Adverbs are like the secret spice in a sentence, adding flavor by telling us how something happens. They often give us information about the manner in which an action is performed. They’re like little clues that help us understand the story better. Some people call them “adverbs of manner.”
Many adverbs come from adjectives, and in English, they often end with “-ly.” But in Indonesian, apart from adjectives, there are multiple ways in which you can form an adverb of manner. And like in English, these adverbs may come before or after the verb they modify. For instance, “Dia berjalan dengan cepat menuju toko itu” (He walked quickly to the store) and “Dia dengan cepat berjalan menuju toko itu” (He quickly walked to the store) are both correct, though the former is more common and more natural to say.
Let’s see a full breakdown of all types of adverbs of manner in Indonesian below
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Adjectives Turned Adverbs
You may understand adjectives as words that describe things. Now, sometimes we use the same words to describe how actions happen, too. For example, the adjective “keras” (hard) can also be used as an adverb as in “Kami bekerja keras” (We work hard), and it’s also true of the adjective “mudah” (easy) as in “Mereka akan mudah mendapatkan pekerjaan.” (They will get work easily). In this case, both adjectives “hard” and “easy” are also used as adverbs to describe actions!
Forming Adverbs with “dengan”
In Indonesian, you can make adverbs by adding “dengan” before an adjective or an adjective phrase. Let’s see some examples:
- Pemain sepak bola itu berlari dengan cepat menuju gawang lawan. (The soccer player runs quickly towards the opponent’s goal.)
- Tim nasional Indonesia berkompetisi dengan penuh semangat di Olimpiade Matematika itu. (The Indonesian national team competes with great spirit in the Math Olympiad.)
- Saya berbicara dengan percaya diri di depan umum. (I speak confidently in front of the public.)
- Dia menulis esainya dengan mantap. (He writes confidently in his essay.)
- Guru itu dengan teliti memeriksa jawaban ujian tulis murid-muridnya. (The teacher meticulously checked her students’ written exam answers.)
Sometimes you can add the suffix -nya after the adjective: Hujan turun dengan derasnya (The rain fell heavily.)
Please note that not every adjective can turn into an adverb of manner by adding “dengan” in front of it. For example, this rule does not apply to the words “aneh” (strange), “lucu” (funny), and “benar” (true). That said, different people might have different ideas about this.
Turning Adjectives and Verbs into Adverbs with “secara”
Some words can turn into adverbs when you put “secara” before them. These words are not necessarily adjectives as words from other categories, such as verbs, can also turn into adverbs when paired with “secara” and can be negated with “tidak” (not).
- Dokter secara rinci menjelaskan penyakit tersebut kepada pasien. (The doctor explains the illness in detail to the patient.)
- Dia memberikan instruksi secara langsung kepada semua staf. (He gives instructions directly to all staff members.)
- Lampu akan menyala secara otomatis saat gelap. (The light will turn on automatically when it’s dark.)
- Dia berhasil mencapai kesuksesan karena bekerja secara konsisten setiap hari. (He achieved success by consistently working hard every day.)
- Dia makan secara berlebihan sehingga perutnya sakit. (He eats excessively, so his stomach hurts.)
- Peneliti mempelajari topik tersebut secara mendalam selama bertahun-tahun. (The researcher studied the topic in-depth for years.)
- Anak-anak itu berbagi mainan secara bergantian di taman bermain. (The children take turns playing with toys at the playground.)
- Mereka berjalan dan bernyanyi secara bersamaan selama pawai sekolah. (They walk and sing simultaneously during the school parade.)
- Proyek tersebut dilaksanakan secara bertahap untuk mencapai tujuan akhirnya. (The project is carried out gradually to achieve its final goal.)
- Pertemuan tersebut telah diadakan secara tidak resmi di luar jam kerja. (The meeting was held unofficially outside of working hours.)
It’s worth pointing out from the explanation and examples above that “dengan” and “secara” slightly differ in usage. The main difference is that “Dengan” is paired with adjectives to make simple adverbs, like “dengan cepat” (quickly) or “dengan hati-hati” (carefully). On the other hand, “secara” is more flexible and can combine with adjectives, verbs, and nouns to create more varied expressions, like “secara teratur” (regularly), “secara keseluruhan” (overall), “secara mendalam” (in depth), and “secara pribadi” (privately). Understanding these differences will help you choose the appropriate word depending on the specific combination of words.
Forming Adverbs through Reduplication
You can create some adverbs by repeating an adjective. This repetition stresses the intensity or manner of the action described. For instance:
- “Kakinya diikat erat-erat.” means “His feet were bound tightly.” Here, the repeated “erat” (tightly) emphasizes the firmness or tightness of the binding.
