Last updated on January 16, 2024
The prefix ‘di-‘ is used to make the passive form of an active ‘me-‘ verb. ‘Di’ as a prefix is written in one word with the root verb.
Examples
- baca > membaca (to read) > dibaca (to be read)
- cuci > mencuci (to wash) > dicuci (to be washed)
- makan > memakan (to eat) > dimakan (to be eaten)
| Sentences | Meaning | Forms |
|---|---|---|
| Nina menyanyikan lagu jazz. Lagu jazz dinyanyikan oleh Nina. | Nina sings a jazz song. A jazz song is sung by Nina. | active passive |
| Dia mencuci piring. Piring dicuci olehnya. | She washes the dishes The dishes are washed by her. | active passive |
Please note, the word ‘di‘ is also used as a preposition, meaning “at”, “on”, “in” etc. In this case it stands alone as an independent word. As a preposition ‘di’ is written as a word separately from the noun(place). So the word ‘dikantor’ is wrong because ‘mekantor’ is not a verb. As a proposition the correct form is ‘di kantor’.
- di kantor → at the office
- di rumah → at home
- di Jakarta → in Jakarta
- di Amerika → in America
- di depan → in the front
- di halaman depan → at the front yard
- di meja → on the table
Note:
Unfortunately you will soon realise that many Indonesians also are unable to distinguish between preposition and prefix and write ‘disini’ when it is supposed to be di sini and ‘di ambil’ instead of diambil.