The prefix ber- is one of the affixations used to make a verb or an adjective when it is combined with a root word: verb, noun, adjective. The resulting word “ber+noun” generally means to have, to wear, to travel by or “ber-noun/ber” to work. Moreover, depending on the context, ber- prefixed words may be classified as verbs or adjectives. The verbs created with the ber- prefix are intransitive verbs. In this exercise, we are focusing on the “ber + noun/verb” to create verbs.
Examples:
Ber+noun
- To have – Ber+nama (name)
Saya bernama Sumarni
My name is Sumarni
- To wear – Ber+sepatu (shoes)
Anak saya bersepatu warna hitam
My son wears black shoes
- To travel with – Ber+sepeda (bicycle)
Suami saya bersepeda ke tempat kerja.
My husband rides a bicycle to work.
- To work – Ber+kerja (work)
Ibu saya bekerja di Puskesmas
My mother works at the Polyclinic.
Saya bekerja sebagai guru.
I work as a teacher.
As a start, let’s read the following essay. Pay attention to the root words and the meaning created by the ber- + root words.
BAHASA INDONESIA
Tentang Saya
Saya bernama Sumarni, berumur 32 tahun dan sudah berumah tangga. Saya ibu dari 2 anak laki-laki berumur 5 dan 8 tahun. Saya bekerja sebagai guru SMA mengajar bahasa Indonesia. Saya bertempat tinggal di Bandung, Jawa Barat.
Dalam waktu senggang, saya senang berkebun dan memasak atau berkumpul dengan teman-teman lama 2 kali seminggu.
Kadang-kadang saya bertemu dengan sahabat saya, Dinarti di kafe favorit kami, Kopi sedap. Di sana kami minum kopi sambil bercerita tentang keluarga, pekerjaan, kehidupan kami atau bertukar resep masakan. Suami dan anak-anak kami juga berteman baik. Kami sering melakukan kegiatan bersama seperti berjalan pagi dan berpiknik. Seringkali, kami berlibur bersama ke pantai. Di mana kami semua bisa berperahu, berenang, dan berselancar angin atau bersantai dan menikmati semilir angin laut sambil berjemur di bawah matahari.
Setelah berlibur saya merasa segar kembali dan siap untuk kembali bekerja pada keesokan harinya.
ENGLISH
About Me
My name is Sumarni; I am 32 years old and married. I am the mother of two boys, aged 5 and 8. I work as a high school teacher to teach Indonesian. I reside in Bandung, West Java.
In my spare time, I enjoy gardening and cooking or get-togethers with old friends two times a week.
Sometimes, I meet my best friend, Dinarti at our favorite coffee shop, Kopi Sedap. We drink coffee while talking about our families, work, life, or exchanging recipes. Our husbands and children are also good friends. We often do activities together like take morning walks and go on picnics. Often, we go on vacations to the beach where we all can go boating, swimming, and windsurfing or just relax and enjoy the sea breeze while basking under the sun.
After the vacation, I feel refreshed and ready to return to work the next day.
Vocabulary taken from the text.
| Ber- word |
Base word |
Meaning |
| bernama |
nama (name) |
to have name, named |
| berumur |
umur (age) |
aged |
| berumah tangga |
tangga (household) |
married |
| bekerja |
kerja (work) |
work |
| bertempat tinggal |
tempat tinggal (residence, domicile) |
resides, residing |
| berkumpul |
kumpul (togethers) |
get-together |
| bertemu |
temu (meet) |
meeting |
| bercerita |
cerita (story) |
telling story |
| bertukar |
tukar (exchange) |
exchange |
| berteman |
teman (friend*) |
make friends, be friends to each other |
| bersama |
sama (similar, equal, alike) |
joint, together |
| berperahu |
perahu |
boating, go by boat |
| berenang |
renang |
swimming |
| berselancar angin |
selancar angin (surfing) |
windsurfing |
| berjemur |
jemur (dry in the sun) |
sunbathing, basking |
| berlibur |
libur (vacation) |
be on a vacation, be on holiday |
PRACTICE
- Read the Indonesian text; use context to draw conclusions about the meaning of a word or phrase.
- Make sentences with “ber + noun” with the following meanings:
a. To have
b. To wear
c. To travel by
d To work
3. Write an essay using the provided vocabulary list.
