dapat: Can, Obtain, and Formal Possibility | Indonesian Grammar

Dapat has two connected jobs. Before another predicate, it is a modal-like word meaning “can/may/be possible,” especially in formal instructions and writing: Anda dapat masuk. With a noun phrase, lexical dapat or the very common verb mendapat means “receive/obtain”: mendapat hadiah. Argument form separates formal possibility from acquisition.

This page explains those two patterns and the contrast with everyday bisa. It does not analyze voice morphology or provide a lexical reference for every derivative.

The modal pattern is:

subject + dapat + predicate

Anda dapat masuk setelah menunjukkan kartu identitas.

You may enter after showing identification. (formal)

Peserta dapat memilih salah satu dari tiga jadwal.

Participants may choose one of three schedules. (formal)

Pengguna dapat mengubah kata sandi melalui menu pengaturan.

Users can change their password through the settings menu. (formal instruction)

Kami dapat menyelesaikan pemeriksaan dalam dua hari kerja.

We can complete the review within two business days. (formal)

Dapat is separate and unchanged. The following predicate identifies the possible action; no tense or agreement ending is added.

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In public instructions, dapat + predicate often means “the option is available.” It may resemble permission, but its core is enabled possibility rather than interpersonal consent.

Dapat plus a passive predicate

Formal descriptions frequently combine dapat with a patient-oriented predicate.

Formulir dapat diisi secara daring.

The form can be completed online. (formal instruction)

Tiket yang sudah dibeli tidak dapat dikembalikan.

Purchased tickets cannot be returned. (formal policy)

Informasi lebih lanjut dapat diperoleh melalui situs resmi.

Further information can be obtained through the official website. (formal)

Dokumen ini dapat digunakan sebagai bukti pembayaran.

This document can be used as proof of payment. (formal)

Hasil pemeriksaan dapat dilihat mulai hari Senin.

The examination results can be viewed starting Monday. (formal)

The modal stands outside the complete predicate: dapat diisi, not dapatdiisi. The attached morphology inside the predicate remains unchanged.

Formal instructions and careful explanation

Untuk melanjutkan, Anda dapat menekan tombol berwarna hijau.

To continue, you can press the green button. (formal instruction)

Pemohon dapat mengunggah maksimal lima dokumen.

Applicants may upload a maximum of five documents. (formal instruction)

Pembayaran dapat dilakukan melalui transfer bank.

Payment can be made by bank transfer. (formal instruction)

Pertanyaan dapat disampaikan kepada petugas di meja informasi.

Questions may be directed to the officer at the information desk. (formal)

In conversation, bisa normally sounds more natural:

Kamu bisa bayar lewat transfer bank.

You can pay by bank transfer. (conversation)

Formulirnya bisa diisi lewat ponsel.

The form can be filled out on a phone. (conversation)

Replacing every conversational bisa with dapat is grammatical in many cases but may sound instructional, institutional, or stiff.

Lexical dapat and mendapat: receive or obtain

When followed by a nominal object rather than another predicate, dapat can mean “get/receive,” especially in casual speech. Mendapat is a very common explicit lexical verb across registers.

Saya dapat surat dari teman lama kemarin.

I got a letter from an old friend yesterday. (informal)

Anak itu dapat hadiah karena memenangkan lomba.

The child got a prize for winning the competition. (informal)

Anak itu mendapat hadiah dari sekolah.

The child received a gift from the school.

Kami mendapat kesempatan untuk mencoba lagi.

We got an opportunity to try again.

Perusahaan mendapat izin operasi pada bulan Mei.

The company obtained an operating permit in May. (formal)

The noun immediately after dapat/mendapat is what is obtained. Compare the modal:

Anak itu dapat mengikuti lomba tahun depan.

The child can participate in the competition next year. (formal/neutral)

Anak itu mendapat kesempatan mengikuti lomba tahun depan.

The child got an opportunity to participate in the competition next year.

