Complex Causative Relationships
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use the suffixes -kan or -i to turn intransitive verbs into causative actions, meaning 'to cause something to happen'.
- Add -kan to make an object undergo an action: 'Dia menjatuhkan buku' (He dropped/caused the book to fall).
- Add -i for repetitive or locative causation: 'Dia membanjiri lantai' (He flooded/caused the floor to be flooded).
- Use 'membuat' + adjective for general causation: 'Dia membuat saya sedih' (He made me sad).
Meanings
The causative construction in Indonesian uses specific suffixes to transform intransitive verbs or adjectives into transitive verbs that imply an external agent causing an effect.
Direct Causative
Causing an object to perform an action or reach a state.
“Dia menjatuhkan gelas.”
“Saya mendudukkan tamu.”
Locative Causative
Applying an action repeatedly to a location.
“Dia membanjiri ruangan.”
“Petani menanami sawah.”
Benefactive Causative
Doing an action for the benefit of someone else.
“Saya membelikan dia hadiah.”
“Dia menuliskan surat untuk saya.”
Causative Formation
| Root | Prefix | Suffix | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| jatuh | me- | -kan | menjatuhkan |
| tanam | me- | -kan | menanamkan |
| tugas | me- | -kan | menugaskan |
| banjir | me- | -i | membanjiri |
| tanam | me- | -i | menanami |
| beli | me- | -kan | membelikan |
Informal vs Formal
| Formal | Informal |
|---|---|
| Menjatuhkan | Jatuhkan |
| Membelikan | Belikan |
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | Subj + me-Root-kan + Obj | Saya membelikan buku. |
| Negative | Subj + tidak + me-Root-kan + Obj | Saya tidak membelikan buku. |
| Question | Apakah + Subj + me-Root-kan + Obj? | Apakah kamu membelikan buku? |
| Benefactive | Subj + me-Root-kan + Recipient | Ibu memasakkan saya. |
| Locative | Subj + me-Root-i + Location | Dia menanami kebun. |
औपचारिकता का स्तर
Mohon tunjukkan jalan kepada saya. (Asking for directions)
Tolong tunjukkan jalannya. (Asking for directions)
Tunjukin jalannya dong. (Asking for directions)
Tunjukin ya! (Asking for directions)
Causative Suffixes
Suffixes
- -kan Direct/Benefactive
- -i Locative/Repetitive
Examples by Level
Saya menjatuhkan buku.
I dropped the book.
Tolong buatkan saya kopi.
Please make me a coffee.
Dia menanamkan nilai moral.
He instilled moral values.
Perusahaan menugaskan saya ke Jakarta.
The company assigned me to Jakarta.
Dia membanjiri pasar dengan produk baru.
He flooded the market with new products.
Pemerintah memberlakukan aturan baru.
The government enacted new rules.
Easily Confused
Learners use 'membuat' for everything.
Learners mix up the suffixes.
Learners use the root verb.
सामान्य गलतियाँ
Saya jatuh buku
Saya menjatuhkan buku
Dia beli saya kopi
Dia membelikan saya kopi
Saya buatkan senang
Saya membuat dia senang
Dia menanam sawah
Dia menanami sawah
Tolong tunjuk jalan
Tolong tunjukkan jalan
Dia membanjir lantai
Dia membanjiri lantai
Saya menuliskan surat
Saya menulis surat
Dia menugasi saya
Dia menugaskan saya
Saya memberlakukan aturan
Saya memberlakukan aturan
Dia mengotori baju
Dia mengotori baju
Dia menjatuh keputusan
Dia menjatuhkan keputusan
Dia menanami ide
Dia menanamkan ide
Dia membelikan saya
Dia membelikan saya hadiah
Dia menunjukkan saya
Dia menunjukkan saya jalan
Sentence Patterns
Saya ___ ___ untuk dia.
Dia ___ ___ itu ke lantai.
Pemerintah ___ ___ baru.
Guru ___ ___ nilai moral.
Real World Usage
Tolong buatkan pedas.
Saya ditugaskan untuk...
Jangan hapuskan komentar.
Tunjukkan jalan ke hotel.
Guru menanamkan disiplin.
Beliin aku kopi ya.
Check Transitivity
Don't Overuse
Benefactive Use
Regional Variation
Smart Tips
Use the -kan suffix on the verb.
Use -kan on the root 'jatuh'.
Use -kan on 'tugas'.
Use -i on 'banjir'.
उच्चारण
Suffix stress
The stress usually stays on the root, not the suffix.
Question
Tunjukkan jalan? ↑
Rising intonation for questions.
Memorize It
Mnemonic
K-A-N: Keep Action Near. If you want to make an action happen to something, add -kan.
Visual Association
Imagine a person pushing a ball (jatuh) and it turns into a 'jatuhkan' ball.
Rhyme
If you want to make it move, add -kan to the groove.
Story
Budi wanted to help his mom. He decided to 'memasak' (cook). He added -kan to make it 'memasakkan' (cook for her). His mom was happy.
Word Web
चैलेंज
Write 5 sentences using -kan today.
सांस्कृतिक नोट्स
Often uses -ke instead of -kan in casual speech.
Drops the 'me-' prefix entirely.
Strict adherence to 'me-kan' is required.
The -kan suffix evolved from the preposition 'akan', which marked the target or direction of an action.
Conversation Starters
Apa yang kamu belikan untuk temanmu?
Bisakah kamu menunjukkan jalan ke stasiun?
Apa yang menugaskan kamu ke sini?
Bagaimana cara menanamkan nilai moral?
Journal Prompts
Test Yourself
Saya ___ (jatuh) buku itu.
Dia ___ (tanam) bunga di kebun.
Find and fix the mistake:
Saya beli dia kopi.
buku / saya / menjatuhkan / itu
Please make me coffee.
Answer starts with: Tol...
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
Dia ___ (banjir) lantai.
Pemerintah ___ (laku) aturan baru.
Score: /8
अभ्यास प्रश्न
8 exercisesSaya ___ (jatuh) buku itu.
Dia ___ (tanam) bunga di kebun.
Find and fix the mistake:
Saya beli dia kopi.
buku / saya / menjatuhkan / itu
Please make me coffee.
Tanam
Dia ___ (banjir) lantai.
Pemerintah ___ (laku) aturan baru.
Score: /8
अक्सर पूछे जाने वाले सवाल (8)
-kan is for the object, -i is for the location.
No, only with verbs that can be transitive.
It is standard in both formal and informal speech.
In casual speech, prefixes are often dropped.
If there is a recipient, it is benefactive.
No, they are mutually exclusive on one root.
Use 'membuat' for states, -kan for actions.
The meaning will change or be incorrect.
In Other Languages
Hacer + infinitive
Indonesian is morphological, Spanish is periphrastic.
Faire + infinitive
Indonesian suffixes are attached to the verb.
machen
Indonesian uses suffixes.
causative -seru/-saseru
Indonesian suffixes are more limited in scope.
Form IV (Af'ala)
Indonesian uses external suffixes.
使 (shǐ) / 让 (ràng)
Indonesian is synthetic, Chinese is analytic.
