said:


> To Indonesian natives or experts: how would you negate _Aku cinta kepada kamu_ ? My dictionary says _cinta_ is a noun, so I analyse the sentence as of the type <noun 1> + <noun 2> where _Aku_ stands for <noun 1> and _cinta kepada kamu_ for <noun 2>. In this case the negation might be _Aku bukan cinta kepada kamu_ (I don't love you) or _Bukan aku cinta kepeda kamu_ (It is not that I love you, I don't exactly love you). Or is _cinta_ here used as a verb in place of the correct (?) _me(n)cintai_ (or _menyintai_) (in _Aku mencitai kamu_) and you would negate as _Aku tidak cinta (kepada) kamu_ ?



in our language you dont actually need the  suffix *(me)* to indicate a verb
you just take the syllable, in this case cinta

ex:
Aku cinta kamu (I love you)
verb for cinta is me(n)cinta

but it is non romantic situation , probably just a joke...
in a serious meaning, you better say
Aku mencintai kamu (I love you)

note the additional suffix _i_

so to negate the sentence just add "tidak" after subject.
Aku tidak cinta kamu (I dont love you)
Aku tidak mencintai kamu  (I dont love you)
Kamu tidak cinta saya (You dont love me)
Kamu tidak mencintai saya (You dont love me)

it is common also we use verb + verb+verb,
ex:
1. Lets eat. =  makan makan makan (eat eat eat)
2. Go away/ F**k off = pergi pergi pergi (go go go)


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## Mauricet

To understand how the sentence _Aku cinta kepada kamu_ is analysed, we need to see how it would be negated, not how to say _I dont love you_ ! Isn't _cinta kepada kamu_ a noun phrase, as in _Aku sakit cinta kepada kamu_ (I am sick with love to you), or is _cinta_ (in the title phrase) understood as a simplified form of the verb me(n)cinta(i). Would you say "Aku tidak cinta *kepada* kamu" rather than "Aku bukan cinta kepada kamu" ?


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## parhobass

Mauricet said:


> To understand how the sentence _Aku cinta kepada kamu_ is analysed, we need to see how it would be negated, not how to say _I dont love you_ ! Isn't _cinta kepada kamu_ a noun phrase, as in _Aku sakit cinta kepada kamu_ (I am sick with love to you), or is _cinta_ (in the title phrase) understood as a simplified form of the verb me(n)cinta(i). Would you say "Aku tidak cinta *kepada* kamu" rather than "Aku bukan cinta kepada kamu" ?



Ok, sorry for that,

- Cinta kepada kamu is a noun, you are right
- but if you put subject before "cinta kepada kamu", it can be a verb

cinta kepada kamu, as noun, negate to: _bukan cinta_ kepada kamu
cinta kepada kamu, as verb, negate to aku _tidak cinta_ kepada kamu
_
Bukan_ is commonly used to negate the noun and
_Tidak_ for verb. (the meaning of tidak and bukan are the same, No)

_Aku bukan cinta kepada kamu_ has the diffirent meaning with _Aku tidak cinta kepada kamu_
since bukan is for noun and tidak for verb
Aku bukan cinta kepada kamu (or Aku bukan cinta kepadamu) = I'm not a love for you
Aku tidak cinta kepada kamu (or Aku tidak cinta kepadamu) = I dont love you


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## Mauricet

Thank you very much parhobass ! But then, _Aku cinta kepada kamu_ could mean 'I love you' only if 'cinta kepada kamu' is understood as a verb. If it is understood as a noun phrase, _Aku cinta kepada kamu_ possibly means 'I am a love for you', not quite the same as 'I love you' ... (Although mistaking one for the other should not lead to a tragedy, I guess  ).


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## parhobass

Mauricet said:


> Thank you very much parhobass ! But then, _Aku cinta kepada kamu_ could mean 'I love you' only if 'cinta kepada kamu' is understood as a verb. If it is understood as a noun phrase, _Aku cinta kepada kamu_ possibly means 'I am a love for you', not quite the same as 'I love you' ... (Although mistaking one for the other should not lead to a tragedy, I guess  ).


yes,
the intonatioan will make the difference..
a noun cinta kepada kamu, in sentence Aku cinta kepada kamu
after _aku_ there is a stop, then high intonation at cinta
while in a verb, after Aku cinta we have a stop, then normal intonation at rest. 

