entah ... atau ...
Unknown Alternatives
Use entah ... atau ... to say "whether ... or ..." when you truly don't know which option is correct, or when the choice doesn't change the outcome.
How It Works
The pattern entah ... atau ... is a correlative conjunction in Indonesian. While the simple atau (or) just presents a choice, adding entah signals that the speaker is uncertain or that the distinction is irrelevant.
Key Characteristics:
- Register: TBBI lists the correlative model entah ... entah .... However, entah ... atau ... is a widely accepted common usage in everyday speech, literature, and journalism. While 'entah' can be used alone at the start of a clause to mean 'I don't know', it is less neutral than tidak tahu. Additionally, adding the emphatic suffix -lah forms the highly common standalone response entahlah, meaning 'I don't know', 'I have no idea', or 'whatever'. In informal spoken Indonesian and text messaging, it is frequently shortened to ntah (e.g., ntahlah, ntah kenapa).
- Structure: It connects parallel grammatical units (verbs with verbs, nouns with nouns). A very common structure pairs a positive statement with a negation, using tidak or bukan as the second alternative. Repeated material can be omitted in the second alternative when it is understood (e.g., entah dia sadar atau tidak [sadar]). According to standard Indonesian orthography (EYD), a comma is generally not used to separate the two alternatives in this correlative pair. However, when the entire entah ... atau ... phrase acts as a dependent or concessive clause (meaning "Whether [A] or [B], [the outcome remains the same]") at the beginning of a sentence, a comma is required to separate it from the main clause.
- Common Set Phrases: This pattern frequently appears in fixed expressions, particularly those pairing a positive and negative state, such as entah benar atau tidak (whether it is true or not) and entah sadar atau tidak (whether conscious of it or not). Another famous idiom is negeri antah-berantah, meaning 'a never-never land' or 'the middle of nowhere' (though negeri entah berantah is a very common real-world variant).
- With Question Words: The word entah can combine with question words to express unknown information. Examples include entah siapa (who knows who), entah di mana (who knows where), entah kapan (who knows when), or entah kenapa (who knows why). This shares the same underlying concept of uncertainty.
- Nuance: Unlike apakah ... atau ..., which is used for neutral indirect questions, entah presents uncertainty or treats the specific alternative as irrelevant; rhetorical uses do not establish the speaker's actual knowledge.
- Variations: As noted, entah ... entah ... is the listed correlative model; entah ... atau ... is also attested in edited Indonesian, including original articles by Badan Bahasa. Follow a specified exercise model when one is required, without declaring every atau variant nonstandard.
Examples (6)
- Entah dia sungguh mengerti masalahnya atau dia hanya pura-pura tahu.
Whether he/she really understands the problem or is only pretending to know is uncertain.
Word by Word: Whether he/she truly understand the problem or he/she only pretend know.
This example connects two full clauses. Notice that according to standard orthography, no comma is used before atau in this correlative pair.
- Entah hari ini atau besok, paket itu pasti akan sampai.
Whether it's today or tomorrow, the package will certainly arrive.
Word by Word: Whether day this or tomorrow, package that certain will arrive.
Here, the pattern connects two time nouns. It implies the exact day is unknown, but the result is certain.
- Entah benar atau salah, saya akan tetap membela teman saya.
Whether it is right or wrong, I will still defend my friend.
Word by Word: Whether right or wrong, I will stay defend friend my.
This connects two adjectives to show that the moral status doesn't change the speaker's action.
- Entah karena macet atau karena hujan, dia belum datang juga.
Whether because of traffic or because of rain, he/she still has not arrived.
Word by Word: Whether because traffic or because rain, he/she not-yet come also.
This connects two reason phrases starting with karena.
- Dia hanya duduk diam, entah melamun atau tertidur.
He/she just sat silently, perhaps daydreaming or asleep.
Word by Word: He/she only sit silent, whether daydream or fall-asleep.
This example demonstrates the use of parallel verbs (melamun and tertidur) to describe uncertain actions.
- Entah dia akan datang atau tidak, kita harus mulai rapatnya sekarang.
Whether he/she will come or not, we must start the meeting now.
Word by Word: Whether he/she will come or not, we must start the meeting now.
This demonstrates a highly common usage where the second alternative is simply the negation tidak.
Common Mistakes
Pairing 'entah' with 'maupun'.
Entah dia maupun adiknya yang mengambil kunci itu.Entah dia atau adiknya yang mengambil kunci itu.The pattern baik ... maupun ... means 'both A and B'. When expressing uncertainty between alternatives, you must use 'atau' or repeat 'entah'.
Confusing 'entah' with 'apakah' in indirect questions.
Saya tidak tahu entah dia akan datang.Saya tidak tahu apakah dia akan datang.Saya tidak tahu apakah dia akan datang is a clear integrated indirect question. Entah can express uncertainty independently or parenthetically; the displayed entah sequence is not the basic embedded-question model, rather than evidence that the two words can never occur in one utterance.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To understand 'entah ... atau ...', learners first need to be comfortable with the basic conjunction 'atau' (or) and the general structure of presenting alternatives. Since this pattern specifically deals with unknown outcomes or answers, familiarity with expressions of possibility and uncertainty in Indonesian is also beneficial.
- mungkinPossibility with Mungkin
Understanding how to express possibility is helpful as 'entah' conveys a similar sense of uncertainty or unknown status.
Level 3 - baik ... atau ...Either Option Framing
This pattern provides the structural foundation for framing two distinct options, which 'entah ... atau ...' builds upon by adding the element of doubt.
Level 3
Related Patterns
- atauAlternatives with Atau
The basic conjunction for 'or' without the added nuance of uncertainty.
Level 1 - baik ... maupun ...Both ... and ...
A similar correlative structure that means 'both... and...' rather than 'either... or...'.
Level 3 - apakahFormal Questions with Apakah
Used for neutral indirect questions (e.g., 'I asked whether...') without the 'unknown' emphasis of entah.
Level 1 - belum tentuNot Necessarily
Means 'not necessarily,' sharing the theme of uncertainty regarding a specific outcome.
Level 5
Words in This Pattern
Practice entah ... atau ... in Bubblegum
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