bisa: Ability and Possibility | Indonesian Grammar

Bisa is the everyday Indonesian word for ability and possibility. It can describe a learned skill (bisa berenang), practical feasibility (bisa masuk), a possible conclusion (bisa jadi), or permission negotiated in a question (Bisa saya bantu?). Its breadth is the key insight: personal skill is only one part of a high-frequency modal system.

This page treats modal-like bisa before unchanged predicates. It does not analyze voice morphology or individual verb entries. Compare more formal dapat and capacity-focused mampu.

Learned ability

Rina bisa berenang sejak berumur tujuh tahun.

Rina has been able to swim since she was seven.

Saya bisa memasak tiga jenis sup.

I can cook three kinds of soup.

Dodi bisa membaca huruf Braille.

Dodi can read Braille.

Anak itu sudah bisa mengikat tali sepatunya sendiri.

The child can now tie his/her own shoelaces.

The skill may be acquired or currently available. Sudah bisa marks a new ability; masih bisa says it remains.

Nenek masih bisa berjalan ke pasar setiap pagi.

Grandma can still walk to the market every morning.

Setelah latihan beberapa minggu, saya akhirnya bisa mengucapkan bunyi itu.

After practicing for several weeks, I can finally pronounce that sound.

💡

With a person and an activity, bisa often answers “Does this person know how to/can this person do it?” Context, not a special verb form, distinguishes learned skill from temporary ability.

Circumstantial possibility and feasibility

Bisa can say that circumstances permit an event, even when no personal skill is involved.

Kita bisa masuk melalui pintu samping.

We can enter through the side door.

Meja ini bisa dilipat agar mudah dibawa.

This table can be folded so that it is easy to carry.

Kalau hujan berhenti, pertandingan bisa dilanjutkan.

If the rain stops, the match can be continued.

Dari jendela atas, laut bisa terlihat dengan jelas.

From the upstairs window, the sea can be seen clearly.

The table and match do not possess a skill. Bisa evaluates whether the situation makes folding, continuation, or visibility possible.

Tanpa kode akses, pengunjung tidak bisa masuk.

Without an access code, visitors cannot enter.

Tidak bisa masuk may reflect a locked door, a rule, or physical impossibility. Context identifies the source.

Epistemic possibility: bisa jadi

Bisa jadi introduces a possible explanation or outcome and often means “perhaps/may be.”

Bisa jadi dia belum membaca pesanmu.

Maybe he/she has not read your message.

Keterlambatan itu bisa jadi disebabkan oleh cuaca buruk.

The delay may have been caused by bad weather.

Apa yang terlihat mudah bisa jadi cukup rumit.

What looks easy may in fact be quite complicated.

Bisa jadi kami harus mengubah jadwal lagi.

We may have to change the schedule again.

This is not an ability of a hidden person. The speaker evaluates a proposition as possible.

💡

When bisa jadi begins a clause, translate the whole expression as “perhaps/may be,” not word by word as “can become.” In other contexts jadi can retain its ordinary “become” meaning.

Questions about permission and practical possibility

In questions, bisa often politely tests whether an action is permitted or workable.

Bisa saya bantu?

Can I help you?

Bisa saya duduk di sini?

May I sit here?

Bisa kita bertemu setelah makan siang?

Can we meet after lunch?

Apakah pembayaran bisa dilakukan besok?

Can the payment be made tomorrow? (formal/neutral)

Bisa minta waktu sebentar?

Could I have a moment? (informal request)

These questions may concern permission, schedule, or feasibility. Boleh asks permission more directly; bisa often sounds practical and indirect.

Boleh saya membuka jendela?

May I open the window?

Bisa jendelanya dibuka sedikit?

Could the window be opened a little?

The second frames the request as feasibility, which can soften it.

Bisa versus dapat and mampu

Form	Main contribution	Typical register
bisa	everyday ability, feasibility, possibility, pragmatic permission	neutral/conversational
dapat	formal possibility or availability; also lexical “obtain”	formal/neutral written
mampu	underlying physical, mental, financial, or institutional capacity	neutral/formal

Kamu bisa mengisi formulir ini lewat ponsel.

