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- forms many intransitive verbs and can express doing an activity, having something, or being in a state: • bicara (talk) → berbicara (to speak) • jalan (road) → berjalan (to walk, to operate) • baju (shirt) → berbaju (to be wearing a shirt) • teman (friend) → berteman (to be friends) Some very common forms are irregular, including belajar from ajar and bekerja from kerja. Learn these as whole words instead of applying a rule to every root.

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.