Bahasa Indonesian: Parts of Speech

In the Indonesian language, there are several parts of speech: 

  • Nouns (names for things)
  • Verbs (action words)
  • Adjectives (words that describe)
  • Adverbs (words that tell us more about actions)
  • Pronouns (words like “he” or “she”)
  • Numerals (numbers)
  • Prepositions (words that show position)
  • Conjunctions (words that connect ideas)
  • Interjections (words like “wow” or “ouch”)

Knowing these helps you pick the right word for what you want to say in Indonesian.

These word classes can be grouped into two main categories:

  • Full word classes: These include nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and pronouns. They have standalone meanings, known as lexical meaning, and they’re crucial for getting across specific ideas or concepts.
  • Task word types: These include numerals, prepositions, conjunctions, interjections, articles, and affirmative particles. Unlike the full word classes, they derive their meaning from how they’re used in sentences, known as grammatical meaning. They serve more functional roles in sentence structure and organization, making sure everything flows smoothly, rather than conveying specific content. 

Now we are going to look deeper into each of these categories and explore their characteristics and functions within the Indonesian language.

Noun

Nouns are words that name things we can touch, such as “table,” or ideas, such as “kindness.” They often show what a sentence is about or what’s receiving an action. But sometimes, they can also serve different functions in a sentence, including being a complement, adverb, or part of the predicate.

There are three main types of nouns:

Concrete nouns like “kursi” (chair) or “kucing” (cat) are things you can see and touch. Abstract nouns like “kebahagiaan” (happiness) or “kreativitas” (creativity) are ideas or feelings.

Common nouns like “masjid” (mosque) or “kota” (city) are general names, while proper nouns like “Linda” or “Jakarta” are specific names.

Countable nouns like “murid” (student) or “rumah” (house) are objects that can be counted. Uncountable nouns like “udara” (air) or “nyeri” (pain) cannot be counted.

In Indonesian, nouns can be formed in various ways, including by:

Adding parts to it: These parts are called prefixes when they are added at the beginning of the word and suffixes when they are added at the end. These modifications are commonly used in Indonesian to create derived nouns. For example:

  • Adding a prefix:
    • Original word: “dengar” (to listen)
    • Derived noun: “pendengar” (listener)
  • Adding a suffix:
    • Original word: “minum” (drink)
    • Derived noun: “minuman” (drink, beverage)
  • Adding both prefix and suffix:
    • Original word: “bicara” (to speak)
    • Derived noun: “pembicaraan” (discussion)

Repeating it: Repetition of a word can emphasize plurality or intensity. For example:

  • Original noun: Hari (days)
  • Repeated noun: Hari-hari (days)
  • Original noun: Makan (to eat)
  • Repeated noun: Makan-makan (to feast)
  • Original noun: Gula (sugar)
  • Repeated noun: Gula-gula (candy)

Combining words: Two or more words can be combined to form compound nouns. For example:

  • Original noun: Mata (eye) + Hari (day)
  • Compound noun: Matahari (sun)

Verbs (Verbs)

Verbs are words that indicate actions (e.g., “memasak” = cook), processes (e.g., “tumbuh” = grow), or conditions  (e.g., “hidup” = live). They’re the main part of a sentence that indicates what is happening. 

There are two types of verbs in the Indonesian language: transitive and intransitive. Transitive verbs require an object to act upon, e.g., “Dia mengecat dinding itu” (She painted the wall). By contrast, intransitive verbs do not need an object, as in “Dia tidur” (He slept).  Semi-transitive verbs such as “membaca” (read) or “makan” (eat), can sometimes take an object but do not always require one. 

Verbs can be formed in various ways. Note that this is not an exhaustive list; verb formation will be discussed in detail in a separate section.

  • Addition: To form verbs through addition, you can add prefixes or suffixes to a base word. For example, take the word “jalan” (road). By adding the prefix “ber-“, you get “berjalan” (to walk), indicating the action of walking. For instance, you might say, “Saya berjalan ke toko” (I walk to the store).
  • Repetition: Verbs can also be formed through repetition by simply repeating the main word. For example, take the word “main” (to play). Repeating it as “main-main” means to play casually or play around. For instance, “Anak-anak suka bermain-main di taman” (Children like to play around in the park).
  • Compounding: Verbs can also be formed by combining words. For example, combine “makan” (eat) and “malam” (night), and you get “makan malam” (dinner), which represents the action of eating in the evening. So, you might say, “Ayo makan malam bersama” (Let’s have dinner together).

Adjectives

Adjectives are words that describe nouns. They can either come before the noun (e.g., “udara hangat = warm air) or stand alone in a sentence (e.g., “Dia rindu” = He misses).