You can fill out this form on your phone.

Formulir ini dapat diisi melalui perangkat seluler.

This form can be completed using a mobile device. (formal)

Tim kecil itu mampu menangani seratus permohonan sehari.

That small team is capable of handling one hundred applications a day.

The facts can overlap, but register and the source of ability differ.

Negation and scope

Saya tidak bisa datang karena harus menjaga anak.

I cannot come because I have to look after my child.

Rina belum bisa berenang tanpa pelampung.

Rina cannot swim without a flotation aid yet.

Setelah diperbaiki, mesin itu sudah bisa dipakai lagi.

After being repaired, the machine can now be used again.

Kami masih bisa membatalkan pesanan sebelum pukul lima.

We can still cancel the order before five.

Tidak bisa denies current ability or possibility. Belum bisa leaves later ability open. Sudah bisa marks newly available ability; masih bisa preserves it.

Order changes scope:

Bagian ini tidak bisa dikosongkan.

This section cannot be left blank.

Kolom catatan bisa tidak diisi kalau memang tidak diperlukan.

The notes field may be left blank if it really is not needed.

Tidak bisa P means P is impossible; bisa tidak P says non-P is possible or permitted.

The noun homonym bisa: venom

Indonesian also has a noun bisa meaning venom, especially the venom of a snake or other animal. Syntax and context separate it from the modal.

Bisa ular itu dapat merusak jaringan tubuh.

That snake's venom can damage body tissue.

Petugas mengambil sampel bisa dari ular tersebut.

The officer took a venom sample from that snake.

Ular berbisa itu ditemukan di dekat gudang.

The venomous snake was found near the warehouse.

In bisa ular, bisa is a noun followed by its source. In bisa merusak, the first bisa after the subject may be the modal “can.” The combined sentence Bisa ular itu bisa merusak jaringan is grammatical but stylistically repetitive; speakers may replace the modal with dapat.

Spelling

Write modal bisa separately: bisa berenang, tidak bisa masuk, bisa dibaca. It never fuses with the predicate or receives tense endings.

Common Mistakes

Treating bisa only as learned skill

❌ Dalam ‘Pintu ini bisa dibuka dari dalam’, pintunya mempunyai keterampilan.

Incorrect analysis—bisa expresses circumstantial possibility.

✅ Pintu ini bisa dibuka dari dalam tanpa kunci.

This door can be opened from the inside without a key.

Using bisa for poison in the wrong noun order

❌ Ular itu mempunyai ular bisa yang berbahaya.

Incorrect noun phrase for snake venom.

✅ Ular itu memiliki bisa yang sangat berbahaya.

That snake has highly dangerous venom.

Confusing tidak bisa with bisa tidak

❌ ‘Kolom ini tidak bisa diisi’ berarti kolomnya boleh dikosongkan.

Incorrect interpretation—it means the field cannot be filled.

✅ Kolom ini bisa tidak diisi apabila tidak relevan.

This field may be left blank if it is not relevant.

Joining bisa to the predicate

❌ Saya bisaberenang sejauh satu kilometer.

Incorrect spelling—bisa is separate.

✅ Saya bisa berenang sejauh satu kilometer tanpa berhenti.

I can swim one kilometer without stopping.

Assuming every bisa question asks permission

❌ Pertanyaan “Apakah kereta itu bisa tiba sebelum pukul enam?” hanya meminta izin kepada kereta.

Incorrect analysis—the question asks about practical possibility, not permission.

✅ Apakah kereta itu bisa tiba sebelum pukul enam?

Can that train arrive before six?

Key Takeaways

Bisa spans learned ability, situational feasibility, epistemic possibility, and pragmatic permission.
Bisa jadi commonly means “perhaps/may be.”
Tidak bisa denies ability or possibility; belum bisa leaves later availability open.
Scope differs in tidak bisa P versus bisa tidak P.
Noun bisa means venom; syntax distinguishes it from the modal.

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