Using the prefix meN-

Have you ever seen verbs starting with the letter S like sapu, but then you get confused when you come across a sentence like this?

Kami menyapu lantai. (We are sweeping the floor.)

Sapu and menyapu have the same meaning: to sweep. But why do they look different? It's because sapu is the root form and menyapu is the active form. When we want to make a sentence in the active voice, we use the active form of the verb.

When we add men- to sapu, the letter s disappears:

meN + sapu = menyapu

But the letter y appears.

Why is it meN- ?

The prefix is shown like this: meN- because the letter N is a placeholder. This prefix can change depending on the first letter or sound of the word.

meN- can look like...

me-

men-

mem-

meng-

menge-

meny-

General pattern

As a beginner Malay learner, you can refer to the simplified list below ⬇️ to see the general pattern of how words are combined with meN-:

Some stuff to take note

1. memahami: this word uses a combination of meN- prefix and -i suffix.
2. meyakinkan: this word uses a combination of meN- prefix and -kan suffix.
3. There are exceptions to this pattern. 🫣

As long as you immerse yourself in Malay content that uses formal Malay, like the news, you will get used to the Malay verb prefixes. 🙂