Object voice with saya or aku
For the standard object-voice pattern with I or you as agent, remove meN- and place the pronoun immediately before the remaining verb form, as in buku itu saya baca. This describes the formal model rather than every colloquial word-order variant.
How It Works
Object voice places the affected participant first as the subject and keeps the agent immediately before the verb in the formal model. It is useful when that participant is the topic being discussed, as in buku itu saya baca. The choice organizes information; it does not by itself guarantee politeness or reduced assertiveness.
Key Rules:
- Word Order Change: The object moves to the front of the sentence to become the subject (Object + Actor + Verb Root).
- Drop the Prefix: You must remove the meN- prefix from the verb. For example, membaca becomes baca.
- Keep Suffixes: Suffixes like -kan or -i are retained (e.g., memberikan becomes berikan).
- Adjacency in the formal standard: Keep the pronoun immediately before the remaining verb form in this model. No words like sudah, tidak, or the preposition oleh come between them in this formal model. Colloquial speech can place an aspect word between a full pronoun and the verb. The object-voice model itself has no oleh agent phrase.
- Proclitics: Shortened forms of pronouns often attach to the front of the verb: aku becomes ku- (kubaca) and engkau becomes kau- (kaubaca). These are standard in formal literature and poetry.
This is an ordinary standard formal choice with a simple first- or second-person agent. It is not a complete ban on di- with those persons; the official grammar also accepts coordinated agents such as oleh kamu dan saya.
Examples (5)
- Buku itu sudah saya baca.
I have already read that book.
Word by Word: Book that already I read.
The object 'Buku itu' is the focus. The actor 'saya' is placed directly before the root 'baca' (from 'membaca').
- Kopi ini aku buat untukmu.
I made this coffee for you.
Word by Word: Coffee this I make for-you.
The root 'buat' is used without a prefix, preceded immediately by the actor 'aku'.
- Tugas itu harus segera kita selesaikan.
We must finish that task immediately.
Word by Word: Task that must immediately we finish.
Even with the inclusive 'kita', the prefix is dropped from 'menyelesaikan', but the suffix '-kan' remains.
- Suratnya belum kubaca.
I haven't read the letter yet.
Word by Word: The-letter not-yet I-read.
This uses the clitic form 'ku-' attached directly to the root 'baca'.
- Mobil itu akan saya perbaiki besok.
I will repair that car tomorrow.
Word by Word: Car that will I repair tomorrow.
The complex verb 'memperbaiki' loses its 'me-' prefix but keeps the 'per-' and '-i' components.
Common Mistakes
Overlooking the ordinary object-voice choice for a simple personal agent.
Buku itu dibaca oleh saya.Buku itu saya baca.Buku itu saya baca is the ordinary object-voice choice here. Di- passives are not universally restricted to third person: the official grammar accepts coordinated oleh kamu dan saya, and contemporary corpus evidence records other first- and second-person uses. Learn this useful default without turning it into an absolute ban.
Placing an aspect marker (like 'sudah') between the pronoun and the verb.
Buku itu saya sudah baca.Buku itu sudah saya baca.In the formal standard model, put sudah, akan, and tidak before the pronoun-verb pair. The original order with saya sudah baca occurs colloquially; the correction teaches the formal order, not a universal prohibition across all speech.
Failing to drop the 'meN-' prefix.
Buku itu saya membaca.Buku itu saya baca.Remove meN- in this object-voice pattern. The remaining verb can retain a suffix such as -kan or -i, so it is not always just an unaffixed root.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To use the object voice with pronoun actors, you first need to understand how to identify the actor using pronouns like 'saya' or 'aku'. You also need to be familiar with how to make a noun definite (using 'itu') and how aspect markers like 'sudah' function, as they occupy a specific position before the pronoun in this construction.
- sayaNeutral First-person Saya
The object voice with pronoun actor requires knowledge of first-person pronouns like 'saya' which function as the actor in this construction.
Level 1 - sudah + VerbCompleted or Attained State with Sudah
Aspect markers like 'sudah' are placed before the pronoun actor in this specific word order, making it a necessary component for the full pattern.
Level 1 - Noun + ituThat After the Noun
This pattern typically requires a definite object, often marked by 'itu', to be placed at the beginning of the sentence.
Level 1
Related Patterns
- di-Basic Passive with Di-
Di- forms the Type 1 passive. It commonly has a third-person or unexpressed actor, but is not universally restricted to third person.
Level 2 - meN-Active Transitive Verbs with MeN-
This prefix must be removed to form the Object Voice construction.
Level 2 - akuFamiliar First-person Aku
The familiar 1st-person pronoun which often appears as the clitic 'ku-' in this pattern.
Level 1 - Aspect inside object voice
Explains where to place words like 'sudah' or 'akan' relative to the pronoun-verb block.
Level 4 - Object voice with kamu or Anda
The equivalent construction used for 'you' (kamu, Anda, kau-).
Level 3
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice Object voice with saya or aku in Bubblegum
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