Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
The 'memper-' prefix turns adjectives into verbs that mean 'to make something more' or 'to consider something as'.
- Add 'memper-' to an adjective to create a causative verb: 'memperbaiki' (to fix/make better).
- Use it to express 'to consider' or 'to treat as': 'memperhamba' (to treat as a slave).
- Note that 'memper-' often replaces the base adjective's quality with an active process.
Meanings
The 'memper-' prefix is a derivational tool that transforms adjectives into transitive verbs, indicating a process of change or a subjective evaluation.
Causative Change
To make something become the adjective (e.g., faster, better).
“Dia mempercepat langkahnya.”
“Kita harus memperbaikinya.”
Subjective Treatment
To treat or consider someone/something as the base word.
“Jangan memperhamba orang lain.”
“Dia memperisteri gadis itu.”
Memper- Verb Formation
| Adjective Base | Prefix | Resulting Verb | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| baik | memper- | memperbaiki | to repair |
| cepat | memper- | mempercepat | to speed up |
| luas | memper- | memperluas | to expand |
| indah | memper- | memperindah | to beautify |
| buruk | memper- | memperburuk | to worsen |
| hamba | memper- | memperhamba | to enslave |
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | Subject + memper- + base + object | Dia mempercepat proses. |
| Negative | Subject + tidak + memper- + base | Dia tidak mempercepat proses. |
| Question | Adakah + subject + memper- + base? | Adakah dia mempercepat proses? |
| Passive | Object + diper- + base + oleh + subject | Proses dipercepat oleh dia. |
| Imperative | Memper- + base + lah | Memperbaikilah keadaan itu! |
| Continuous | Sedang + memper- + base | Dia sedang mempercepat proses. |
격식 수준 스펙트럼
Kita harus memperbaiki keadaan ini. (Repairing a situation)
Kita perlu betulkan keadaan ini. (Repairing a situation)
Jom betulkan benda ni. (Repairing a situation)
Fix la benda ni. (Repairing a situation)
The Memper- Transformation
Adjectives
- cepat fast
- baik good
Verbs
- mempercepat to speed up
- memperbaiki to fix
수준별 예문
Dia memperbaiki meja.
He fixes the table.
Kita perlu mempercepat kerja.
We need to speed up the work.
Kerajaan ingin memperluas jalan.
The government wants to widen the road.
Dia memperindah taman itu.
She beautified the garden.
Mereka memperhamba rakyat sendiri.
They enslaved their own people.
Tindakan itu memperburuk keadaan.
That action worsened the situation.
혼동하기 쉬운
Both create causative verbs.
Both are prefixes.
Passive vs Active.
자주 하는 실수
mempercepatkan
mempercepat
memper-buku
N/A
dia mempercepat
dia mempercepat proses
memper-baik
memperbaiki
memper-luaskan
memperluas
memper-tinggi
mempertinggi
memper-indah-kan
memperindah
memper-alat
memperalat
memper-isteri-kan
memperisteri
memper-hamba-kan
memperhamba
memper-kecil-kan
memperkecil
memper-tua-kan
mempertua
memper-lebar-kan
memperlebar
문장 패턴
Saya ingin ___ ___ itu.
Dia sedang ___ ___.
Adakah anda mahu ___ ___?
Kita perlu ___ ___ sekarang.
Real World Usage
Kerajaan memperluas bantuan.
Kita harus memperbaiki sistem.
Memperindah hidup!
Ini memperburuk teori.
Saya ingin mempertingkatkan kemahiran.
Memperindah pemandangan.
Check the Base
No Redundancy
Formal Tone
Regional Variation
Smart Tips
Use 'memper-' instead of 'membuat [adjective]'.
Remove 'memper-' to find the base adjective.
Use 'memper-' to increase your vocabulary score.
If you use 'memper-', skip the '-kan'.
발음
Stress
Stress usually falls on the penultimate syllable of the base word.
Declarative
Dia mempercepat proses. ↘
Neutral statement.
암기하기
기억법
Memper- is the 'Make-Better' prefix.
시각적 연상
Imagine a mechanic (memper-) holding a wrench, turning a broken object (adjective) into a fixed one (verb).
Rhyme
When you want to change the state, add memper- to make it great.
Story
Ali wanted to fix his bike. He used his tools to 'memperbaiki' (repair) the chain. Then he wanted to go faster, so he 'mempercepat' (sped up) his pedaling. Finally, he 'memperindah' (beautified) it with new paint.
Word Web
챌린지
Write 3 sentences using 'memper-' to describe changes in your house.
문화 노트
Used in formal media and government documents.
Similar usage but sometimes prefers 'memper-kan' in specific dialects.
Often uses more traditional forms.
Derived from the Proto-Austronesian causative prefix.
대화 시작하기
Bagaimana cara memperbaiki hubungan?
Mengapa kita perlu mempercepat kerja?
Adakah anda suka memperindah rumah?
Siapa yang memperluas kawasan ini?
일기 주제
Test Yourself
Dia ingin ___ (baik) keadaan itu.
Yang mana betul?
Find and fix the mistake:
Dia memperluaskan kawasan itu.
Arrange the words in the correct order:
All words placed
Click words above to build the sentence
She beautified the room.
Answer starts with: Dia...
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
Base: luas
Memper- verbs are always intransitive.
Score: /8
연습 문제
8 exercisesDia ingin ___ (baik) keadaan itu.
Yang mana betul?
Find and fix the mistake:
Dia memperluaskan kawasan itu.
memperbaiki / dia / ingin / meja / itu
She beautified the room.
mempercepat
Base: luas
Memper- verbs are always intransitive.
Score: /8
자주 묻는 질문 (8)
No, it is primarily for adjectives.
Yes, it is standard in formal writing.
Because 'memper-' already contains the causative meaning.
Use 'diper-' (e.g., diperbaiki).
Rarely, as it is quite formal.
It turns it into an action.
Yes, some words like 'memperkenalkan' are fixed.
Memper- is more state-focused.
Scaffolded Practice
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Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
En- prefix
Malay prefix is more systematic for adjectives.
En- prefix
Malay is more strictly causative.
Ver- prefix
German 'ver-' can also mean 'to do wrong'.
Suru (causative)
Malay is a prefix-based language.
Fa'ala (Form II)
Malay uses external prefixes.
使 (shǐ)
Malay is synthetic; Chinese is analytic.
