Sentence: Getting into the ingredients - Bowl 2: Predicate

In Bahasa Indonesia, predicate is either verb or adjective. Main (play), bermain (play), makan 
(eat), baca (read), membaca (read), ketik (type), mengetik (type), tertawa (laugh), senyum 
(smile), tersenyum (smile), etc are the examples of verbs. Cantik (pretty), indah (beautiful), 
senang (delighted), bahagia (happy), kuat (strong), etc are the example of adjectives.
To test a predicate, we can use negation “tidak” (or in English do/esn’t or to be/n’t). All verbs 
can be preceded by “tidak”. Example as follows.

● main (play) > tidak main (do/esn’t play)
● membaca (read) > tidak membaca (do/esn’t read)
● ketik (type) > tidak ketik (do/esn’t type)
● tertawa (laugh) > tidak tertawa (do/esn’t laugh)

Unlike verb, to test an adjective besides using “tidak”, we can use affix “se” + reduplication + “-
nya” (with meaning “as adjective as” or “how adjective something/one”). Example as follows.

● cantik (pretty) > tidak cantik (isn’t pretty) : secantik-cantiknya (as pretty as/ how pretty 
something)
● indah (beautiful) > tidak indah (isn’t beautiful) : seindah-indahnya (as beautiful as/ how 
beautiful something)
● senang (delighted) > tidak senang (isn’t delighted) : sesenang-senangnya (as delighted 
as/ how delighted something/one)
● kuat (strong) > tidak kuat (isn’t strong) : sekuat-kuatnya (as strong as/ how strong some 
thing/one)

Now, can you list some of the verbs and adjectives in Indonesian? :)

Writtern By, 

Maftuhah Ismail 

Contributor to Bahasa Budaya Organization

Lingua Internacional