When does "me-" go on verbs?

Verbs with "me-" as a prefix are active verbs. In the definition of active verbs:

Active verb is a term in traditional English grammar for a verb used primarily to indicate an action, process, or sensation as opposed to a state of being.

In sentences I got to in Duolingo, most of them used the "me-" prefix to give a present tense verb. An example I created is:

• "Saya makan makanan." - "I eat food."
• "Saya memakan makanan." - "I am eating food."

Using "me-" is a bit complicated, because it requires a spell change on the base verbs just to create a smoother pronunciation for speakers. Depending on the starting letter of the base verb, "me-" would get an additional letter/s and said starting letter will be dropped off of the verb to make the word. Some examples are:

• "tulis" (write) - "menulis" (to write)
• "hilang" (lost) - "menghilang" (disappear)
• "beri" (give) - "memberi" (to give)

As seen in the 2nd example, an adjective can turn into a verb through "me-". There are many forms of these:

• "panjang" (long) - "memanjang" (to become longer)
• "besar" (big) - "membesar" (to become bigger)

Even nouns and places can have "me-" to express a new meaning.

• "cat" (paint) - "mengecat" (to paint)
• "darat" (ground/land) - "mendarat" (to land)
• "seberang" (across) - "menyeberang" (to cross)

The numbers one and two can be turned into verbs too:

• "satu" (one) - "menyatu" (unite)
• "dua" (two) - "mendua" (split in two)

So basically, the prefix "me-" can create active verbs and verbs from other words.

Sources of research:

• Kiwix (Campus): How the prefix "me-" works
• Duolingo (you'll need to get to "Me- 1" for an understanding of it)

posted about 2 years ago

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General Sebast1an‭

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