Nouns with 'peN-' and 'peN-...-an' — Indonesian Grammar

Put in front of a word and you get a noun for the person who does something, or who is something. It is the noun partner of : the two change shape in the same way, so a verb and its noun usually start alike.

pemilik
owner
pelajar
student

The Person Who Does It

When the root is an action, the noun names the person doing it.

to own - owner
to play - player
to study - student

The same pattern gives (waiter, the one who serves) and (a replacement, the one who stands in).

The Person Who Is It

With a describing word, the noun names someone who has that quality.

young - young man

How pe- Changes Shape

Before most letters gains a sound, exactly as does: pem- before b, pen- before d, c and j, peng- before g, h and vowels, and peny- in place of an s. A root's first p, t or k drops out, as it does after : (to fly) gives . Before l, m, n, r, w and y it stays pe-: , , .

peN-...-an: The Activity or Its Result

Add at the end as well, and the noun names the activity itself or what comes out of it. It belongs with the verb of the same root.

to fly - flight
to feel - feeling

penerbangan
flight
perasaan
feeling

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s Indonesian course

10 of the course's 500 sentences use this, the first in lesson 2. A few of them, with the words “Nouns with 'peN-' and 'peN-...-an'” is about in bold:

Ini temanku, Anna. Dia seorang pelajar.
This is my friend, Anna. She is a student.
Lesson 2
Bagaimana perasaanmu? Baik atau buruk?
How are you feeling? Good or bad?
Lesson 61
Aku ada kencan malam ini. Dia bekerja sebagai pelayan.
I have a date tonight. She works as a waitress.
Lesson 439

Comments

Loading comments…