Memper-kan Causative
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use 'memper-kan' to describe causing someone to experience something or making an object become a certain state.
- Use it to cause a change of state: 'memperbaiki' (to make good/repair).
- Use it to cause an action: 'memperkenalkan' (to make someone know/introduce).
- Always attach the suffix '-kan' to the 'memper-' prefix for transitive verbs.
Meanings
The 'memper-kan' construction is used to indicate that the subject is causing an object to undergo a specific change, state, or action.
Causative Change
Causing an object to become something else.
“Dia memperbesar foto itu.”
“Pemerintah memperluas area taman.”
Social/Cognitive Causative
Causing someone to know or experience a state.
“Saya ingin memperkenalkan teman saya.”
“Dia memperlihatkan bukti itu kepada polisi.”
Memper-kan Formation
| Root | Prefix | Suffix | Resulting Verb |
|---|---|---|---|
| besar | memper | kan | memperbesar |
| luas | memper | kan | memperluas |
| kenal | memper | kan | memperkenalkan |
| baik | memper | kan | memperbaiki |
| kuat | memper | kan | memperkuat |
| cepat | memper | kan | mempercepat |
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | Subj + Memper-kan + Obj | Dia memperbesar foto. |
| Negative | Subj + Tidak + Memper-kan + Obj | Dia tidak memperbesar foto. |
| Question | Apakah + Subj + Memper-kan + Obj? | Apakah dia memperbesar foto? |
| Passive | Obj + Diper-kan + Subj | Foto itu diperbesar olehnya. |
| Imperative | Memper-kan + Obj + lah | Memperbaikilah kursi itu! |
| Continuous | Sedang + Memper-kan + Obj | Dia sedang memperbesar foto. |
Formalitätsspektrum
Saya akan memperbaiki mesin ini. (Repairing a machine)
Saya mau memperbaiki mesin ini. (Repairing a machine)
Gue mau benerin mesin ini. (Repairing a machine)
Benerin mesin nih. (Repairing a machine)
Memper-kan Causative Map
Physical
- memperbesar enlarge
- memperluas widen
Social
- memperkenalkan introduce
- memperbaiki repair
Examples by Level
Saya memperbesar foto ini.
I am enlarging this photo.
Dia memperkecil baju itu.
He is shrinking that shirt.
Mereka memperluas rumah.
They are expanding the house.
Ibu mempercepat langkah.
Mother is speeding up her pace.
Tukang itu sedang memperbaiki kursi.
The handyman is repairing the chair.
Saya ingin memperkenalkan Anda.
I want to introduce you.
Dia memperlihatkan buku itu.
He is showing the book.
Mereka memperkuat tali itu.
They are strengthening the rope.
Pemerintah memperluas akses internet.
The government is expanding internet access.
Dia memperdengarkan lagu baru.
He is letting us hear the new song.
Kami memperjuangkan hak kami.
We are fighting for our rights.
Dia memperingatkan saya soal itu.
He warned me about that.
Perusahaan memperkerjakan banyak staf.
The company is hiring many staff.
Dia mempercayakan tugas itu kepada saya.
He entrusted the task to me.
Kita harus memperhitungkan risiko.
We must calculate the risks.
Dia mempermasalahkan hal sepele.
He is making an issue out of trivial things.
Peneliti memperbandingkan dua teori.
The researcher is comparing two theories.
Dia memperdebatkan hasil pemilu.
He is debating the election results.
Mereka mempercepat proses birokrasi.
They are accelerating the bureaucratic process.
Dia memperdalam pengetahuannya.
He is deepening his knowledge.
Dia memperdaya musuhnya dengan licik.
He deceived his enemy cunningly.
Pemerintah memperlakukan warga dengan adil.
The government treats citizens fairly.
Dia memperistri gadis itu.
He took that girl as his wife.
Mereka memperhamba rakyat kecil.
They enslaved the common people.
Easily Confused
Both are transitive, but 'memper-kan' is more specific to causative changes.
Learners often drop the 'mem-' prefix.
Both can be causative.
