ter- / di-

Uncontrolled Versus Ordinary Passive

Level 4

Malay uses two main prefixes for the passive voice: di- (intentional/ordinary) and ter- (unintentional/stative). While di- focuses on a deliberate act, ter- highlights that something happened by accident, is in a certain state, or is even possible to do.

How It Works

In Malay, the passive voice isn't just about changing the focus of a sentence; it also conveys the 'mood' of the action.

1. The Ordinary Passive (di-)
The di- prefix is used for planned, deliberate actions. In formal writing, di- is strictly reserved for third-person agents (he, she, they, or names).
Example: Buku itu dibaca oleh Ali. (The book was read by Ali — Ali intended to read it).

2. Passive of the 1st & 2nd Person
When the agent is the first person (e.g., saya) or second person (e.g., anda), the di- prefix and oleh are not used. Instead, the pronoun is placed directly before the base verb. This is known as first-person object voice or second-person object voice.
Example: Buku itu saya baca. (The book was read by me).

3. The Uncontrolled Passive (ter-)
The ter- prefix indicates that the action was not intended. It can also represent:

  • Accidental: tersepak (accidentally kicked).
  • Stative: Describing a state, like terkunci (locked).
  • Abilitative: The ability to do something, often used with tidak to mean 'cannot be done' (e.g., tidak terbawa - cannot be carried).

4. Morphological Rules for ter-
If the root word starts with 'r', the prefix ter- loses its 'r' to become te- (e.g., ter- + rasa = terasa). This also happens if the first syllable of the root contains 'er' (e.g., ter- + percaya = tepercaya).

5. Agent Flexibility
Unlike di-, which is restricted by person in formal registers, ter- can be used with any person (I, you, they) to indicate an accidental or state-based passive.

Examples (5)

  1. Kopi itu diminum oleh bapa.

    The coffee was drunk by father.

    Word by Word: Coffee that was-drunk by father.

    Using 'di-' implies that the father intentionally drank the coffee.

  2. Kopi itu terminum oleh saya.

    The coffee was accidentally drunk by me.

    Word by Word: Coffee that accidentally-drunk by me.

    Using 'ter-' implies the speaker drank it by mistake (perhaps thinking it was their own cup).

  3. Pintu itu sudah dikunci oleh pengawal.

    The door has been locked by the guard.

    Word by Word: Door that already was-locked by guard.

    This describes a deliberate action performed by the guard.

  4. Pintu itu masih terkunci.

    The door is still locked.

    Word by Word: Door that still in-state-of-locked.

    Here, 'ter-' describes the state of the door rather than the action of locking it.

  5. Batu besar itu tidak terangkat oleh kami.

    That big stone could not be lifted by us.

    Word by Word: Stone big that not can-be-lifted by us.

    This demonstrates the 'abilitative' function of 'ter-', meaning the stone was too heavy to lift.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'ter-' for planned actions.

    Saya terpergi ke sekolah pagi tadi.
    Saya pergi ke sekolah pagi tadi.

    Unless you went to school by accident (which is unlikely), 'ter-' should not be used for routine, intentional actions.

  • Forgetting R-deletion with 'ter-'.

    Suara itu terrasa sangat kuat.
    Suara itu terasa sangat kuat.

    When the root starts with 'r' (rasa), the 'r' in 'ter-' is dropped to avoid a double 'r'.

Words in This Pattern

ter-di-