dengan

With with Dengan

Level 1

Dengan is the standard Indonesian word for 'with'. It is used to show who you are with, what tool you are using, or how you are performing an action.

How It Works

In Indonesian, dengan is a versatile preposition essential for building fluency. Unlike English, which uses 'with', 'by', or '-ly' adverbs, Indonesian uses dengan for all these scenarios.

1. Accompaniment (With someone)
Indicates performing an action alongside another person. Example: Saya makan dengan teman. (I eat with a friend.)

2. Means or Instrument (Using a tool)
Describes the tool or vehicle used. Warning: Do not use this for the person doing a passive action (use 'oleh' instead). Example: Dia menulis dengan pensil. (He writes with a pencil.)

3. Manner (How an action is done)
Followed by an adjective to create an adverbial phrase. Example: Jalan dengan pelan. (Walk slowly.)

4. Comparison (Equality)
Used in the pattern sama ... dengan to show two things are the same. Example: Buku ini sama bagus dengan buku itu. (This book is as good as that book.)

5. Formal Conjunction
In formal contexts or menus, it can act like 'and' to list items that go together. Example: Nasi dengan ayam. (Rice with chicken.)

Examples (5)

Saya pergi ke pasar dengan Ibu.
I go to the market with Mother.
Word by Word: I go to market with Mother.
This shows accompaniment, indicating the person joining the subject in the action.
Bapak memotong kayu dengan kapak.
Father cuts wood with an axe.
Word by Word: Father [active-prefix]-cut wood with axe.
Here, 'dengan' indicates the instrument or tool used to perform the verb.
Dia menjawab pertanyaan dengan tenang.
He answered the question calmly.
Word by Word: He [active-prefix]-answer question with calm.
When paired with the adjective 'tenang' (calm), 'dengan' describes the manner of the action.
Kami datang ke sini dengan bus.
We came here by bus.
Word by Word: We come to here with bus.
In the context of transportation, 'dengan' functions like the English 'by'.
Tolong bicara dengan suara keras.
Please speak with a loud voice.
Word by Word: Please speak with voice loud.
This uses 'dengan' to specify the quality or manner of the speaking.

Common Mistakes

Using dengan when oleh is meant for the agent.
Different MeaningBuku itu dibaca dengan dia.
Buku itu dibaca oleh dia.
Buku itu dibaca dengan dia is a fine sentence, but it means the book was read together with him or her. To name who did the reading in a passive sentence, use oleh: Buku itu dibaca oleh dia.
Using 'oleh' to mean 'by means of transport'.
Saya pergi ke sekolah oleh mobil.
Saya pergi ke sekolah dengan mobil.
Oleh mobil does not express the means of travel here. Use dengan mobil, or a suitable construction such as naik mobil. Oleh marks a passive agent in this contrast; other expressions such as oleh karena are separate constructions.
Using 'sama' in formal writing for accompaniment.
Saya pergi sama teman.
Saya pergi dengan teman.
Sama is a familiar colloquial accompaniment marker. Choose dengan in formal edited writing; register alone does not make every colloquial sama impolite.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

denganLevel 1With with Dengan

Learn This First

To use 'dengan' for accompaniment or means, you should first understand basic Indonesian sentence structure (SVO) and how simple prepositions function to modify nouns or verbs.

diLocation with Di
Familiarity with basic prepositions like 'di' provides the conceptual foundation for how Indonesian uses markers to indicate relationships like location or accompaniment.
Level 1

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

Practice dengan in Bubblegum

Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Indonesian lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.