The ber- prefix

By Speak Indo, from the Speak Indo Indonesian course.

ber- turns a word into 'doing/being/having' something.

How it works

ber- attaches to nouns or verbs to mean 'have/do/wear': • bicara (talk) → berbicara (to speak, to be talking) • jalan (road) → berjalan (to walk) • baju (shirt) → berbaju (to wear a shirt) • teman (friend) → berteman (to be friends) Spelling: before 'r' or many consonants, ber- becomes be- (e.g., bekerja from kerja).

Examples

• Dia berbicara bahasa Inggris.
  He/She speaks English.
• Kami berjalan ke pantai.
  We walk to the beach.
• Saya bekerja di Bali.
  I work in Bali.