Passive with omitted actor

Level 3

The agentless passive uses the di- prefix on a verb to focus on the action or the object, completely leaving out the 'doer' (agent).

How It Works

The agentless passive is a specific application of the di- passive (Passive Type 1) where the actor is intentionally left out. It is formed by attaching the prefix di- to a transitive verb root that is compatible with the meN- prefix in active sentences.

Key Characteristics:

  • Actor Choice: Agentless di- leaves the actor unexpressed. With a simple first- or second-person pronoun, the ordinary contrasting pattern is object voice. This is not an absolute person restriction: the official grammar accepts di- with coordinated actors such as oleh kamu dan saya.
  • Focus: It shifts the focus entirely to the receiver of the action or the result.
  • No Sound Changes: Unlike the meN- prefix, di- never triggers nasalization or changes the first letter of the root (e.g., tulis becomes ditulis).
  • Omission: While the di- passive can include an actor using oleh, this pattern omits it because the actor is unknown, obvious, or irrelevant.
  • Intentionality: Di- itself does not require deliberate action. Contrast the accidental reading explicitly available with the ter- accidental passive.

Examples (4)

  1. Pencuri itu akhirnya ditangkap.

    The thief was finally caught.

    Word by Word: Thief that finally [passive]-catch.

    The focus is on the thief being caught; who caught them (the police) is implied and doesn't need to be stated.

  2. Jalan ini ditutup karena ada perbaikan.

    This road is closed because there is a repair.

    Word by Word: Road this [passive]-close because exist repair.

    The agent (the workers) is omitted because the state of the road is the important information.

  3. Surat itu harus dikirim segera.

    That letter must be sent immediately.

    Word by Word: Letter that must [passive]-send immediately.

    This uses the passive to give an instruction without specifying exactly who needs to do the sending.

  4. Buku ini ditulis dalam bahasa Indonesia.

    This book is written in Indonesian.

    Word by Word: Book this [passive]-write in language Indonesia.

    The author is not the focus here; the language of the book is the main point.

Common Mistakes

  • Writing the prefix 'di-' as a separate word.

    Buku itu di baca.
    Buku itu dibaca.

    The passive prefix 'di-' must be attached to the verb. Only the preposition di (meaning 'at/in') is written separately.

  • Overlooking the ordinary pronoun-before-verb alternative for a simple personal agent.

    Buku itu dibaca saya.
    Buku itu saya baca.

    Buku itu saya baca is the ordinary object-voice choice here. This is a useful default, not a universal ban on di- with first- or second-person agents; coordinated oleh kamu dan saya is explicitly accepted in the official grammar.

How It Connects

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Passive with omitted actorLevel 3

Learn This First

To understand the agentless passive, you first need to be familiar with the basic di- passive prefix and how Indonesian sentences are structured. The agentless passive is simply a standard passive construction where the 'actor' (the person or thing doing the action) is left out because it is either obvious, unknown, or unimportant.

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Words in This Pattern

di-