demi

For the Sake of with Demi

Level 4

Demi is a formal preposition that translates to "for the sake of," "by" (in oaths), "as soon as," or "one by one."

How It Works

The word demi serves four distinct functions in Indonesian:

1. Purpose and High-Value Goals: It marks a goal that is serious, formal, or requires significant effort. It can function as a preposition (before a noun) or a conjunction (linking clauses). Compare neutral untuk. Demi presents a purpose as a valued cause; it can also give an ordinary task deliberate emphasis.
2. Solemn Oaths: Used to swear by something sacred, such as God or the law. In this context, it translates to "by."
3. Temporal (Immediate Succession): Primarily found in formal or literary registers, demi followed by a verb (often with a prefix) indicates an action happening the moment another occurs. It translates to "as soon as."
4. Distributive: Used between repeated numbers or quantity words to show a progression or sequence, such as "one by one" or "little by little."

Examples (5)

Ayah bekerja keras demi masa depan kami.
Father works hard for the sake of our future.
Word by Word: Father work hard for sake of future our.
Here, 'demi' indicates a high-value goal (the children's future) that justifies the hard work.
Demi Allah, saya tidak berbohong.
By Allah, I am not lying.
Word by Word: By Allah, I not lie.
This is the standard way to make a solemn oath in Indonesian.
Demi mendengar berita itu, dia langsung menangis.
As soon as [he/she] heard that news, he/she immediately cried.
Word by Word: As soon as hear news that, he/she immediately cry.
In this formal temporal usage, 'demi' is followed by the prefixed verb 'mendengar' (root: 'dengar') to show an immediate reaction.
Para tamu masuk ke ruangan satu demi satu.
The guests entered the room one by one.
Word by Word: Plural guests enter to room one by one.
This demonstrates the distributive function, showing a sequence of people entering.
Kita harus bersatu demi kemanusiaan.
We must unite for the sake of humanity.
Word by Word: We must unite for sake of humanity.
A formal use of 'demi' marking a serious, high-value cause.

Common Mistakes

Adding emphatic purpose when a neutral purpose is intended.
Saya ke toko demi membeli susu.
Saya ke toko untuk membeli susu.
Untuk gives the neutral purpose of the shopping trip. Demi can deliberately emphasize the importance or effort of obtaining the milk. That emphasis may be unnecessary in an ordinary account, but the original is grammatical.
Using 'demi' to mean 'by' for an agent in a passive sentence.
Buku itu ditulis demi dia.
Buku itu ditulis oleh dia.
Demi dia means for that person’s sake, so the original can be grammatical with that meaning. Oleh dia names the author. Use oleh if you mean who wrote the book, rather than whom it was written for.

How It Connects

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

demiLevel 4For the Sake of with Demi

Learn This First

Demi is a preposition and conjunction used to express a solemn purpose, sacrifice, or oath. To use it effectively, learners should already be familiar with basic purpose markers like 'untuk' and 'agar', as well as the abstract nouns that typically follow 'demi' in formal or emotional contexts.

Words in This Pattern