Subject – Complement
A simple sentence can be built by adding a noun, an adjective, a prepositional phrase or a numeral to complement the subject. There is no verb ‘to be’ in Indonesian. However, because of the influence of English, a sort of copula verb ‘adalah‘ or ‘ialah‘ is often inserted between the subject and comlement.
| Dewi peragawati. Dewi adalah seorang peragawati. Dia cantik. Bapak di kantor. Anaknya satu. Dewi bukan peragawati. Apakah Dewi peragawati? Dewilah peragawatinya |
Dewi (is a) catwalk model. Dewi is a catwalk model. She (is) beautiful. Father (is) at the office. His son is one. Dewi is not a catwalk model. Is Dewi a catwalk model? Dewi is the catwalk model. |
noun copula verb adjective preposition phrase numeral negative sentence interrogative sentence predicate marker |
Subject – Predicate – Adverb
The predicator may be a simple intransitive verb without any affixes. It may also take the prefix ber-, me-, or ter-. Adverbial is an optional element.
| Subject | Predicate | Adverb | Meaning |
| Ibu saya Latihan menari Uangnya |
ada sudah selesai tersimpan |
di rumah. kemarin. dengan baik. |
My mother is at home. The dance rehearsal has concluded yesterday. His money was kept safely. |
Subject – Predicate – Object – Adverb
The predicator may be a simple verb without any affixes. It may also take the affixes me-, -i, me-i, memer-i, me-kan, memper-kan. Adverbial is an optional element.
| Subject | Predicate | Object | Adverb | Meaning |
| Mereka Dia Polisi |
sudah mengerjakan mengalami bekuk |
laporan itu kesulitan pencuri. |
kemarin. sebagai pelajar. |
They have done the report yesterday. He experienced many difficulties as student. The police arrested the thief. |
Subject – Predicate – Complement – Adverb
The complement may be a noun phrase, an adjective, or a noun phrase preceded by an adjective-like verb. It may be also a noun preceded by an adjective as predicate. Adverbial is an optional element.
| Subject Noun |
Predicate Verb |
Complement Noun |
Adverbial Adverb |
Meaning |
| Ujian Dia Ayahnya |
tinggal berdagang menjadi |
dua hari batik guru. |
lagi. di Pasar. |
The exam is two days away. He traded batik in the market. His father becomes a teacher. |
| Subject Noun |
Predicate Verb |
Complement Adjective |
Meaning |
| Bajunya Dia |
berwarna merasa |
kuning. beruntung. |
His shirt is yellow. He felt lucky. |
| Subject Noun |
Predicate Adjective |
Complement Noun |
Meaning |
| Mangga itu Pohon ini Orang itu |
manis banyak lambat |
rasanya. buahnya. jalannya. |
That mango is sweet in taste. This tree has many fruits. That person are slow in walking. |
Subject – Predicate – Object – Complement
The complement may be a noun phrase, an adjective, a noun phrase or a verb.
| Subject Noun |
Predicate Verb |
Object Noun |
Complement Adjective |
Meaning |
| Dia Masalah itu |
merasa membuat |
badannya dia |
lemah. | He felt his body weak. That problem made him angry. |
| Subject Noun |
Predicate Verb |
Object Noun |
Complement Noun |
Meaning |
| Dia Mereka |
mengira menamai |
saya bayi itu |
orang Jawa. Amir. |
He thought me a Javanese/He thought I was a Javanese. They named the baby Amir. |
| Subject Noun |
Predicate Verb |
Object Noun |
Complement Verb |
Meaning |
| Dia Mereka |
meyuruh mengajarkan |
saya kami |
keluar. menari. |
He asked me to go out. They taught us dancing. |
Subject – Predicate – Object – Object
The structure has two objects. The first object is indirect object and the second one is direct object. The indirect object is often called the beneficiary of an action.
| Subject Noun |
Predicate Verb |
Indirect Object Noun |
Direct Object Noun |
Meaning |
| Saya Dia |
sedang mencarikan menawari |
adik saya saya |
pekerjaan. pekerjaan. |
I am getting my sister a job. He offered me a job. |
Reference:
Indonesian Grammar Made Easy by Dr. Liaw Yock Fang, TIMES 1996
