tidak pernah
/ˌtidak pərˈnah/
The English word 'never' is translated into Indonesian as tidak pernah. Wiktionary also lists tidak akan.
Meaning: at no time (adv)
Ways to say it
| Indonesian | IPA |
|---|---|
| tidak pernah | /ˌtidak pərˈnah/ (Standard Indonesian) |
| tidak akan | /ˈtidaʔ ˈakan/ (Standard Indonesian, word by word) |
The phrase is used as an adverb to indicate that something happens at no time.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase tidak pernah is a combination of tidak, meaning 'not' and pernah, meaning 'ever' or 'at one time'.
Which one should you use?
While tidak pernah refers to something that happens at no time, tidak akan is used specifically to express that something will not happen in the future. Additionally, tak pernah is a shortened, more literary or poetic version of the phrase.
How does it change in a sentence?
When you want to express that someone has 'never' done something based on their experience (e.g., 'I have never been there'), you should use belum pernah instead of tidak pernah.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌtidak pərˈnah/
Did you know?
- The Indonesian word tidak is a distant relative of the Malagasy word tsy, used in Madagascar.
Examples in context
- Kami tidak pernah lupa.We never forget.Tatoeba #5832008 by Bilmanda, translation #2241429 by CK
- Dia tidak pernah tidur.He never sleeps.Tatoeba #9676791 by HAGNi, translation #8479402 by CH
- Dia tidak pernah pergi.He never left.Tatoeba #10003155 by HAGNi, translation #8477029 by CH
- Saya tidak pernah melihatnya sebelumnya.I have never seen him/her before.
- Aku gak pernah makan sushi.I never eat sushi.
- 172 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sari and Dimas are talking about a new restaurant.
- SariApakah kamu sudah pernah mencoba restoran ini?Have you ever tried this restaurant?
- DimasTidak, saya tidak pernah ke sana.No, I have never been there.
- SariAyo kita mencoba makanan mereka hari ini.Let's try their food today.
- DimasIde yang bagus, Sari.That is a good idea, Sari.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “never” translations and entries tidak pernah, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (tidak, akan) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries akan, pernah, tidak, tidak pernah, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
