Transitive verbs in Indonesian have “endings” that change according to the grammatical role the verb is called upon to play in a sentence. It’s a verb that can take a direct object. In other words, the action of a transitive verb is done to someone or something.
If a verb has a me- prefix this indicates two things:
- First, the verb is transitive. So it has a receiver (often called the goal). The receiver is on the receiving end of the action expressed in the verb.
- Second, the doer of the action is in clear focus in the mind of the speaker, whereas the receiver of the action is a bit vague.
Example
- Pak Sukamto memukul anjing.
- Mr Sukamto hit the dog.
In this sentence it is clear who the doer of the action is. It’s Pak Sukamto. The speaker knows who he is. He is in sharp, unambiguous focus. But the receiver of the action (anjing) is not so clear. Yes, we know it is a dog, but one dog? … or dogs in general? … or any old dog? … or a particular dog? It is not so clear.
- Ibu Tuti membeli buku.
- Ibu Tuti bought the book.
In this sentence it is clear who the doer of the action is. It’s Ibu Tuti. The speaker knows who she is. She is in sharp, unambiguous focus. But the receiver of the action (buku) is not so clear. Yes, we know it is a book, but one book? … or books in general? … or any book? … or a particular book? It is not so clear.