A kata kerja pasif turns the sentence around so that the thing acted on comes first. Active: “Ali membaca buku itu.” Passive: “Buku itu dibaca oleh Ali.” The prefix me- becomes di-, and oleh (by) introduces the doer.
What your child will learn
- Recognise passive verbs with di-
- Change an active sentence into a passive one and back
- Use the special passive for saya, kami and kamu
Who did it?
In a passive sentence the doer comes after “oleh”: “Kucing itu dikejar oleh anjing” — the dog does the chasing.
When the doer is saya, aku, kami, kita, kamu or awak, Malay does not use di-. Instead the pronoun goes straight before the bare verb: “Buku itu saya baca”, never “Buku itu dibaca oleh saya”.
Example questions
Here are a few questions like the ones in the first quest. Can you solve them?
1. Dalam ayat “Kucing itu dikejar oleh anjing”, haiwan yang manakah mengejar?
🐕- tiada
- anjing
- kedua-duanya
- kucing
Show answer
Answer: anjing. Pelaku hadir selepas “oleh”.
2. Betul atau salah? “Dibaca” ialah kata kerja pasif.
- Salah
- Betul
Show answer
Answer: Betul. Awalan di- membentuk kata kerja pasif.
3. Isi tempat kosong: “Bola itu ___ oleh Ali.”
⚽- tendangan
- ditendang
- penendang
- menendang
Show answer
Answer: ditendang. Bola dikenai perbuatan, jadi “ditendang”.
Tips for grown-ups
- Say an active sentence about dinner — “Ibu memasak ikan” — and take turns making it passive.
- Listen for di- verbs in the news or on signs: “Dilarang masuk.”