How to use ber- with a noun
One of the ways you can use the affix ber- is by attaching it at the beginning of a noun. Familiarise yourself with these combinations to begin understanding the function of ber-.
First and foremost, let's start with examples of how the affix (imbuhan) ber- can appear in a word.
🦓 ber + jalur = berjalur "to have stripes"
👕ber + baju = berbaju "to wear a shirt/piece of clothing"
🌴ber + kebun = berkebun "to work on the garden"
🥭ber + buah = berbuah "to bear/produce fruit"
Based on the above examples, we can simply say that when ber- is added to the beginning of a noun, the meaning of the whole word becomes an action related to the noun. So, ber- can mean:
1️⃣ to have...
Like berhak "to have rights"
2️⃣ to wear/use...
Like berbahasa "to use/speak a certain language"
3️⃣ to work on...
Like berladang "to work on the farm"
4️⃣ to produce...
Like bertelur "to lay an egg"
🔖 Remembering the above common words and meanings can help when you find new words with this combination. The more you see ber- in Malay texts being used this way, the easier it is for you to get a sense of the meaning. You might not understand each new vocabulary right away and that's okay. If that happens, just come back to this article and refresh your memory. 🧐
