di-
Basic Passive with Di-
The di- passive presents the affected person or thing as the subject. The agent may be expressed after the verb or omitted; third-person agents are common, but the construction is not universally restricted to them.
How It Works
The di- passive is often called the 'Canonical Passive' or 'Passive Type 1.' It is used to foreground the patient (the thing affected) rather than the agent (the doer).
1. Formation:
The basic word order formula is: Patient + di-[Verb] + (oleh) + Agent. To form this passive, the di- prefix replaces the meN- prefix of the active verb. If the verb has suffixes like -kan or -i, or prefixes like per-, they must be retained. Unlike meN-, the di- prefix never changes its shape based on the first letter of the verb root.
- menulis (write) → ditulis (written)
- memberikan (give) → diberikan (given)
- memperbaiki (fix) → diperbaiki (fixed)
2. The Agentless Passive:
Very often, the agent is completely omitted. The agentless passive is heavily used when the doer is unknown, obvious from context, or simply irrelevant.
- Buku itu sudah dibaca. (The book has been read.)
- Pintu ditutup. (The door is closed / was closed, depending on context.) The di- form presents a passive event, which may already be completed; Pintu tertutup can describe the closed state directly.
3. The Agent (The Doer):
If you want to mention the person performing the action, they follow the verb. The word oleh (by) is optional if the agent is a simple, short noun phrase immediately following the verb. However, in the standard model, include oleh if the agent is separated from the verb by another word (like an adverb). If the agent is a long or complex phrase that immediately follows the verb, oleh is technically optional but highly recommended for clarity.
- Buku itu dibaca Budi (The book is read by Budi - simple agent)
- Buku itu dibaca kemarin oleh Budi (The book was read yesterday by Budi - oleh mandatory due to separation)
- Buku itu dibaca (oleh) mahasiswa yang sedang duduk di sana (The book is read by the student sitting over there - oleh highly recommended for a complex phrase)
4. Personal Agents and Variation:
With a simple I or you agent, the object-voice pattern is a useful standard choice: Buku itu saya baca. This is not an absolute ban on di- with first or second person. TBBI accepts coordinated oleh kamu dan saya, and contemporary corpus research records di- with other first- and second-person agents too. In some colloquial varieties, sama can introduce the agent in place of oleh; it does not universally replace oleh.
5. Using -nya:
A common shortcut for a third-person agent is to attach the suffix -nya directly to the verb. This means 'by him', 'by her', or 'by them'.
- Bukunya dibacanya (The book is read by him/her)
6. Intentionality:
Di- does not entail intention: Pintu itu dibuka tanpa sengaja explicitly says the opening was accidental. A separate construction uses the ter- prefix, which is used for accidental or spontaneous events.
7. Usage Nuance:
A passive can keep the affected participant as the topic or leave an unknown or irrelevant agent unexpressed. It may suit a request or instruction, but voice alone does not guarantee politeness.
Examples (4)
- Buku itu sudah dipinjam oleh Budi.
That book has already been borrowed by Budi.
Word by Word: Book that already be-borrowed by Budi.
The book is the passive subject. Budi follows as agent introduced by oleh; this is the ordinary third-person model, not a person-exclusive rule.
- Pencuri itu ditangkap polisi tadi malam.
The thief was caught by the police last night.
Word by Word: Thief that be-caught police last night.
In this sentence, 'oleh' (by) is omitted because the agent (polisi) immediately follows the verb.
- Kopi ini dibuat tanpa gula.
This coffee was made without sugar.
Word by Word: Coffee this be-made without sugar.
This is an agentless passive, where the person who made the coffee is not mentioned at all.
- Pintu harus ditutup.
The door must be closed.
Word by Word: Door must be-closed.
This requirement focuses on the door and closing it. It can function as an instruction; its interpersonal force depends on the situation.
Common Mistakes
Writing the prefix 'di-' with a space.
Buku itu di tulis oleh dia.Buku itu ditulis oleh dia.The passive prefix 'di-' must be attached to the verb. Only the preposition di (meaning 'at' or 'in') is written with a space.
Omitting 'oleh' when an adverb separates the verb and the agent.
Buku dibaca dengan teliti Budi.Buku dibaca dengan teliti oleh Budi.In the standard pattern taught here, insert oleh when dengan teliti separates the passive verb from Budi, so the agent is clearly marked.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To understand the di- passive, you first need to be comfortable with basic Indonesian sentence structure (SVO) and how active transitive verbs are formed using the meN- prefix. This allows you to see how the di- prefix flips the focus from the actor to the object being acted upon.
- meN-Active Transitive Verbs with MeN-
The di- prefix is the direct passive counterpart to the active meN- prefix; learners need to understand the active transitive form to conceptualize the passive shift.
Level 2 - diLocation with Di
Learners should be familiar with the 'di' marker, though here it functions as a prefix rather than a preposition, to avoid confusion between location and voice marking.
Level 1
Related Patterns
- di- / diPassive Prefix Versus Location Preposition
Learners often confuse the passive prefix 'di-' with the location preposition 'di'.
Level 2 - olehPassive Agent with Oleh
Oleh is the preposition used to introduce the 'doer' in a di- passive sentence.
Level 2 - Object voice with saya or aku
Object voice places the actor before the unprefixed verb form. It is a useful standard choice with I or you, but also occurs with third-person pronouns.
Level 3 - Passive with omitted actor
The di- prefix is the most common way to form a passive when the doer is unknown or omitted.
Level 3 - ter- (tak sengaja)Unplanned Events with Ter-
Ter- can mark accidental or unplanned events. Di- itself does not mean intentional; an accidental event can also be expressed with di- and an explicit phrase such as tanpa sengaja.
Level 2
Learn Next
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Practice di- in Bubblegum
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