Agentless Passive
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use the 'di-' prefix to focus on the action or the object receiving it, rather than the person doing it.
- Add 'di-' to the base verb: 'makan' (eat) becomes 'dimakan' (is eaten).
- Use this when the actor is unknown, unimportant, or you want to sound formal.
- Never use 'me-' prefix verbs in the passive; always swap 'me-' for 'di-'.
Meanings
The agentless passive is used to highlight the object of an action when the performer of the action is irrelevant, unknown, or deliberately omitted.
General Passive
Focusing on the result of an action.
“Pintu itu ditutup.”
“Surat itu dikirim.”
Instructional Passive
Used in manuals or recipes.
“Tomat dipotong kecil-kecil.”
“Tombol ditekan dua kali.”
Social/News Passive
Reporting events where the actor is secondary.
“Jalan raya diperbaiki.”
“Gedung itu dibangun tahun lalu.”
Passive Formation Table
| Active (me-) | Root | Passive (di-) |
|---|---|---|
| menulis | tulis | ditulis |
| membaca | baca | dibaca |
| memasak | masak | dimasak |
| membeli | beli | dibeli |
| mencuci | cuci | dicuci |
| melihat | lihat | dilihat |
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | di- + Verb | Buku dibaca |
| Negative | tidak + di- + Verb | Buku tidak dibaca |
| Question | Apakah + di- + Verb? | Apakah buku dibaca? |
| Future | akan + di- + Verb | Buku akan dibaca |
| Perfect | sudah + di- + Verb | Buku sudah dibaca |
| Continuous | sedang + di- + Verb | Buku sedang dibaca |
Formalitätsspektrum
Pintu ditutup. (General)
Pintu ditutup. (General)
Pintunya ditutup. (General)
Pintu tutup. (General)
Passive Voice Concept
Usage
- Formal Formal
- Instruction Instruction
Structure
- Object Object
- Verb Verb
Active vs Passive
Passive Decision Flow
Is the actor important?
Common Passive Verbs
Daily
- • dimakan
- • dicuci
- • dibuka
Work
- • dikirim
- • dibuat
- • dikerjakan
Examples by Level
Buku dibaca.
The book is read.
Pintu dibuka.
The door is opened.
Lampu dimatikan.
The light is turned off.
Surat dikirim.
The letter is sent.
Makanan tidak dimakan.
The food is not eaten.
Apakah jendela ditutup?
Is the window closed?
Tugas dikerjakan kemarin.
The task was done yesterday.
Mobil diperbaiki.
The car is being repaired.
Keputusan diambil oleh direktur.
The decision was taken by the director.
Data disimpan di server.
The data is stored on the server.
Aturan ini harus ditaati.
This rule must be obeyed.
Buku itu sedang dibaca.
That book is being read.
Proyek tersebut telah diselesaikan tepat waktu.
The project has been completed on time.
Laporan itu akan dipresentasikan besok.
The report will be presented tomorrow.
Banyak masalah yang harus diselesaikan.
Many problems must be solved.
Kebijakan baru telah ditetapkan.
The new policy has been established.
Informasi tersebut disebarkan melalui media sosial.
The information was disseminated via social media.
Perubahan iklim harus ditanggapi dengan serius.
Climate change must be responded to seriously.
Karya seni itu dipamerkan di galeri nasional.
The artwork is exhibited at the national gallery.
Strategi ini dirancang untuk jangka panjang.
This strategy is designed for the long term.
Fenomena ini sering dikaitkan dengan faktor ekonomi.
This phenomenon is often associated with economic factors.
Ketentuan tersebut diatur dalam undang-undang.
The provision is regulated in the law.
Diskusi ini diharapkan dapat membuahkan solusi.
This discussion is expected to yield a solution.
Konteks sejarahnya perlu dipertimbangkan.
Its historical context needs to be considered.
Easily Confused
Learners confuse the passive prefix with the preposition 'at/in'.
Both can be used for passive, but 'ter-' implies accidental or stative.
Learners often use active when passive is more natural.
Häufige Fehler
dimenulis
ditulis
di rumah
di rumah (preposition)
buku dibaca saya
buku dibaca oleh saya
saya dimakan nasi
nasi dimakan saya
dimakan oleh saya
dimakan saya
dia di-baca buku
buku dibaca dia
tidak dituliskan
tidak ditulis
sedang dituliskan
sedang ditulis
buku itu di-baca
buku itu dibaca
telah dimakan
sudah dimakan
di-lakukan
dilakukan
ter-baca
dibaca
di-baca-nya
dibacanya
Sentence Patterns
___ (Object) ___ (di-verb).
___ (Object) tidak ___ (di-verb).
Apakah ___ (Object) sudah ___ (di-verb)?
___ (Object) akan ___ (di-verb) besok.
Real World Usage
Jalan raya diperbaiki.
Tomat dipotong.
Tombol ditekan.
Dilarang merokok.
Laporan dikirim.
Foto diunggah.
Check the Prefix
Don't confuse 'di'
Use for Instructions
Sound Professional
Smart Tips
Use passive voice to sound more professional.
Use passive voice for clarity.
Use passive voice.
Use passive voice.
Aussprache
Prefix 'di-'
The 'i' is short and clear, like in 'bit'.
Statement
Pintu ditutup ↘
Falling intonation for facts.
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Think of 'di-' as 'done'. If it's done, use 'di-'.
Visual Association
Imagine a giant 'DI' stamp hitting a piece of paper. The paper is the object, and the stamp makes it 'done'.
Rhyme
When the actor is out of sight, use 'di-' to make it right.
Story
Budi is a chef. He doesn't say 'I cook the rice'. He says 'Nasi dimasak' (The rice is cooked). The rice is the star, not Budi.
Word Web
Herausforderung
Look around your room and name 5 objects using the passive voice (e.g., 'Lampu dinyalakan' - The light is turned on).
Kulturelle Hinweise
Passive voice is preferred in official documents to sound objective.
The passive voice is highly developed in Javanese and influences formal Indonesian.
In casual speech, the passive is often replaced by active structures.
The 'di-' prefix is an Austronesian inheritance, common in many regional languages.
Conversation Starters
Apa yang sedang dimasak?
Apakah tugas sudah dikerjakan?
Bagaimana keputusan itu diambil?
Apakah aturan ini harus ditaati?
Journal Prompts
Test Yourself
Buku itu ___ oleh saya.
Find and fix the mistake:
Surat itu dimenulis.
Which is correct?
Arrange the words in the correct order:
All words placed
Click words above to build the sentence
The car is repaired.
Answer starts with: Mob...
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
Saya memasak nasi.
___ (dicuci) baju itu.
Score: /8
Ubungsaufgaben
8 exercisesBuku itu ___ oleh saya.
Find and fix the mistake:
Surat itu dimenulis.
Which is correct?
dibuka / pintu / itu
The car is repaired.
menulis -> ?
Saya memasak nasi.
___ (dicuci) baju itu.
Score: /8
FAQ (8)
No, use it when the object is the focus.
Yes, it is a prefix.
Passive is perfect for that.
Yes, it is very common in formal writing.
Add 'tidak' before the verb.
The prefix 'di-' stays the same.
Yes, it uses prefixes instead of 'to be'.
Yes, but it might sound formal.
In Other Languages
ser + participio
Indonesian is more concise.
être + participe passé
Indonesian lacks auxiliary verbs.
werden + Partizip II
Indonesian is more direct.
-reru/-rareru
Japanese uses suffixes, Indonesian uses prefixes.
Passive conjugation
Indonesian is more consistent.
bei
Indonesian is morphologically integrated.
