A1 Plurals 1 min read آسان

Reduplication for Plurals

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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

In Indonesian, you make a noun plural simply by repeating the word with a hyphen.

  • Repeat the noun: 'orang' (person) becomes 'orang-orang' (people).
  • Use a hyphen: Always place a dash between the two words.
  • Context matters: If the number is clear, you don't need to repeat the noun.
Noun + '-' + Noun = Plural Noun

Meanings

Reduplication is the standard way to indicate that a noun refers to more than one item or person.

1

Pluralization

Indicates a collection of multiple items of the same type.

“Meja-meja itu baru.”

“Anak-anak sedang bermain.”

Reduplication Formation

Singular Plural Example Meaning
Buku Buku-buku Buku-buku itu baru The books are new
Orang Orang-orang Orang-orang sedang lari The people are running
Meja Meja-meja Meja-meja itu kotor The tables are dirty
Anak Anak-anak Anak-anak bermain bola The children play ball
Mobil Mobil-mobil Mobil-mobil diparkir The cars are parked
Kucing Kucing-kucing Kucing-kucing itu lapar The cats are hungry

Reference Table

Reference table for Reduplication for Plurals
Form Structure Example
Affirmative Noun-Noun + Verb Buku-buku itu mahal
Negative Tidak + Noun-Noun + Verb Buku-buku itu tidak mahal
Question Apakah + Noun-Noun + Verb? Apakah buku-buku itu mahal?
Quantifier Number + Noun Tiga buku
Plural Noun-Noun Buku-buku
Singular Noun Buku

طیف رسمیت

رسمی
Para siswa sedang belajar.

Para siswa sedang belajar. (School setting)

خنثی
Siswa-siswa sedang belajar.

Siswa-siswa sedang belajar. (School setting)

غیر رسمی
Murid-murid lagi belajar.

Murid-murid lagi belajar. (School setting)

عامیانه
Anak-anak lagi pada belajar.

Anak-anak lagi pada belajar. (School setting)

Pluralization Map

Noun

Plural

  • Buku-buku Books

Quantified

  • Tiga buku Three books
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مثال‌ها بر اساس سطح

1

Saya punya buku-buku.

I have books.

2

Anak-anak sedang makan.

The children are eating.

3

Mobil-mobil itu merah.

Those cars are red.

4

Teman-teman saya baik.

My friends are kind.

1

Apakah meja-meja ini bersih?

Are these tables clean?

2

Banyak orang datang ke pesta.

Many people came to the party.

3

Kucing-kucing itu lucu sekali.

Those cats are very cute.

4

Guru-guru sedang rapat.

The teachers are in a meeting.

1

Pemerintah membangun jalan-jalan baru.

The government is building new roads.

2

Saya melihat burung-burung di pohon.

I see birds in the tree.

3

Toko-toko tutup pada hari Minggu.

The shops are closed on Sunday.

4

Ide-ide itu sangat menarik.

Those ideas are very interesting.

1

Masalah-masalah ini harus segera diselesaikan.

These problems must be solved immediately.

2

Negara-negara ASEAN bekerja sama.

ASEAN countries work together.

3

Perusahaan-perusahaan besar sedang berkembang.

Big companies are growing.

4

Langkah-langkah ini sangat penting.

These steps are very important.

1

Berbagai macam buah-buahan tersedia di pasar.

Various kinds of fruits are available at the market.

2

Keputusan-keputusan tersebut diambil secara sepihak.

Those decisions were taken unilaterally.

3

Perubahan-perubahan iklim berdampak global.

Climate changes have a global impact.

4

Karya-karya seni ini bernilai tinggi.

These artworks are highly valuable.

1

Fenomena-fenomena sosial ini mencerminkan dinamika masyarakat.

These social phenomena reflect societal dynamics.

2

Ketidakpastian-ketidakpastian tersebut memicu kekhawatiran.

Those uncertainties triggered concerns.

3

Implementasi kebijakan-kebijakan baru memerlukan waktu.

The implementation of new policies requires time.

4

Perbedaan-perbedaan budaya sering kali disalahpahami.

Cultural differences are often misunderstood.

به‌راحتی اشتباه گرفته می‌شود

Reduplication for Plurals در مقابل Quantifiers vs Reduplication

Learners often use both.

Reduplication for Plurals در مقابل Para vs Reduplication

Learners use both for people.

Reduplication for Plurals در مقابل Verb Reduplication

Learners think verbs pluralize like nouns.

اشتباهات رایج

✗

Dua buku-buku

✓

Dua buku

Do not use reduplication with numbers.
✗

Buku buku

✓

Buku-buku

Always use a hyphen.
✗

Banyak buku-buku

✓

Banyak buku

Quantifiers replace reduplication.
✗

Anak-anak-anak

✓

Anak-anak

Only repeat once.
✗

Mereka adalah guru-guru

✓

Mereka guru

Often redundant in simple sentences.
✗

Kucing-kucing itu lari-lari

✓

Kucing-kucing itu lari

Don't reduplicate the verb.
✗

Semua buku-buku

✓

Semua buku

Semua acts as a quantifier.
✗

Beberapa buku-buku

✓

Beberapa buku

Beberapa is a quantifier.
✗

Para orang-orang

✓

Para orang

Para already implies plural.
✗

Buku-buku itu mahal-mahal

✓

Buku-buku itu mahal

Adjectives don't need reduplication.
✗

Banyak sekali buku-buku

✓

Banyak sekali buku

Quantifier rule still applies.
✗

Para guru-guru

✓

Para guru

Para is a plural marker.
✗

Banyaknya buku-buku

✓

Banyaknya buku

Banyaknya is a quantifier.