- “Habiskan nasimu cepat-cepat!” literally translates to “Finish your rice quickly!” The repetition of “cepat” (quickly) emphasizes the urgency or speed of finishing the rice.
- “Penyakit itu betul-betul dapat disembuhkan.” translates to “The disease can really be cured.” The repeated “betul” (really) emphasizes the certainty or effectiveness of the cure.
- “Dia diam-diam meninggalkan istana.” means “He quietly left the palace.” The repetition of “diam-diam” (quietly) stresses the stealth or secrecy of his departure.
- Burung elang itu terbang tinggi-tinggi. (The eagle soars high.)
If you add the prefix “se-” to the beginning and the suffix “-nya” to the end of some reduplicated adjectives, you’ll get the meaning along the lines of “as… as possible.” For example:
- Di pesta ulang tahun itu, anak-anak makan sekenyang-kenyangnya. (At the birthday party, the children ate as much as they could possibly eat.)
- Anak kecil itu bertingkah semau-maunya di taman bermain. (The little child behaved however they wanted in the playground.)
- Saya memberikan nasihat sedapat-dapatnya kepada teman yang sedang kesulitan. (I gave advice as much as I could possibly give to a friend who was struggling.)
- Ketika melihat kecelakaan, petugas medis tiba selekas-lekasnya untuk memberikan pertolongan. (Upon witnessing the accident, the medical personnel arrived as quickly as possible to provide assistance.)
- Setelah berbulan-bulan bekerja keras, dia akhirnya menikmati liburan sepuas-puasnya di pantai. (After months of hard work, she finally enjoyed a vacation as fully as possible at the beach.)
- Sofia menghias kue ulang tahunnya semanis-manisnya dengan hiasan gula-gula. (Sofia decorated her birthday cake as sweetly as possible with candy decorations.)
- Beliau berpesan agar para murid bermimpi setinggi-tingginya. (He encouraged the students to dream as high as possible.)
Some adverbs of manner are formed by adding “-an” to repeated adjectives, verbs, or nouns:
- Mereka bertengkar habis-habisan tentang keputusan itu. (They argued exhaustively about that decision.)
- Ia terus-terusan mengulang pertanyaan yang sama. (He keeps asking the same question on and on.)
- Tim sepak bola itu berjuang mati-matian membela kehormatan klub mereka di turnamen tingkat nasional. (The soccer team fought tirelessly to defend the honor of their club in the national tournament.)
- Ketika saudaranya mulai belajar piano, adiknya juga ikut-ikutan ingin belajar. (When his sibling started learning the piano, his younger brother also wanted to join in and learn.)
Some adverbs consist of a negative and are followed by a reduplicated adjective base plus -nya. When you see this form, it means that the quality or state indicated by the repeated form never quite happens, usually carrying the meaning of ‘without ever really getting [base].’
- Tak puas-puasnya dia menatapi lukisan itu, ingin memahami setiap detailnya dengan seksama. (He stares at the painting intently, never satisfied, wanting to understand every detail carefully.)
- Tak putus-putusnya dia berlatih menari dan mengasah keterampilannya untuk menjadi seorang penari yang handal. (She practices dancing continuously, honing her skills to become a skilled dancer.)
- Dia menjelajahi dunia tanpa bosan-bosannya, menjelajahi berbagai budaya dan tempat baru. (He travels the world tirelessly to explore new cultures and places.)
Understanding adverbs in Indonesian is like discovering the secret ingredients that make sentences pop! They add that special flavor by telling us how things happen, giving us a sneak peek into the story. And hey, knowing all about them can seriously level up your Indonesian skills!
Think about it: when you get the hang of adverbs, you’re not just understanding Indonesian better, you’re also able to express yourself more clearly. Plus, mastering multiple ways of forming adverbs will make you a versatile speaker and will seriously impress native speakers. So, whether you’re forming adverbs from adjectives or playing around with prefixes and suffixes, each trick you learn brings you closer to becoming a pro at Indonesian. It’s all about diving into the nuances of the language and having fun while you’re at it!
What to Read Next
- Bahasa Indonesia Adjectives: Types, Forms, and How to Use
- Bahasa Indonesia Noun Affixation: Understanding How Nouns Change in Indonesian
- Bahasa Indonesia Nouns: Gender, Number, Case, Possession, and Modification
- Bahasa Indonesia: Parts of Speech
- Bahasa Indonesia Pronouns: Personal, Possessive, Demonstrative, Interrogative, and Indefinite