He only allowed him to use it; he did not give it to him out and out— Di-bĕri pakei sahaja bukan di-bĕri-nia langsong.
He said that it was too late to send an answer— Handak di-balas pun kata-nia sudah ter-lepas waktu-nia.
He asked for information about the house that is being built— Di-tanya-nia deri-pada hal rumah yang di-per-buat itu.
When the country becomes populous it will be right to raise the assessment— Apabila negri sudah ramei bahru-lah patut di-per-naik-kan hasil-nia.
God, ever to be praised and most high, gave his aid, and on that very day there descended the heaviest shower of rain possible— Di-tulong Allah subhana wa ta‘ala pada waktu hari itu di-turun hujan sa-habis-habis lebat.
The people of the village feasted abundantly— Jenoh-lah di-makan orang kampong itu.
Fifth, Bear in mind the distinction between the force given to a verb by the particle ber- (be-, bel-), and that which is caused by prefixing me- (mem-, meng-, men-, and meny-); see supra, [p. 55].
When the former is employed, the verb describes a state or condition, and is intransitive. The latter generally denotes a verb expressing an action. Apparent departures from this rule are found sometimes, but these often arise from a difficulty in classifying a particular verb. Such a verb, for instance, as “to weep,” may be viewed in two ways—either as descriptive of the condition of the person who weeps or of the act of weeping; the former is expressed in Malay by ber-tangis and the latter by menangis, but practically the distinction is not great. So memakei (pakei), to wear, merajuk, to sulk, menanti, to wait, and others, seem to describe states or conditions, notwithstanding that they have the particle me-; but this is explained by showing that in their primary meanings they really convey an idea of action, memakei meaning to put on, merajuk, to show temper, and menanti, to await somebody or something.
The following derivative verbs will illustrate the rule laid down above:—
| Primitive. | Derivative with ber-. | Derivative with me-. |
|---|---|---|
| angkat, to lift. | ber-angkat, to arise. | meng-angkat, to lift. |
| alih, to change. | ber-alih, to undergo change. | meng-alih, to change. |
| balik, behind, back. | ber-balik, to turn (intrans.) | mem-balik, to turn, return (trans.) |
| diri, self, being. | ber-diri, to stand up. | men-diri-kan, to cause to stand, to establish. |
| ganti, instead of. | ber-ganti, to take the place of. | meng-ganti, to put in the place of. |
| habis, finished. | ber-habis, to be finished. | meng-habis, to finish, to complete. |
| igau, delirium. | ber-igau, to be delirious. | meng-igau, to rave. |
| ikat, tie, bond. | ber-ikat, to be fastened. | meng-ikat, to tie, fasten. |
| ingat, memory, to remember. | ber-ingat, to be sensible of. | meng-ingat, to call to mind, remember. |
| jaga, to watch, guard. | ber-jaga, to be on watch. | menjaga, to watch, to guard. |
| keliling, around. | ber-keliling, to border, surround. | mengeliling, to hem in, to go round. |
| karja, work. | ber-karja, to be a workman. | mengarja-kan, to work, effect, accomplish. |
| lepas, loosed. | ber-lepas, to be free. | melepas, to set free. |
| lambat, slow. | ber-lambat, to be slow. | me-lambat, to retard. |
| labuh, to lower, drop. | ber-labuh, to be at anchor. | me-labuh, to let fall, to anchor. |
| naung, shade. | ber-naung, to be sheltered. | me-naung-i, to shelter, to shade, protect. |
| pegang, to hold. | ber-pegang, to hold. | memegang, to take hold of, to seize. |
| rugi, loss. | be-rugi, to suffer loss. | me-rugi-kan, to cause loss. |
| sembunyi, to hide. | ber-sembunyi, to be concealed. | menyembunyi, to hide, conceal. |
| takut, afraid, fear. | ber-takut, to be afraid. | menyakut-kan, to frighten. |
| ubah, change, to change. | ber-ubah, to undergo change. | meng-ubah, to change, to alter. |