The beri network covers much more than handing over objects. Indonesian speakers memberi tahu “tell,” memberi izin “give permission,” and memberikan kesempatan “provide an opportunity.” In everyday conversation, kasih—also the noun “affection” in expressions such as kasih sayang—serves as a major giving verb (informal).
This is a collocation guide, not a complete dictionary entry or verb paradigm. Its organizing questions are: what kind of thing is transferred, which participant comes first, and what register does the setting require? The beri verb-family page covers the wider voice and derivational system.
Three participants, two useful alignments
A giving event has a giver, a recipient, and a theme—the thing transferred. Two learner-safe Standard Indonesian templates are:
- memberi + recipient + theme
- memberikan + theme + kepada + recipient
Petugas memberi kami dua formulir untuk diisi di rumah.
The officer gave us two forms to complete at home.
Kakak memberi Rani kunci cadangan sebelum berangkat.
Her older sibling gave Rani a spare key before leaving.
Yayasan memberikan perlengkapan sekolah kepada tiga puluh anak.
The foundation provided school supplies to thirty children. (formal)
Manajer memberikan salinan jadwal kepada setiap anggota tim.
The manager gave a copy of the schedule to every team member. (formal)
Real usage is not an absolute two-box system. Memberi bantuan kepada warga is standard, and speakers sometimes place a recipient after memberikan. The two templates above matter because they keep the alignment transparent: recipient immediately after memberi, or theme immediately after memberikan with kepada introducing the recipient.
Memberi tahu: information reaches a knower
Memberi tahu is a fixed two-word expression meaning “tell, let know, inform.” In ordinary use, the informed person follows it directly, and the message follows as a clause or noun phrase.
Tolong beri tahu saya kalau keretanya terlambat.
Please tell me if the train is delayed.
Nina memberi tahu orang tuanya bahwa ia akan pulang hari Jumat.
Nina told her parents that she would return on Friday.
Petugas belum memberi tahu kami lokasi ruang pengganti.
The officer has not yet told us the location of the replacement room.
Saya akan memberi tahu mereka setelah hasil rapat dikirim.
I will tell them after the meeting result is sent.
Write beri tahu and memberi tahu as two words. The more administrative memberitahukan “notify/communicate” is one derived word and often uses a theme-first frame.
Panitia memberitahukan perubahan jadwal kepada seluruh peserta melalui surat elektronik.
The committee notified all participants of the schedule change by email. (formal)
English tell may take a person directly, but say does not. Indonesian chooses its own lexical frame: mengatakan sesuatu kepada seseorang contrasts with memberi tahu seseorang tentang sesuatu.
Memberi izin: permission as something granted
With izin, the “thing given” is permission. The permitted person may follow memberi directly, or appear in a kepada phrase when the permission itself is foregrounded.
Ibu memberi Dimas izin untuk menginap di rumah temannya.
Dimas's mother gave him permission to stay at his friend's house.
Dokter memberi saya izin untuk kembali bekerja minggu depan.
The doctor gave me permission to return to work next week.
Kepala sekolah memberikan izin kepada tim untuk memakai aula sampai sore.
The principal granted the team permission to use the hall until the afternoon. (formal)
Pemilik lahan belum memberikan izin tertulis kepada penyelenggara acara.
The landowner has not yet given the event organizer written permission. (formal)
The action permitted normally follows untuk. Do not put the recipient after the action and expect English order to reveal the roles.
Memberikan kesempatan: an opportunity is made available
Memberikan kesempatan is frequent in careful speech, public statements, and writing (neutral/formal). The opportunity is the theme; the person receiving it is commonly introduced with kepada or bagi.
Moderator memberikan kesempatan kepada dua penanya terakhir.
The moderator gave the final two questioners an opportunity to speak. (formal)
Program magang itu memberikan kesempatan bagi mahasiswa untuk bekerja di lapangan.
That internship program gives students an opportunity to work in the field. (formal)
Mari beri dia kesempatan menjelaskan apa yang sebenarnya terjadi.
Let's give him/her a chance to explain what actually happened.
Pelatih memberi pemain muda itu kesempatan kedua pada babak berikutnya.
The coach gave that young player a second chance in the next round.
With memberi, the recipient-first pattern is natural; with memberikan, the theme-first pattern makes kesempatan especially prominent. In spontaneous conversation, speakers often shorten the whole expression to kasih kesempatan.
Kasih dia kesempatan ngomong dulu, baru kita tanggapi.
Give him/her a chance to speak first, then we'll respond. (informal)
Kasih: affection noun and colloquial giving verb
As a noun, kasih belongs to expressions about affection, compassion, and loving care. It does not need a recipient–theme frame.
Anak itu tumbuh dalam lingkungan yang penuh kasih dan rasa aman.
That child grew up in an environment full of affection and security.
Nenek menyimpan kartu itu sebagai tanda kasih dari cucunya.
Grandmother keeps the card as a token of affection from her grandchild.
Kasih sayang tidak selalu harus dinyatakan dengan hadiah mahal.
Affection does not always have to be expressed with expensive gifts.
The same form kasih is a high-frequency giving verb in conversational Indonesian (informal). This is not limited to romantic affection: it transfers water, passwords, time, advice, and opportunities.
