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Verb Affixes & Voice (me-, ber-, di-)

Productive prefixes and suffixes that build verbs, and the active/passive voice system
Kata kerja tidak berkonjugasi
Verbs don't conjugate for person/tense
-
The base form of a verb never changes for who or when
me-
active voice prefix
muh-
membaca = to read (active) — built from the root baca
di-
passive voice prefix
dee-
dibaca = to be read (passive) — same root, passive meaning
ber-
prefix for stative/reflexive/activity verbs
buhr-
bekerja = to work — built from the root kerja
baca → membaca / dibaca
read → to read (active) / to be read (passive)
-
One root, two voice-marked verb forms
makan
to eat (bare root, common in casual speech)
MAH-kan
Often used without any prefix in everyday conversation
-kan
suffix meaning "to do for/cause"
-kan
memberikan = to give [something to someone]
-i
suffix meaning "to apply action to/repeatedly"
-ee
menyirami = to water (a plant) repeatedly
Kata dasar vs kata berimbuhan
Base verb vs prefixed verb: casual vs more formal/precise
-
Bare roots are common in speech; affixed forms are standard in writing
tidak + kata kerja
simple negation of a verb
TEE-dak
tidak makan = doesn't eat