meN-...-i (berulang)

The meN-...-i circumfix is a versatile tool in Standard Malay. Crucially, all active verbs with the meN-...-i circumfix are transitive, meaning they must take a direct object. Because they are transitive, they can all be passivized (e.g., changing active menghadiahi to passive dihadiahi using the di-...-i passive form). (Note: Do not confuse this suffix with base roots that naturally end in 'i', like menari, which are often intransitive).

1. Repeated Action (Iterative): It indicates that an action is performed repeatedly or intensely on an object. For example, memukul (to hit) becomes memukuli (to hit repeatedly), and mencium (to kiss) becomes menciumi (to kiss repeatedly). Note: This specific usage is heavily influenced by Indonesian and is not highly productive in Standard Malaysian Malay. To express repeated actions, verb reduplication (e.g., memukul-mukul) is the more natural and common choice in Malaysia.
2. Locative Focus: It indicates that the object is the location or destination of the action. For example, menanami means to plant at a specific location.
3. Applying or Supplying (Membubuh / Mengenakan): When attached to a noun, it means to apply or supply that noun to the object. For example, air (water) becomes mengairi (to irrigate/supply water to), and garam (salt) becomes menggarami (to apply salt to).
4. Causative Function: It can attach to adjectives or nouns to mean 'causing a state'. For example, baik (good) becomes membaiki (to repair/cause to be good).
5. Indirect Object Shift (Recipient Focus): A major function is to make the recipient of an action the direct object. For these verbs of transfer, meN-...-i takes an animate direct object (known in Malaysian school grammar as Objek Tepat, the recipient, e.g., menghadiahi Ali), while the inanimate item becomes the secondary object (Objek Sipi). Conversely, meN-...-kan takes an inanimate direct object (Objek Tepat, the theme/item, e.g., menghadiahkan basikal). This is a key part of -kan vs -i viewpoint choices. (Note: A major exception in prescriptive school grammar involves the root words beri (give) and ajar (teach). Formal school grammar strictly prefers memberi and mengajar for animate recipients, and memberikan and mengajarkan for inanimate themes. Note the spelling rule for beri: the double 'i' is dropped (memberii → memberi), so it actually contains the -i suffix despite its appearance).
6. Emotion / Psychological State: It turns adjectives or nouns of emotion into transitive verbs directed at a stimulus (e.g., suka → menyukai, cinta → mencintai, hormat → menghormati).
7. Preposition Replacement (Penggantian Kata Sendi Nama): Syntactically, the -i suffix often absorbs and replaces prepositions (such as di, ke, kepada, akan, or terhadap). This is the underlying mechanism that turns an intransitive verb + preposition into a transitive verb. For example, masuk ke bilik becomes memasuki bilik, and marah akan Ali becomes memarahi Ali.
8. Morphological Rules:

• Follows standard meN- prefix nasalization rules.
• If the root ends in a consonant, add -i directly.
• If the root ends in a vowel, the spelling remains -i (temu → menemui).
• Crucial Rule: Roots ending in 'i' generally avoid the -i suffix altogether. Instead, they either take the -kan suffix (e.g., ganti → menggantikan, not menggantii) or just use the meN- prefix alone (e.g., isi → mengisi).

9. Register: This form is primarily found in formal Malay. In casual conversation, speakers often drop the -i suffix.