Kasih aku waktu sepuluh menit buat beresin meja ini.
Give me ten minutes to clear this table. (informal)
Tolong kasih Nala alamat lengkap tempat acaranya.
Please give Nala the full address of the venue. (informal)
Kasih bukunya ke Arif setelah kamu selesai baca.
Give the book to Arif after you finish reading it. (informal)
Jangan kasih kode akses itu ke orang yang tidak kamu kenal.
Don't give that access code to someone you don't know. (informal)
Two conversational alignments are common: kasih + recipient + theme and kasih + theme + ke + recipient. Keep only one alignment at a time. Ke is conversational here; formal transfer normally favors kepada with memberikan.
Jakarta-associated ngasih is common in Jakarta-influenced speech (regional: Jakarta; informal), but kasih is the broader form to learn first.
Formal transactions and peer dialogues
Compare how the participant alignment and surrounding vocabulary shift with setting.
A formal service exchange
Petugas: Kami akan memberikan nomor registrasi kepada Ibu setelah dokumen diverifikasi.
Officer: We will give you a registration number after the documents are verified. (formal)
Pemohon: Apakah Bapak dapat memberi saya bukti penerimaan berkas?
Applicant: Could you give me proof that the documents were received? (careful/formal)
A conversation between peers
A: Kasih aku fotonya, dong. B: Nanti aku kirim setelah sampai rumah.
A: Send me the photo, please. B: I'll send it after I get home. (informal)
A: Kunci cadangannya mau kamu kasih ke siapa? B: Ke Tio, biar dia bisa masuk duluan.
A: Who are you going to give the spare key to? B: Tio, so he can get in first. (informal)
The same event, rewritten
Percakapan: Aku kasih Dira waktu sampai besok buat jawab.
Conversation: I'm giving Dira until tomorrow to answer. (informal)
Surat: Kami memberikan waktu kepada Saudari Dira hingga besok untuk menyampaikan jawaban.
Letter: We give Ms. Dira until tomorrow to submit a response. (formal)
Collocations that beri selects—and English “give” does not
Several abstract nouns conventionally combine with memberi or memberikan:
Komentar singkat itu memberi harapan kepada keluarga korban.
That brief comment gave the victim's family hope.
Pemandu memberi petunjuk yang jelas sebelum rombongan berangkat.
The guide gave clear instructions before the group departed.
Ketua kelas memberi salam sebelum memulai presentasi.
The class representative offered a greeting before starting the presentation.
Kebijakan baru tersebut memberikan perlindungan tambahan bagi pekerja kontrak.
The new policy provides additional protection for contract workers. (formal)
But English give frequently requires another Indonesian predicate:
| English | Natural Indonesian |
|---|---|
| give a speech | menyampaikan pidato |
| give a party | mengadakan pesta |
| give birth | melahirkan |
| give up | menyerah |
| give someone a call | menelepon / menghubungi seseorang |
Rektor menyampaikan pidato singkat pada pembukaan seminar.
The rector gave a short speech at the seminar opening. (formal)
Kalau sudah sampai stasiun, telepon saya supaya saya bisa menjemput.
When you reach the station, give me a call so I can pick you up.
Common Mistakes
1. Mixing recipient-first and theme-first order
❌ Panitia memberikan para pemenang hadiah utama kepada.
Incorrect—two alignments have been blended and kepada has no complement.
✅ Panitia memberikan hadiah utama kepada para pemenang lomba.
The committee gave the main prize to the contest winners. (formal)
2. Treating kasih only as “affection”
❌ Kasih aku segelas air tidak bisa berarti permintaan transfer.
Incorrect claim—verbal kasih routinely expresses transfer.
✅ Kasih aku segelas air sebelum kamu menyimpan botolnya.
Give me a glass of water before you put the bottle away. (informal)
3. Trying to formalize kasih as mengasih
❌ Kantor akan mengasih izin tertulis setelah permohonan disetujui.
Incorrect word formation—do not create mengasih as a formal counterpart of verbal kasih.
✅ Kantor akan memberikan izin tertulis setelah permohonan disetujui.
The office will issue written permission after the application is approved. (formal)
4. Joining memberi tahu
❌ Tolong memberitahu saya jika nomor penerbangannya berubah.
Nonstandard spelling for the intended memberi tahu construction.
✅ Tolong beri tahu saya jika nomor penerbangannya berubah.
Please tell me if the flight number changes.
5. Translating every English give with memberi
❌ Setelah dua kali gagal, dia memberi atas dan pulang.
Incorrect English phrasal-verb calque—give up is not built from beri plus atas.
✅ Setelah dua kali gagal, dia menyerah dan pulang untuk beristirahat.
After failing twice, he/she gave up and went home to rest.
Key Takeaways
- Use memberi + recipient + theme and memberikan + theme + kepada + recipient as clear core alignments, while recognizing greater variation in real usage.
- Learn memberi tahu, memberi izin, and memberikan kesempatan as conventional combinations.
- Kasih names affection but also functions as a central giving verb (informal); it is not limited to love.
- English give divides among memberi, menyampaikan, mengadakan, melahirkan, menyerah, and other specific Indonesian verbs.
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