membuat + Clause
Analytic Causative with Membuat
The analytic causative uses the verb membuat (to make) to link a causer to a result. It follows the structure: [Causer] + membuat + [Causee] + [Resulting State/Action].
How It Works
The analytic causative with membuat is a versatile causative construction in Indonesian. It is particularly useful when a specific verb with a causative suffix is unavailable or when you want to emphasize an indirect cause.
1. Sentence Structure
The pattern functions as a small clause: Subject + membuat + Object + Predicate. The predicate can be:
- An Adjective: Membuat saya senang (Makes me happy).
- An Intransitive Verb: Membuat dia menangis (Makes him cry).
- A Transitive Verb: Membuat orang membenci dia (Makes people hate him).
2. Nuance and Usage
The meN-...-kan causative and membuat overlap in meaning. Membuat is useful for an external influence and a separately expressed result, but neither construction mechanically distinguishes direct from indirect or intentional from unintentional causes. A film can membuat seseorang sedih, and a lexical causative such as menyedihkan can also describe an emotional effect.
3. Register
This construction is standard and appropriate for all levels of formality. In very formal or academic writing, you might see menyebabkan (to cause), while in very casual speech, bikin is often used instead of membuat.
4. Passive Form
Because membuat is a transitive verb, it can be made passive using the di- passive prefix: Saya dibuat bingung oleh penjelasannya (I was made confused by his explanation).
Word Order and Lexical Choice: In the basic analytic model, place the affected object before its result: Dia membuat rumahnya besar. Dia membesarkan rumahnya is a compact lexical alternative. The earlier Dia membuat besar rumahnya did not display the basic object-before-result order, so do not use it as proof that membuat is wrong whenever a lexical causative exists.
Examples (5)
- Berita itu membuat ibunya sedih.
That news made his/her mother sad.
Word by Word: News that make his/her mother sad.
Here, 'membuat' links the causer (the news) to the resulting state (sadness) of the mother.
- Film horor itu membuat anak-anak takut.
That horror movie made the children afraid.
Word by Word: Film horror that make children afraid.
This demonstrates 'membuat' used with an adjective (takut) to show an emotional result.
- Sikapnya yang kasar membuat teman-temannya menjauh.
His/her rude attitude made his/her friends keep their distance.
Word by Word: His/her attitude which rude make his/her friends move-away.
In this case, the result is an intransitive verb (menjauh), showing the action the friends took because of his attitude.
- Kopi ini membuat saya terjaga semalaman.
This coffee made me stay awake all night.
Word by Word: Coffee this make I [state of awake] all-night.
The coffee is the external causer that resulted in the speaker being in the state of 'terjaga' (awake).
- Guru itu membuat murid-muridnya mengerti pelajaran yang sulit.
That teacher made the students understand the difficult lesson.
Word by Word: Teacher that make his/her students understand lesson which difficult.
This shows 'membuat' followed by a transitive verb (mengerti), indicating the teacher caused the students to perform the action of understanding.
Common Mistakes
Using 'bahwa' (that) to introduce the result.
Hal itu membuat bahwa dia marah.Hal itu membuat dia marah.In Indonesian, 'membuat' takes a direct object followed by a predicate. You should not use the conjunction 'bahwa' to create a full clause after 'membuat'.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To understand the analytic causative with 'membuat', a learner needs to recognize the active verb form 'membuat' (from 'buat') and understand how Indonesian structures simple clauses where adjectives or nouns can act as predicates without a copula.
- mem-The Mem- Form of MeN-
The word 'membuat' is the active 'meN-' form of the root 'buat', requiring knowledge of the 'mem-' nasalization rule.
Level 2 - Adjectives can be predicates
The analytic causative 'membuat' often takes an adjective as the predicate of the clause (e.g., 'membuat saya senang'), so understanding how adjectives function as predicates is essential.
Level 1
Related Patterns
- meN-...-kanCausative MeN-...-kan
A morphological way to express causation. It overlaps with membuat rather than exclusively encoding a more direct or intentional cause.
Level 3 - membiarkan + ClausePermissive Causative
A similar analytic construction used for 'letting' or 'permitting' rather than 'making'.
Level 4 - menyuruh + VerbDirective Causative
A directive causative used specifically when the causer 'orders' or 'tells' someone to do something.
Level 4 - di-Basic Passive with Di-
Used to form 'dibuat' (was made), the passive version of this causative construction.
Level 2 - bahwaContent Clauses with Bahwa
Learners often mistakenly try to use 'bahwa' with 'membuat', though it is used correctly with other verbs to introduce content clauses.
Level 2
Words in This Pattern
Practice membuat + Clause in Bubblegum
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