The first has dapat + predicate mengikuti; the second has lexical object kesempatan, followed by a clause describing the opportunity.

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Use the word after dapat as a diagnostic: a predicate favors modal “can,” while a noun phrase can produce lexical “get.” Context still resolves ambiguous roots and noun-like predicates.

Dapat versus bisa

Form	Typical contribution	Typical setting
bisa	ability, feasibility, possibility, pragmatic permission	everyday speech and neutral writing
dapat	formal availability or possibility	instructions, reports, policies
dapat/mendapat + noun	receive or obtain	lexical use across registers

Aku tidak bisa datang malam ini karena harus bekerja.

I can't come tonight because I have to work. (informal)

Saya tidak dapat menghadiri rapat karena sedang bertugas di luar kota.

I am unable to attend the meeting because I am on assignment out of town. (formal)

The second is appropriate in a written apology. It does not necessarily describe a deeper capacity difference; register motivates dapat.

Ability, permission, and availability

Dapat may be translated may in formal rules, but boleh is the clearer interpersonal permission word.

Pengunjung dapat masuk mulai pukul sembilan.

Visitors may enter starting at nine. (formal availability)

Di museum ini, pengunjung boleh memotret asalkan tidak memakai lampu kilat.

At this museum, visitors may take photographs as long as they do not use flash.

Boleh saya duduk di sini?

May I sit here?

Dapatkah saya duduk di sini? is possible in very formal usage, but everyday permission questions favor boleh/bisa.

Negation and temporal viewpoint

Berkas yang rusak tidak dapat dibuka.

The corrupted file cannot be opened. (formal)

Saat ini, layanan tersebut belum dapat digunakan.

At present, that service cannot yet be used. (formal)

Setelah diperbarui, aplikasi sudah dapat digunakan kembali.

After being updated, the application can now be used again. (formal)

Pengguna masih dapat mengunduh salinan lama sampai Jumat.

Users can still download the old copy until Friday. (formal)

Tidak dapat denies possibility; belum dapat leaves future availability open; sudah dapat marks newly available possibility; masih dapat preserves it.

For lexical acquisition, negation scopes over obtaining:

Kami belum mendapat jawaban dari pengelola.

We have not yet received an answer from management.

This is not modal inability. The object jawaban makes the lexical reading clear.

Common Mistakes

Matching dapat and bisa to register

✅ Apakah Bapak dapat menghadiri pertemuan pada hari Senin?

Can you attend the meeting on Monday, sir? (formal)

✅ Bisa bantu aku angkat meja ini?

Can you help me lift this table? (informal)

❌ Dalam ‘Saya dapat hadiah’, dapat berarti kemampuan memberi hadiah.

Incorrect analysis—the noun hadiah is what the subject receives.

✅ Saya mendapat hadiah kecil dari rekan kerja.

I received a small gift from a coworker.

Joining dapat to a passive predicate

❌ Formulir ini dapatdiisi secara daring.

Incorrect spelling—modal dapat is separate from diisi.

✅ Formulir ini dapat diisi secara daring tanpa membuat akun.

This form can be completed online without creating an account. (formal)

❌ Peserta mendapat memilih satu jadwal.

Incorrect—mendapat selects an obtained noun, not a bare action as modal can.

✅ Peserta dapat memilih satu jadwal yang tersedia.

Participants may choose one available schedule. (formal)

Mixing lexical mendapat into a permission question

❌ Mendapat saya meminjam pulpenmu sebentar?

Incorrect—lexical mendapat cannot introduce a permission question.

✅ Boleh saya meminjam pulpenmu sebentar?

May I borrow your pen for a moment?

Key Takeaways

Modal dapat + predicate expresses formal possibility, availability, or ability.
Lexical dapat/mendapat + noun means receive or obtain.
Formal instructions favor dapat, while everyday conversation usually favors bisa.
Dapat + passive predicate is common in policies and instructions, with each word written separately.
Use tidak dapat for denied possibility and belum dapat when later availability remains open.

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Formal modal possibility