dapat di-
Formal Possibility Passive
Dapat di- means can be done and is common in academic, legal, and technical writing. Context determines whether it concerns practical possibility, capability, or permission; the wording does not guarantee objectivity.
How It Works
Dapat combines with a di- passive verb to express can be done.
1. Register and Meaning: Dapat is common in reports and technical writing, but bisa is also valid in standard writing: TBBI gives Pintu kamar itu tidak bisa dikunci. A publication may prefer dapat as a style choice; bisa di- is not inherently a grammatical error. Dapat also has a lexical meaning get or receive, as in dapat hadiah, but here it is a modal.
2. Possibility: Dapat ditemukan means can be found. A potential ter- form can have a related meaning, but its interpretation depends on the verb and context; it is not invariably an inherent quality. Permission is possible in an appropriate institutional context, while boleh marks permission more directly. Neither form by itself establishes an objective fact.
3. Structure and Negation: Use subject + dapat + di- verb, with any suffix required by that particular verb and meaning. Dapat dilihat needs no -kan or -i; dapat digunakan and dapat ditemui retain their respective suffixes. Adverbs can occur after dapat, as in dapat segera diselesaikan. Tidak usually precedes dapat for cannot: tidak dapat dihindari. This differs from dapat tidak..., where possible nonoccurrence has a different scope.
4. Actor: The actor can be omitted. A named actor can be introduced with oleh, as in dapat dilakukan oleh pemerintah; an immediately following noun agent can also omit oleh in the relevant passive model. With first- and second-person actors, the object-voice model is useful: dapat saya jelaskan or dapat Anda baca. In that model the actor directly precedes the verb without meN- or di-, while suffixes can remain. Dapat saya dijelaskan incorrectly retains di- in that intended object-voice structure. Modal dapat precedes the actor, not between actor and verb. Do not confuse the actor-verb adjacency requirement with a general ban on material after dapat.
Examples (5)
- Informasi lebih lanjut dapat ditemukan di situs web kami.
Further information can be found on our website.
Word by Word: Information more further can be found at site web our.
A classic procedural sentence using the passive to focus on the information rather than the person finding it.
- Fenomena ini dapat dijelaskan melalui teori gravitasi.
This phenomenon can be explained through the theory of gravity.
Word by Word: Phenomenon this can be-explained through theory gravity.
Common in academic writing to show logical possibility or scientific explanation.
- Keputusan ini dapat dibatalkan jika syarat tidak terpenuhi.
This decision can be canceled if the requirements are not met.
Word by Word: Decision this can be-canceled if requirement not be-fulfilled.
A formal legal or administrative context showing conditional possibility.
- Masalah tersebut tidak dapat dihindari.
That problem cannot be avoided.
Word by Word: Problem that not can be-avoided.
Shows how to negate the pattern using 'tidak' before 'dapat'.
- Hasil penelitian ini dapat dilihat pada tabel di bawah.
The results of this research can be seen in the table below.
Word by Word: Result research this can be-seen at table at below.
Used to direct the reader's attention in a formal report.
Common Mistakes
Keeping di- on the verb in the intended object-voice model.
Buku itu dapat saya dibaca.Buku itu dapat saya baca.In this object-voice model, saya directly precedes baca without di-. Dapat comes before the actor. This is not the di- passive with a following oleh phrase; the two constructions have different actor placement.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To understand 'dapat di-', a learner needs to be comfortable with the basic Indonesian passive voice ('di-') and how it functions without a specific actor. Additionally, familiarity with basic modal verbs of ability like 'bisa' helps the learner grasp that 'dapat' serves a similar but more formal function in this passive construction.
- bisa + VerbAbility with Bisa
Understanding the basic concept of ability/possibility with 'bisa' provides the semantic foundation for the more formal 'dapat'.
Level 1 - Passive with omitted actor
The 'dapat di-' construction is frequently used in formal or technical contexts where the actor is omitted, making the agentless passive a key functional prerequisite.
Level 3
Related Patterns
- di-Basic Passive with Di-
The base passive construction that 'dapat' modifies to express possibility.
Level 2 - ter- (kemampuan)Potential Meaning with Ter-
Potential ter- can express a related can-be-done meaning. The reading depends on the verb and context, rather than always marking an inherent property or accidental ability.
Level 3 - boleh + VerbPermission with Boleh
Boleh marks permission directly. Dapat often expresses capability or possibility and can receive a permission reading in an appropriate institutional context.
Level 1 - perlu di-Necessary or Recommended Passive Action
A similar formal passive construction used to express necessity ('needs to be') rather than possibility.
Level 5
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice dapat di- in Bubblegum
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