6th. From many verbs are formed verbal nouns by prefixing the particle pe- (peng, pem, pen, peny) to the radical. This prefix operates like the syllable -er in such words as robber, purchaser, teacher; as churi, to steal; pen-churi, a robber; bĕli, to buy; pem-bĕli, a purchaser; ajar, to teach; peng-ajar, a teacher. Substantives of this kind and others formed from the verb with the particles ka- and -an have already been noticed under the head of the Substantive. But the form arrived at by prefixing to the simple verb the particle ka- and annexing the particle -an is not merely a noun, but, as Marsden says, “a gerund in form as well as in sense, being in fact a verbal noun infinitively applied in construction;” as, ka-dengar-an sampei Sayong, it was to be heard as far as Sayong; tiada ka-tahu-an, not to be understood; mata-hari tiada ka-lihat-an sebab ka-lindong-an-lah sayap-nia, the sun was not to be seen by reason of the shadowing of its wings.
[7th. Passive.—] In Malay the passive voice is denoted by the particle di- prefixed to the verb. The place of the nouns which express the agent and subject respectively will be understood from the following examples:—
Hamba di-pukul orang, I was beaten by men.
Orang di-pukul hamba, the men were beaten by me.
Rumah di-makan api, the house was consumed by fire.
Api di-padam-kan orang, the fire was extinguished by men.
Here the personal pronoun or other agent follows the verb and the subject precedes it.
Sometimes the preposition “by” finds an equivalent in Malay, the word uleh being expressed instead of being understood (as in the preceding sentences). Examples:—
Maka uleh baginda pun di-sambut dengan seperti ‘adat, they were received by the king with the customary ceremony.
Di-titah-kan-lah uleh baginda, it was commanded by the king.