Aku/stop/ ^cinta kepada kamu
Aku cinta/stop/kepada kamu


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## henriyo

A sentence must contain verb, right?

So I guess cinta in 'Aku cinta kamu' or 'Aku cinta kepada kamu' is a verb. It is the short form of mencintai. Therefore, to negate that sentence, you'll need the word 'tidak' not 'bukan', as parhobass explained, tidak refers to verb not noun. CMIIW


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## Mauricet

> A sentence must contain verb, right?


Are you sure, henriyo ? The sentence _Aku guru_ meaning _I am a / the teacher_ has no verb and is negated as _Aku bukan guru_, right ? So why not _Aku_ (stop) _cinta kepada kamu_ as parhobass said, negated as _Aku_ (stop) _bukan cinta kepada kamu_ ?


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## henriyo

Mauricet said:


> Are you sure, henriyo ? The sentence _Aku guru_ meaning _I am a / the teacher_ has no verb and is negated as _Aku bukan guru_, right ?



Oops, sorry I mean 'predikat' (predicate?) not verb. And predikat can be noun or verb.



Mauricet said:


> So why not _Aku_ (stop) _cinta kepada kamu_ as parhobass said, negated as _Aku_ (stop) _bukan cinta kepada kamu_ ?



What is the different between these sentences?

Aku cinta kamu.
Aku mencintai kamu.

Answering your question, 'cinta' HERE is not noun, it is a verb. Cinta is the base word. We erase the prefix and suffix to cut it short. So, aku bukan cinta kamu is false, aku tidak cinta kamu is correct.

Comparing to english:

I _am_ not a teacher.
I _do _not love you.


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## imalin

Hi.

I think the phrase 'sakit cinta' is a verb when you refer to the whole phrase. The phrase itself means 'crazy in love', the word 'sakit' there doesn't really refer to the word sick, thus it's not a noun (it's not an illness) . The phrase 'crazy in love' is a verb. It has to be understood as a whole phrase, not word by word.

To negate 'aku cinta padamu' : I don't love you. 

'Aku bukan cinta kamu' means i'm not in love with you. It is used when you are explaining to someone that you don't love him/her. The sentence is softer. 'Aku tidak cintakan/mencintai kamu' [i don't love you] is more like to deny, to reject someone directly. The nature is harsh. 

'Cinta' is a noun when it is refering to the feeling of love, not to the action. For example in 'cinta kepada negara' [love to the nation], 'percintaan' [love as a relationship]. However, i think in Indonesian, sometimes they do use the word 'cinta' to refer to sweetheart. So the sentence 'aku bukan cinta kamu' might means 'I'm not your sweetheart/darling.' It's a slang. So 'cinta' here is a noun. (This does not happen in my language.)

In 'aku cinta kamu' the word cinta should be mencintai, but when we use it verbally, we tend to ignore the rules of the language. 'Aku mencintai kamu' is more appropriate for literature, but nowadays even modern novels use 'aku cintakan kamu', just to make it sound more natural. The same rule refers to the Malay language. 

Hope this helps.


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## henriyo

imalin said:


> Hi.
> 
> 
> In 'aku cinta kamu' the word cinta should be mencintai, but when we use it verbally, we tend to ignore the rules of the language. 'Aku mencintai kamu' is more appropriate for literature,



setuju...



> but nowadays even modern novels use 'aku cintakan kamu', just to make it sound more natural. The same rule refers to the Malay language.


 
Indonesian never says 'aku cintakan kamu' (it's malaysian, sis)


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## imalin

henriyo said:


> setuju...
> 
> 
> 
> Indonesian never says 'aku cintakan kamu' (it's malaysian, sis)


 
Yup, i know. My mistake, am so used to my language.


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## Mauricet

> Indonesian never says 'aku cintakan kamu' (it's malaysian, sis)


Isn't _cintakan_ also a shortened form of _mencintakan_ ? (This one is in the KBBI). Why, do you think, Indonesians do not use it ?


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## xavierxavier

Indonesians use "mencintai" instead of "mencintakan".

I think the postfix -kan is mainly used when the object to the verb is a nominative noun, while the postfix -i indicates a dative pronoun. 

Small example : _runtuh_ means fall apart/fall down.
Ia me_runtuh_kan gedung > He knocks down the building.
Gedung itu me_runtuh_i mobilku > That building fell over my car.


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