akibat
Cause Framed as Akibat
Akibat introduces a cause, often translated due to or as a result of. It commonly describes problems, but also neutral processes; it is not restricted to formal writing.
How It Works
Akibat is also a noun meaning result or consequence. As a causal marker it introduces the cause, not the following effect.
1. Meaning: Undesirable consequences are common, but negative evaluation is not compulsory. Analytical descriptions can use it neutrally. Berkat positively frames a contribution as thanks to; karena is a general causal marker.
2. Structure: A noun phrase is a useful compact model: akibat cuaca buruk. Clausal material is also possible: TBBI itself describes speech sounds with akibat udara keluar, where udara is the subject of keluar. Do not require every following verb or adjective to be nominalized. A nominal expression such as akibat kemalasannya packages the cause as a noun phrase; it is an alternative, not a universal repair for clausal wording.
3. Register and Related Forms: Akibat is common in news, reports, and explanations and also occurs in conversation. Gara-gara often attributes blame in conversation. Mengakibatkan means cause or result in something; berakibat means have a consequence.
4. Cause Versus Result: Dia sakit. Akibatnya, dia tidak datang uses akibatnya to introduce the result of the preceding illness. Akibat alone is not the intended standalone therefore connector here.
Examples (3)
- Akibat pencemaran sungai, masyarakat kehilangan sumber air minum.
Due to river pollution, the community has lost its source of drinking water.
Word by Word: Result pollution river, community lose source water drink.
Here, akibat introduces the noun phrase 'pencemaran sungai' (river pollution) as the cause of the problem.
- Banyak nasabah jatuh miskin akibat kesalahan teknis pada sistem bank.
Many customers fell into poverty as a result of a technical error in the bank system.
Word by Word: Many customer fall poor result error technical at system bank.
In this sentence, akibat is followed by the noun phrase 'kesalahan teknis' to explain the cause of the financial loss.
- Penerbangan dibatalkan akibat cuaca buruk di bandara tujuan.
The flight was canceled due to bad weather at the destination airport.
Word by Word: Flight canceled result weather bad at airport destination.
This is a classic journalistic use of akibat to explain a service disruption using the noun phrase 'cuaca buruk'.
Common Mistakes
Confusing 'akibat' with 'akibatnya'.
Dia sakit. Akibat, dia tidak datang.Dia sakit. Akibatnya, dia tidak datang.'Akibat' introduces the cause. 'Akibatnya' is an adverb meaning 'as a result' and introduces the effect.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The pattern 'akibat' is a formal way to introduce a cause by framing it as the source of a consequence. Learners should already be comfortable with basic causal conjunctions like 'karena' and result markers like 'sehingga'. Because 'akibat' is primarily found in compact, written Indonesian, familiarity with formal nominalization patterns is also helpful for parsing the surrounding context.
- peN-...-an / per-...-anChoosing Process Nominalizers
The word 'akibat' is often used in formal prose alongside complex nominalizations to describe consequences, requiring familiarity with formal noun derivation.
Level 4 - sehinggaResult with Sehingga
Understanding result clauses with 'sehingga' provides the conceptual bridge to 'akibat', which frames the cause specifically through the lens of its result.
Level 2
Related Patterns
- karenaReason Clause with Karena
Karena is a general causal marker and can introduce a clause. Akibat also allows clausal material; its frequent negative-result framing is a tendency, not a syntactic clause ban.
Level 1 - berkatBeneficial Cause with Berkat
Berkat presents a beneficial contribution as thanks to. Akibat often accompanies negative results but can also describe neutral causation.
Level 4 - makaFormal Result with Maka
A formal marker used to introduce a logical result, often paired with 'karena'.
Level 2 - -nya (nominalisasi)Adjective Nominalization with -nya
A nominalized adjective can package a quality as the cause after akibat. Such nominalization is one available construction, not compulsory for every causal expression.
Level 3
Words in This Pattern
Practice akibat in Bubblegum
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