ke-...-an (terkena)

Experiencer States with Ke-...-an

Level 3

The ke-...-an circumfix creates 'adversative' or 'experiencer' verbs and adjectives. It describes situations where someone is caught in a state (like rain or cold) or finds something to be 'too much' (like too expensive).

How It Works

The ke-...-an pattern serves four main functions in this context:

1. Adversative (Unwanted Events): It indicates the subject is a victim of an event. For example, from hujan (rain), we get kehujanan (to get caught in the rain) or maling (thief) becomes kemalingan (to be robbed).
2. Experiencer States: It describes physical or mental states that 'happen' to a person. From dingin (cold), we get kedinginan (to suffer from/feel cold).
3. Potential or Accidental States: Some forms indicate that something can be perceived or happens unintentionally, without a 'victim' nuance. Common examples include kelihatan (visible/can be seen) and kedengaran (audible/can be heard).
4. Excessive Quality: In colloquial speech, it means 'too [adjective]'. From mahal (expensive), we get kemahalan (too expensive). This is often used instead of terlalu in casual settings.

Morphology:
The prefix ke- and suffix -an are added to the root word. Unlike meN-, ke- does not cause any nasalization or changes to the starting letter of the root word (e.g., ke + tinggal + an = ketinggalan).

Register and Word Choice: Harga itu kemahalan is a valid conversational way to say the price is too high. Terlalu mahal is a useful neutral or formal alternative. This difference does not make the ke-...-an word itself malformed. Kedinginan expresses feeling or suffering from cold; shivering may accompany it but is not explicitly asserted by the word.

Examples (4)

  1. Saya kehujanan saat pulang tadi.

    I got caught in the rain while coming home earlier.

    Word by Word: I [affected by rain] when go home earlier.

    Kehujanan presents getting caught in the rain as an experience affecting the subject.

  2. Dia kedinginan karena lupa membawa jaket.

    He/she feels cold because he/she forgot to bring a jacket.

    Word by Word: He [suffering from cold] because forget bring jacket.

    The word 'kedinginan' describes the physical state of suffering from the cold.

  3. Sepatu ini kebesaran untuk adik saya.

    These shoes are too big for my younger sibling.

    Word by Word: Shoe this [too big] for younger sibling my.

    In this context, 'kebesaran' indicates an excessive quality (too big).

  4. Kami kecurian sepeda motor tadi malam.

    We suffered the theft of a motorcycle last night.

    Word by Word: We [suffered theft] bicycle motor earlier night.

    The root 'curi' (steal) becomes 'kecurian', focusing on the victim's experience of being robbed.

Common Mistakes

  • Confusing the 'affected state' verb with the 'abstract noun' form.

    Dia merasa kesehatan setelah minum obat.
    Dia merasa sehat setelah minum obat.

    For feeling healthy after taking medicine, use the adjective sehat: merasa sehat. Kesehatan is the noun health in this use. An affected-state verb such as kedinginan has a different established meaning; do not replace one event with an unrelated cold experience.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

ke-...-an (terkena)Level 3Experiencer States with Ke-...-an

Learn This First

To understand the ke-...-an affected state pattern, you first need to be familiar with the ke-...-an circumfix, which is also used to form abstract nouns. Since these words usually describe a person's condition or state, you should understand how Indonesian uses adjectives or states as predicates without a copula (like 'is' or 'am'). Finally, recognizing the semantic nuance of 'excess' or 'unwanted condition' helps distinguish this from simple adjectives.

Words in This Pattern

ke- -an