Adjectives can be divided into two main types:

Graded adjectives

Graded adjectives are flexible and are able to show different levels of quality. For example, a word like “besar” (big) can become “sangat besar” (very big) or “agak besar” (slightly big) by adding words like “sangat” (very) or “agak” (slightly). Another example is the word “cantik” (beautiful), which can be modified to be “cukup cantik” (somewhat pretty). These adjectives can be adjusted to express varying degrees of the quality they describe.

Non-graded adjectives

Non-graded adjectives are fixed. They describe qualities that are absolute and don’t change much. Words like “bulat” (round), “ganda” (double), or “lurus” (straight) fall into this category. You don’t need to modify them — they are used to state absolute facts or make straightforward statements.

Adjectives can be formed in many different ways 

  • By addition: You can create adjectives by adding prefixes or suffixes to existing words. For example, “megah” (grand) becomes “termegah” (grandest) when you add the prefix “ter-“.
  • By repetition: Some adjectives are formed by repeating the base word. For instance, “kecil” (small) repeated as “kecil-kecil emphasizes the smallness.
  • By compounding: Adjectives can also be created by combining two words together. For example, “baik” (good) and “hati” (heart) combine to form “baik hati” (kind).

Adverbs

Adverbs are words that describe verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. For example, “Dia berjalan dengan cepat” (He walks fast) describes a verb, “sangat mengesankan” (very impressive) describes an adjective, and “hampir tidak pernah” (almost never) describes another adverb. Adverbs that describe whole sentences are called “sentence adverbs”, for example,  “Tampaknya akan hujan” (It seems that it’s going to rain).

There are eight main types of adverbs in Indonesian:

  1. Quality: Indicates the intensity, level, or characteristic of something. For example, “paling” (most).
  1. Quantity: Describes the amount or extent of something. For example, “sedikit” (a little).
  1. Limitation: Restricts or confines the meaning of the adverb. For example, “hanya” (only).
  1. Frequency: Indicates how often something occurs. For example, “jarang” (seldom).
  1. Time: Specifies when something happens. For example, “nanti” (later).
  1. Manner: Describes how an action is done. For example, “dengan rajin” (diligently).
  1. Emphasis: Stresses or strengthens a point or an idea. For example, “bahkan” (even).
  1. Certainty: Expresses the speaker’s certainty/assurance about something. For example, “benar-benar” (truly).

You can place adverbs in several different positions in a sentence:

  • Before the word they describe: “Dia sangat keras kepala” (He is very stubborn).
  • After the word they describe: “Pulang saja kita” (Let’s just go home).
  • Both before and after the word they describe: “Dia kembali melanjutkan pidatonya setelah diinterupsi sebentar” (He resumed his speech after a brief interruption) or “Tolong pintunya ditutup kembali” (Please close the door again).
  • Before and after another word: “bukan … saja” (not only) as in “Dia bukan sukses saja tapi juga membantu orang-orang” (He’s not only successful but also helpful).

There are a few ways to form adverbs in Indonesian 

  • Base adverb: Using words like “akan” (will) and  “hampir” (almost)
  • Adding parts to words: Modifying words, such as “baik (good) into “sebaiknya” (it would be better)
  • Repetition: Repeating a word can change its meaning. For instance, “keras” (hard, loud) becomes “keras-keras” (loudly).
  • Combining words: Some adverbs are formed by combining two words, e.g., “bukan…saja” (not only).

Pronouns (Pronouns)

Pronouns are words that stand in for nouns in sentences, and they can be subjects, objects, or complements. Pronouns in Indonesian are usually base words.

There are three main types of pronouns in Indonesian:

Personal Pronouns

These pronouns replace specific nouns and vary based on person (first, second, third). The most common personal pronouns are the following: 

  • First person singular: “saya” (I, me)
  • Second person singular: “kamu” (you, singular informal), “anda” (you, singular formal)
  • Third person singular: “dia” (he, she, it)
  • First person plural: “kami or kita” (we, us)
  • Second person plural: “kalian” (you, plural informal)
  • Third person plural: “mereka” (they, them)

Demonstrative Pronouns

These pronouns indicate the proximity or specificity of the noun they replace. They can be general, spatial, or specific. 

  • General: “ini” (this), “itu” (that)
  • Spatial: “di sini” (here), “di sana” (there)
  • Specific: “begini” (like this, this way), “begitu” (like that, such)

Interrogative Pronouns

These pronouns are used to ask questions about people, things, or amounts. 

