harus di-

Required Passive Action

Level 5

The pattern harus di- combines the modal harus (must) with the passive prefix di-. It is used to state requirements, rules, or procedures where the object being acted upon is the focus of the sentence.

How It Works

The harus di- construction combines obligation with a passive verb. It is available in conversation as well as formal instructions.

1. Functional Focus and Inversion
Unlike the active harus + verb, which emphasizes the person responsible for the action, harus di- shifts the focus to the object. In this construction, the 'Patient' or 'Object' typically moves to the front of the sentence to become the grammatical subject. However, formal Indonesian also allows predicate-fronting for emphasis, meaning the subject does not strictly have to sit at the front (e.g., Harus dibaca buku itu oleh siswa). Note that unlike English 'must be done,' Indonesian places harus before the di- verb without an equivalent for be. Harus is a separate word; another modifier can intervene, as in harus segera dibawa.

2. Morphological Combinations
To form this passive, the active meN- prefix must be dropped and replaced by di- (e.g., membaca becomes dibaca). This pattern frequently combines with suffixes to create complex transitive meanings:

  • harus di-...-kan: Often used for causative or transfer actions (e.g., harus dikirimkan - must be sent).
  • harus di-...-i: Often used for locative or repeated actions (e.g., harus ditandatangani - must be signed, or harus diulangi - must be repeated).

3. The Agent (The Doer) and Person Constraints
A critical rule for this pattern is that the di- prefix is primarily used for third-person agents (dia, mereka, beliau) or when the agent is unknown/omitted (agentless passive). If the agent is third-person and follows the verb directly, the use of oleh is optional (e.g., harus dibaca guru). Additionally, when the third-person agent is 'dia', it is frequently attached directly to the verb as the suffix -nya (e.g., Surat itu harus dibacanya). Traditional formal descriptions require oleh when an adverbial or other phrase separates the passive verb from its agent (e.g., ditolak halus oleh mereka). A contemporary corpus study found occasional omission even in that environment, so this is not absolute in actual usage; including oleh is the safest choice in careful formal writing. In casual speech, sama commonly marks the agent instead (e.g., dibaca sama dia).

4. First and Second Person Across Registers
In careful formal Indonesian, first- and second-person agents normally use the object voice (e.g., harus saya baca). Contemporary corpus evidence also records di- passives with first- and second-person agents, and casual speech readily permits forms such as harus dibaca sama saya; the object-voice pattern is the usual standard model, not a reason to label every di- form with a pronoun actor ungrammatical. In this specific construction, the agent and the verb must remain strictly adjacent; you cannot place adverbs or auxiliary verbs between them. The required formula is [Auxiliary] + [Pronoun] + [Verb without meN- or di-], with any required suffix retained. This clarifies why it is harus saya baca and not saya harus baca (which would be active).

Examples (4)

  1. Formulir ini harus diisi dengan tinta hitam.

    This form must be filled out with black ink.

    Word by Word: Form this must be-fill with ink black.

    A classic procedural sentence where the focus is on the form, not the person filling it.

  2. Peraturan perusahaan harus dipatuhi oleh semua karyawan.

    Company regulations must be obeyed by all employees.

    Word by Word: Regulations company must be-obeyed by all employees.

    Uses the -i suffix (dipatuhi) to indicate a requirement directed toward a specific object (the rules).

  3. Data tersebut harus dikirimkan sebelum akhir bulan.

    That data must be sent before the end of the month.

    Word by Word: Data that must be-sent before end month.

    Uses the -kan suffix (dikirimkan) to show a transfer of the object (the data).

  4. Keputusan ini harus didasarkan pada bukti yang kuat.

    This decision must be based on strong evidence.

    Word by Word: Decision this must be-based on evidence which strong.

    Didasarkan pada means based on. The sentence requires a basis in strong evidence and leaves the decision maker unexpressed.

Common Mistakes

  • Confusing the passive prefix 'di-' with the location preposition 'di'.

    Surat itu harus di kirim.
    Surat itu harus dikirim.

    The passive prefix di- must be attached to the verb without a space. The preposition di (at/in) is written with a space before a location. See di- vs di spacing for more details.

  • Inserting words between the pronoun and the verb in the alternative object voice construction.

    Buku itu harus saya sudah baca.
    Buku itu sudah harus saya baca.

    In the standard object-voice model, the pronoun stays directly before the verb. For the intended meaning that the obligation already holds, use sudah harus saya baca. Harus sudah saya baca instead places already within the requirement, meaning that I must have read it already or by the relevant time.

How It Connects

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harus di-Level 5Required Passive Action

Learn This First

To understand 'harus di-', you need to combine the concept of obligation ('harus') with the passive voice ('di-'). This construction is commonly used to express that something 'must be done', often in a formal or institutional context where the person performing the action is not specified.

Words in This Pattern

di-