berhenti + Verb
Stopping an Activity
The pattern berhenti + verb is used to express 'stopping [doing something]'. It indicates the cessation of an activity.
How It Works
The construction berhenti + verb is the standard way to say someone stops an activity.
1. Morphological Flexibility
The verb following berhenti can appear in two ways:
- Base Form: Standard for common activities like makan (eat) or minum (drink). Using a meN- prefix on these specific verbs can change the focus to a specific object rather than the general act.
- Prefixed Form: Using meN- or ber- prefixes is standard for many other verbs (e.g., berhenti merokok, berhenti berlari).
2. Quitting a Status (berhenti dari)
To express quitting a job, a position, or a long-term commitment, Indonesian uses the preposition dari (e.g., berhenti dari sekolah - to quit school).
3. Berhenti vs. Selesai
It is important to distinguish between ceasing and completing:
- Berhenti: To stop or cease an action (e.g., stopping in the middle of a race).
- Selesai: To finish or complete an action (e.g., finishing the race).
4. Stopping 'To Do' vs. Stopping 'Doing'
Indonesian makes a clear distinction using prepositions:
- berhenti makan = stop eating (ceasing the act).
- berhenti untuk makan = stop [an activity] in order to eat.
Examples (5)
- Dia sudah berhenti merokok.
He has stopped smoking.
Word by Word: He already stop smoke.
Berhenti followed by merokok says the smoking has ceased. It can describe quitting a habit, but the grammar alone does not guarantee that the cessation is permanent.
- Jangan berhenti belajar bahasa Indonesia!
Don't stop learning Indonesian!
Word by Word: Do not stop learn language Indonesia!
Using jangan creates a negative command, telling someone not to cease the activity of learning.
- Hujan akhirnya berhenti turun.
The rain finally stopped falling.
Word by Word: Rain finally stop fall.
This shows that 'berhenti' can be used for natural phenomena and inanimate subjects, not just people.
- Saya berhenti dari pekerjaan saya.
I quit my job.
Word by Word: I stop from work I.
When stopping a status or a long-term commitment like a job, the preposition dari is used.
- Dia sudah selesai makan.
He has finished eating.
Word by Word: He already finish eat.
Unlike 'berhenti' (to cease), 'selesai' is used to indicate that an activity has been completed or finished.
Common Mistakes
Using 'berhenti' to stop an external object.
Saya berhenti mesin itu.Saya menghentikan mesin itu.'Berhenti' is intransitive (the subject stops themselves). To stop an object, you must use the transitive form with the -kan suffix.
Omitting 'untuk' when expressing purpose (stopping 'in order to').
Kami berhenti makan di restoran itu. (Maksud: berhenti dalam perjalanan agar dapat makan.)Kami berhenti untuk makan di restoran itu.Berhenti makan ordinarily describes ceasing to eat. Untuk makes the intended purpose of a stop explicit: stopping a journey in order to eat. Context can license shorter conversational wording, so use this contrast to clarify the stated meaning.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To understand 'berhenti + verb', learners need to be comfortable with basic Indonesian sentence structure and the concept of serial verbs where one verb (berhenti) modifies the action of another. Familiarity with the 'ber-' prefix is also helpful as 'berhenti' belongs to this morphological category.
- ber-Basic Activity Verbs with Ber-
The word 'berhenti' uses the 'ber-' prefix, so familiarity with this prefix class helps in recognizing the word form.
Level 2 - mulai + VerbBeginning an Action
This pattern is the functional counterpart to 'berhenti + verb', and understanding how one verb can take another as its complement is established here.
Level 2
Related Patterns
- untukFor with Untuk
Used to distinguish between 'stopping an action' and 'stopping in order to do something'.
Level 1 - sudah + VerbCompleted or Attained State with Sudah
Often used with 'berhenti' to indicate that the cessation of the activity has already occurred.
Level 1 - janganNegative Commands with Jangan
Used to tell someone not to stop an activity.
Level 1 - -kanBasic -kan Valency Change
Used to turn the intransitive 'berhenti' into the transitive 'menghentikan' (to stop something else).
Level 2
Words in This Pattern
Practice berhenti + Verb in Bubblegum
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