الگوهای جمله‌سازی

___-___ itu sangat bagus.

Saya melihat banyak ___.

___-___ ini milik saya.

Apakah ___-___ itu sudah siap?

Real World Usage

Texting constant

Teman-teman lagi di mana?

Social Media very common

Foto-foto liburan saya.

Job Interview common

Tugas-tugas saya adalah...

Travel common

Hotel-hotel di sini mahal.

Food Delivery occasional

Saya pesan dua nasi goreng.

Classroom constant

Buka buku-buku kalian.

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💡

Check for numbers

Always check if there is a number before you reduplicate.
⚠️

Don't reduplicate verbs

Only nouns get the repetition treatment.
🎯

Use hyphens

Always use a hyphen in writing for correctness.
💬

Context is king

In casual speech, you can skip it if the meaning is clear.

Smart Tips

Stop! Don't reduplicate if you have a number.

Dua buku-buku → Dua buku

Always use the hyphen.

Buku buku → Buku-buku

Use 'para' for a more formal plural.

Orang-orang itu → Para orang itu

Ask: Is it one or many?

Saya beli buku → Saya beli buku-buku

تلفظ

boo-koo boo-koo

Hyphenation

The hyphen does not change the pronunciation; just say the word twice.

Statement

Buku-buku itu baru ↘

Falling intonation for facts.

حفظ کنید

روش یادسپاری

Double the noun to double the fun, add a dash to get it done!

تداعی تصویری

Imagine a mirror reflecting a single object. The reflection is the second word, and the mirror glass is the hyphen.

Rhyme

One is one, but two is two, just say the word again for you.

Story

Budi went to the library. He saw one book (buku). Then he saw many books (buku-buku). He put them all in his bag and walked home.

شبکه واژگان

Buku-bukuOrang-orangAnak-anakMeja-mejaMobil-mobilTeman-teman

چالش

Look around your room and name 5 items in plural form using the hyphen rule.

نکات فرهنگی

In casual speech, people often drop the plural marker if the context is clear.

Reduplication is a common feature in Austronesian languages.

شروع‌کننده‌های مکالمه

“

Apa yang kamu beli di pasar?

“

Siapa saja yang datang?

“

Apa masalah-masalah utama di sini?

“

Bagaimana pendapatmu tentang perubahan-perubahan ini?

موضوعات نگارش

List 5 things in your room.
Describe your friends.
Write about your favorite books.
Discuss current events.
Sign up free to see all tips

Test Yourself

Make the noun plural.

Saya punya ___ (buku).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: buku-buku
Repeat the noun with a hyphen.
Choose the correct sentence. چند گزینه‌ای

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Dua buku
No reduplication with numbers.
Fix the error. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Anak-anak-anak sedang bermain.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Anak-anak
Only repeat once.
Build a sentence. Sentence Building

mobil / itu / merah / mobil-mobil

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Mobil-mobil itu merah
Subject + Verb + Object.
Match the singular to plural. جفت کردن

Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Orang-orang
Standard reduplication.
Is this rule true? True False Rule

Verbs can be reduplicated for plural.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: False
Only nouns.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Berapa buku? B: ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Tiga buku
Quantifier rule.
Pluralize the noun. Conjugation Drill

Meja

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Meja-meja
Standard reduplication.

Score: /8

تمرین‌های عملی

8 exercises
Make the noun plural.

Saya punya ___ (buku).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: buku-buku
Repeat the noun with a hyphen.
Choose the correct sentence. چند گزینه‌ای

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Dua buku
No reduplication with numbers.
Fix the error. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Anak-anak-anak sedang bermain.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Anak-anak
Only repeat once.
Build a sentence. Sentence Building

mobil / itu / merah / mobil-mobil

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Mobil-mobil itu merah
Subject + Verb + Object.
Match the singular to plural. جفت کردن

Orang -> ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Orang-orang
Standard reduplication.
Is this rule true? True False Rule

Verbs can be reduplicated for plural.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: False
Only nouns.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Berapa buku? B: ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Tiga buku
Quantifier rule.
Pluralize the noun. Conjugation Drill

Meja

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Meja-meja
Standard reduplication.

Score: /8

سوالات متداول (8)

Yes, in formal writing, the hyphen is required.

Use the number 'seratus' followed by the singular noun.

Yes, 'orang-orang' means people.

No, the verb stays the same.

Yes, it is standard in all registers.

Some words have special meanings when reduplicated.

Yes, 'para' is a plural marker for people.

It is one of the easiest rules in Indonesian!

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

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In Other Languages

Spanish low

Pluralization with -s/-es

Indonesian does not change the word ending.

French low

Pluralization with -s

Indonesian is non-inflectional.

German low

Pluralization with -e, -er, -n

Indonesian has no irregular plurals.

Japanese partial

Pluralization with -tachi

Indonesian uses reduplication.

Arabic low

Broken plurals

Indonesian preserves the base word.

Chinese partial

Pluralization with -men

Indonesian uses repetition.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Next
Collective Nouns

Related Grammar Rules

A1

Quantifiers
A1

Pluralization Exceptions
A1

Collective Nouns
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