Häufige Fehler
memper-besar
memperbesar
memper-kan-besar
memperbesar
memperbaiki-kan
memperbaiki
memper-baik
memperbaiki
memper-buat
membuat
memper-tahu
memberitahu
memper-baca
membaca
memper-luaskan
memperluas
memper-cepatkan
mempercepat
memper-kenalkan
memperkenalkan
memper-dalamkan
memperdalam
memper-debatkan
memperdebatkan
memper-dayakan
memperdaya
Sentence Patterns
Saya ingin ___ foto ini.
Dia sedang ___ temannya kepada saya.
Kita harus ___ hubungan kita.
Pemerintah ___ akses pendidikan.
Real World Usage
Mari kita memperluas jaringan kita!
Saya ingin memperdalam keahlian saya.
Benerin (memperbaiki) hp yuk.
Pemerintah mempercepat pembangunan.
Mempercepat pengiriman.
Memperkenalkan budaya lokal.
Check the Root
Don't Overuse
Formal Writing
Regional Variation
Smart Tips
Use 'memper-' + [adjective].
Always use 'memperkenalkan'.
Use 'memperbaiki'.
Use 'memperluas' or 'memperkuat'.
Aussprache
Prefix stress
Stress usually falls on the root, not the prefix.
Declarative
Dia memperbesar foto itu. ↘
Falling intonation at the end.
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Remember 'Memper-kan' as 'Make-Per-Kan' (Make it happen).
Visual Association
Imagine a giant magnifying glass (memperbesar) over a small object to make it big.
Rhyme
Memper-kan is the way, to make things change every day.
Story
Budi wanted to fix his bike. He used his tools to 'memperbaiki' (repair) it. Then, he wanted to show it to his friends, so he 'memperkenalkan' (introduced) his new bike to them. Everyone was happy.
Word Web
Herausforderung
Write 3 sentences using 'memper-' verbs to describe changes in your room.
Kulturelle Hinweise
Using formal 'memper-kan' verbs is seen as educated and professional.
Often replaced by 'nge-' or 'benerin' in daily speech.
Speakers often blend formal and informal causative forms.
Derived from the prefix 'per-' which indicates causative, combined with 'mem-' for active voice.
Conversation Starters
Apa yang sedang Anda perbaiki?
Siapa yang ingin Anda perkenalkan?
Bagaimana cara memperbesar foto ini?
Mengapa Anda memperjuangkan hal itu?
Journal Prompts
Test Yourself
Dia sedang ___ (repair) kursi itu.
Which is correct?
Find and fix the mistake:
Dia memper-cepatkan mobilnya.
Baju itu besar. (Make it bigger)
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
What is the causative of 'kuat'?
Order: [memperkenalkan / saya / ingin / teman / saya]
Memper-kan is only for adjectives.
Score: /8
Ubungsaufgaben
8 exercisesDia sedang ___ (repair) kursi itu.
Which is correct?
Find and fix the mistake:
Dia memper-cepatkan mobilnya.
Baju itu besar. (Make it bigger)
Match 'luas' to its causative.
What is the causative of 'kuat'?
Order: [memperkenalkan / saya / ingin / teman / saya]
Memper-kan is only for adjectives.
Score: /8
FAQ (8)
No, it is restricted to specific roots. Always check a dictionary.
Yes, it is generally considered formal or neutral.
'Memper-' is for causative changes, 'me-' is for general transitive actions.
Yes, it is part of the circumfix.
You can, but people often use simpler forms like 'benerin'.
Yes, it becomes 'diper-kan'.
Some verbs only take 'memper-' without the '-kan' suffix.
It's best to memorize common ones like 'memperbaiki' and 'memperkenalkan'.
In Other Languages
hacer + infinitive
Indonesian is synthetic (one word), Spanish is analytic (two words).
faire + infinitive
Indonesian uses a prefix-suffix system.
ver- prefix
German prefixes are less productive for causative meanings than Indonesian.
-seru / -saseru
Indonesian uses a circumfix (prefix + suffix).
Form IV (Af'ala)
Indonesian uses fixed affixes.
使 (shǐ) / 让 (ràng)
Chinese is isolating, Indonesian is agglutinative.
