ber-...-an
Reciprocal Ber-...-an
The ber-...-an confix creates intransitive verbs that describe either reciprocal actions (doing something to each other) or distributed actions (many people doing something, or something happening in many directions).
How It Works
The ber-...-an confix is a standard way to modify verb roots to add a sense of multiplicity or interaction.
1. Reciprocal Meaning
It indicates interaction between participants, who may be expressed in a plural subject or by a singular subject together with a partner phrase. While the word saling (each other) is a standard way to express reciprocity with other verb forms, the reciprocal meaning can already be clear from ber-...-an. Omitting saling can make the wording economical, but combinations such as saling bersalaman are also attested in Badan Bahasa’s published prose, not only conversation.
Example: berpelukan (hugging each other).
2. Distributed/Repetitive Meaning
It indicates that an action is performed by many subjects (plurality of actors) or occurs in various directions, times, or locations (plurality of events).
Example: berdatangan (arriving in groups/from different places).
3. Morphological Rules
This pattern follows the standard be- allomorph rules:
- If the root starts with 'r', the 'r' in ber- is dropped (e.g., ber- + rebut + -an becomes berebutan).
- If the first syllable contains 'er', the 'r' is usually dropped (e.g., ber- + terbang + -an becomes beterbangan).
4. Distinction from Noun Forms
Be careful not to confuse this with ber- + -an nouns. For example, beraturan (orderly) comes from ber- + aturan (a rule), which is a possession meaning, not a reciprocal action.
Examples (5)
- Mereka berpelukan setelah lama tidak bertemu.
They hugged each other after not meeting for a long time.
Word by Word: They hug-each-other after long not meet.
Here, 'berpelukan' shows a reciprocal action where both people hug each other simultaneously.
- Para tamu mulai berdatangan ke pesta itu.
The guests began arriving at the party.
Word by Word: Plural guest start arrive-in-groups to party that.
'Berdatangan' implies that the guests are arriving from different places or in several groups, rather than all at once.
- Daun-daun kering beterbangan ditiup angin.
Dry leaves are flying about, blown by the wind.
Word by Word: Leaves dry fly-about blown wind.
'Beterbangan' shows the distributed action of many leaves flying in various directions. Note the 'r' is dropped because 'terbang' has 'er' in the first syllable.
- Kedua mobil itu bertabrakan di jalan raya.
Those two cars collided with each other on the main road.
Word by Word: Both car that collide-each-other at road main.
'Bertabrakan' indicates a mutual collision between two objects.
- Anak-anak itu berlarian di lapangan.
Those children are running around in the field.
Word by Word: Children that run-about at field.
'Berlarian' suggests many children running in different directions, rather than just running in a straight line.
Common Mistakes
Using a collective-arrival verb for an ordinary single arrival.
Saya berdatangan ke kantor.Saya datang ke kantor.For the ordinary collective-arrival meaning, berdatangan describes multiple arrivals; Saya datang is the simple singular model. This does not ban a singular subject with every reciprocal verb: Saya berpelukan dengan adik explicitly supplies the other participant.
Separating -an from bersalaman.
Mereka bersalam an.Mereka bersalaman.Write bersalaman as one word. Saling bersalaman is also attested in published prose. Bersalaman alone is concise when reciprocity is already clear; that editing preference is not a universal grammatical ban.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To understand the reciprocal ber-...-an pattern, you first need to be familiar with the basic ber- prefix and the -an suffix. Since reciprocal actions involve multiple people or things acting on each other, a grasp of how Indonesian expresses plurality without specific markers is also helpful.
- ber-Basic Activity Verbs with Ber-
The reciprocal ber-...-an pattern is an extension of the basic ber- prefix used for intransitive activities.
Level 2 - -anResult or Object Nouns with -an
Understanding the -an suffix is necessary as it combines with ber- to form the circumfix used for reciprocal or distributed actions.
Level 2 - Unmarked plurality
Reciprocal actions inherently involve multiple participants, so understanding how plurality is handled in Indonesian is essential.
Level 1
Related Patterns
- ber- (saling)Reciprocal Ber- Verbs
The basic reciprocal form without the -an suffix, used for certain verbs like 'bertemu' (to meet).
Level 3 - be-Reduced Be- Allomorph
Explains the spelling changes (dropping the 'r') that occur when adding 'ber-' to certain roots.
Level 2 - Verbal reduplication
Verb reduplication can express repetition, distribution, or reciprocity in appropriate patterns. Its meaning is not limited to non-mutual actions.
Level 2 - para + Human NounHuman Plural with Para
Often used as the subject for 'ber-...-an' verbs to indicate a group of people.
Level 2
Words in This Pattern
Practice ber-...-an in Bubblegum
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