Active and Passive Voice
Affix { –i} has a different process compared to affix {–kan} because it
changes the object condition, rather than just explaining the result Moeliono, 1997: 112. The examples are menerangkan and menerangi. Menerangkan means to cause
a problem becomes clearer while menerangi means to cause a roomsurface becomes lighter. Most of the roots in this affix group are nouns and adjectives.
Table 2.5 Affix { –i} to Form Causative Meaning in Indonesian
Part of Speech
Root Root + {-i}
Mem- + root + {-i} Meaning
Noun Panas
hot Panasi
Memanasi Cause something
someone to be hot Adjective
Kotor dirty
Kotori Mengotori
Cause something to be dirty
Next, affix {per-} implies the meaning of cause the object more to be root than before Moeliono, 1997: 114. It carries meaning that the result might be or
might be not happen as expected. However, it will be different if prefix {mem-} is combined with prefix {per-} because the process is no longer cause the object more
to be but it will be cause the object to be. The examples are mostly adjectives.
Table 2.6 Prefix {per-} to Form Causative Meaning in Indonesian Part of
Speech Root
{Per-} + root
Meaning {Mem-} +
{per-} + root Meaning
Adjective Jelas
clear Perjelas
Cause something to be
more obvious than before, but
the result might not be more
obvious Memperjelas
Cause something to
be obvious in the result
Last, Indonesian also has combination of prefix {per-} and affix { –kan}
which implies the meaning cause the object to be. The example of memperlihatkan implies the meaning of cause the object to be seen. This combination happens with
verb, adjective, and noun. See the examples at the table below.
Table 2.7 {Per-} and { –kan} to Form Causative Meaning in Indonesian
Part of Speech
Root {Per-} + root +
{-kan} {Mem-} + {Per-} +
root + {-kan} Meaning
Verb Ingat
remember Peringatkan
Memperingatkan Cause someone
to remember Adjective
Siap ready
Persiapkan Mempersiapkan
Cause something to be prepared
Noun Masalah
problem Permasalahkan
Mempermasalahkan Cause something becomes problem
However, there is also an analytical construction of causative in Indonesian. Analytical construction of causative is a kind of a sentence which has no special
morpheme or lexical to notify the causative construction Oktavianti, 2012. According to Oktavianti 2012, analytical construction of causative in Indonesia can
be examined from the whole sentence construction. There are two elements in analytical construction of causative in Indonesian which are the reason and the effect.
For example, in the sentence ‘Ali membuatku sedih’ has Ali as the reason and sedih as
the effect Oktavianti, 2012. The verbs signing for this structure are membuat, menyuruh, memaksa, membujuk, etc. Nonetheless, this construction of causative is
not really productive in Indonesian Oktavianti, 2012.