1. Actions speak louder than words
Indonesian Verbs
Actions speak louder than words

2. Types of Verbs in Indonesian
1. Simple verbs without affixes added to the root word
2. Verbs with the prefix “ber-” added to the root word
3. Verbs with the prefix “me-” added to the root word

3. Simple Verbs
These verbs are used in simple statements that follow the structure Subject + Verb
They are therefore generally intransitive but can also be made transitive by adding the prefix “me-” and the suffix “kan-”.
Some of them are both transitive and intransitive including “makan”, “minum” and “naik”.

4. Verbs With the Prefix “ber-”
These verbs are always intransitive and can only connect to the object of the sentence via a preposition such as “di”, “ke”, “dari”, “dengan”, “pada” and so on.
The only exceptions to this are the verbs “bermain” (to play) and “belajar” (to study) which are both transitive.

5. Other meanings of the “ber-” Prefix
“ber-” attached to an object (noun) is
another way of expressing possession :
Saya beranak dua orang ( I have two
children)
Saya bermobil Mercedes (I have a Mercedes car)

6. Other meanings of the “ber-” Prefix
“ber-” attached to an item of clothing or accessories is another way of expressing
using or wearing :
Saya bercelana jins Levi’s( I am wearing
Levi’s jeans)
Saya berkacamata hitam Ray Ban (I am wearing Ray Ban sunglasses)

7. Verbs With the Prefix “me~”
These verbs are always transitive and must therefore connect directly to the object of the sentence.
There are five “me~” prefixes and their use is determined by the first letter of the root word.
The five prefixes are “me~”, “mem~”, “men~”, “meng~”, “meny-” and “menge~”.

8. Prefix “me~”
l, m, n, r, w & y

9. Prefix “mem~”
b, f, (p) & v

10. Prefix “men~”
c, d, j, (t) & z

11. Prefix “meng-”
a, e, g, h, i, (k), o & u

12. Prefix “meny~”
(s)

13. Prefix “menge~”
This prefix is attached to all single-syllable verbs only.

14. Attention !!!!
If the root verb begins with one of the letters in brackets (t,p,k & s), then that letter is dropped when the transitive verb is formed. There are very few exceptions to this rule, the only common one being “mempunyai” where the “p” is not dropped.

15. Tamat