  • People: “siapa” (who)
  • Things: “apa” (what)
  • Amounts: “berapa” (how much)

Quantifiers

Quantifiers are used to indicate number or amount, e.g., “enam” (six) or “beberapa” (several). They come in two main types:

Basic Quantifiers

  • Cardinal quantifiers: Represent specific quantities.
    • Example: “empat” (four)
  • Distributive quantifiers: Describe things done one by one.
    • Example: “satu-satu” (each, one by one) as in “Saya memeriksa satu-satu buku di rak untuk mencari yang saya ingin baca (I checked each book on the shelf to find the one I want to read.)
  • Indefinite quantifiers: Refer to unspecified or large quantities.
    • Example: “banyak” (“many”) 
  • Fractional quantifiers: Indicate fractions or portions of a whole.
    • Example: “sepertiga” (a third)

Ordinal Quantifiers

This type represents a level, rank, or order.

  • Example:  “anak kelima” (fifth child)

Prepositions

Prepositions act like connectors, showing the spatial, temporal, or logical relationship between a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase and another word in the sentence. Prepositions typically come before their objects, which can be nouns (on the table), pronouns (with them), or noun phrases (in favor of change). These prepositional phrases help us understand the position, time, manner, or cause of something within the sentence.

IiIn Indonesian, prepositions help us understand how words relate to each other. Here are some common types of relationships they express:

  • Place: Expresses location or position, e.g., “di” (in) or “ke” (to).
  • Recipient: Indicates the recipient or endpoint of an action, e.g., “untuk” (for or to).
  • Cause: Shows the reason or motive behind an action, e.g., “karena” (because) or “disebabkan oleh” (due to).
  • Manner or Conjunction: Describes how something is done or the conjunction between actions, e.g., “dengan” (with) or “sambil” (while).
  • Agency: Indicates the doer of an action or the means by which something is accomplished, e.g., “oleh” (by) or “dengan bantuan” (with the help of). 
  • Time: Expresses the time of an action or event, e.g., “pada” (on) or “sampai” (until).
  • Topic: Refers to the subject or theme of discussion, e.g., “tentang” (about) or “sehubungan dengan” (in relation to). 
  • Origin: Indicates the source or starting point of something, e.g., “dari” (from).

You can form prepositions in the following ways:

  • By using stand-alone prepositions, such as “di” (in) or “ke” (to).
  • By adding prefixes to a word, for example, “ter-” + “hadap” (to face) becomes “terhadap” (against). 
  • Combined Prepositions: Prepositions that are either combined into a single word or work as correlated pairs.
    • Compound propositions: Formed by merging words, such as “daripada” (than) or “sampai dengan” (up to).
    • Correlated propositions: Appear in pairs within a sentence, as in “antara … dan” (between … and) or “dari … ke” (from … to). 

Conjunctions

Conjunctions connect different parts of a sentence, such as words, phrases, clauses, or entire sentences. They  are divided into four types based on how they function in a sentence:

  • Coordinating Conjunctions: Link equal parts of a sentence, such as “atau” (or). 
  • Subordinating Conjunctions: Connect unequal parts of a sentence, such as “karena” (because). 
  • Correlative Conjunctions: Come in pairs and connect parallel elements, such as “baik … maupun …” (both … and …).
  • Inter-sentential Conjunctions: Connect two sentences together, such as “di samping itu” (besides).

Certain conjunctions, such as “setelah” (after) and “karena” (because), can also act as prepositions when followed by a word or phrase instead of a clause. This dual function allows them to connect different elements in a sentence or serve as a prepositional phrase.

  • Kami makan malam setelah tiba di rumah. (We had dinner after we arrived home.) [conjunction]
  • Mereka bertemu setelah konser itu. (They met after the concert.) [preposition]

Interjections (Interjections)

Interjections are words used to express sudden emotions or reactions, such as “ouch” or “gosh.” They’re mostly used in casual conversations and aren’t common in formal situations. In sentences, interjections stand alone and are often optional. 

Types of interjections in Indonesian:

  • Disgust: Expresses feelings of disgust, e.g., “Cih” (Shame on you!), “Idih” (Yikes!)
  • Annoyance: Conveys irritation or annoyance, e.g., “Brengsek!” (Damn it!).
  • Admiration: Shows admiration or surprise, e.g., “Amboi!” (Oh!)
  • Gratitude: Expresses gratitude or thankfulness, e.g., “Alhamdulillah” (Thank goodness)
  • Hope: Conveys hope or optimism, e.g., “Insyaallah” (God willing)
  • Astonishment: Expresses astonishment or surprise, e.g., “Eh!” (Wow!)
  • Surprise: Conveys surprise or shock, e.g., “Astaga” (Gosh!).
  • Invitation: Encourages action or participation, e.g., “Ayo!” (Come on!).
  • Greeting: Offers a greeting or acknowledgment, e.g., “Hai!” (Hi!).

Understanding nouns, verbs, adjectives, and the other parts of speech is super helpful. It makes communication clearer and more effective. Plus, it helps us express ourselves better in writing and speech. So, keep honing your Indonesian language skills — it’s a valuable asset that can lead to countless opportunities!

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