Indonesians commonly use the prefix ter- as the passive voice, to imply that the action is accidentally done or in which the actor of the action is not significant. (see also prefix ter- chapter).
- Penumpang itu dilempar ke luar.
- The passenger was thrown outside.
- Penumpang itu terlempar ke luar.
- The passenger was accidentally thrown outside.
- Kaki orang itu diinjak oleh Ahmad.
- The man’s foot was trampled on by Ahmad.
- Kaki orang itu terinjak oleh Ahmad.
- The man’s foot was accidentally trampled on by Ahmad.
- Rumahnya dibakar tadi malam.
- The house was burned down last night.
- Rumahnya terbakar tadi malam.
- The house was burned down by accident last night.
Note:
The characteristic of the Passive Sentence is the use of prefix di-, ter- and ke- and the suffix -an or -kan in verbs.
Transitive sentences can be transformed into passive sentences by:
- making the object of the active sentence become the subject of the passive sentence
- replacing the prefix me- with di-, ter- and ke- (see prefix chapter)
- making the subject of the active sentence become the agent.