The Indonesian di- passive makes the affected person or thing the clause's subject: Buku itu dibaca Rina “That book is read by Rina.” The prefix is attached to the verb, the agent may be omitted, and the verb never agrees with the subject. This page gives the formation and neutral clause pattern; continue with argument order and discourse choice for the next steps.
The basic contrast
An actor-voice clause begins with the actor. A di- passive begins with the patient—the person or thing affected by the action.
Rina membaca buku itu.
Rina reads that book.
Buku itu dibaca Rina.
That book is read by Rina.
Ali menulis surat itu.
Ali writes that letter.
Surat itu ditulis oleh Ali.
That letter is written by Ali.
The event participants have not changed: Rina is still the reader, and the book is still what she reads. Voice changes which participant becomes the syntactic subject and starting point.
Form-and-function table
| Clause | Patient subject | di- verb | Agent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buku itu dibaca Rina. | buku itu | dibaca | Rina, bare third-person name |
| Surat itu ditulis oleh Ali. | surat itu | ditulis | oleh Ali |
| Kuncinya diambil. | kuncinya | diambil | omitted |
Buku itu dibaca Rina sebelum tidur.
That book is read by Rina before bedtime.
Surat itu ditulis oleh Ali tadi pagi.
That letter was written by Ali this morning.
Kuncinya diambil dari gantungan.
The key was taken from the hook.
These three clauses all have patient subjects. Rina and oleh Ali are agents, not objects. The final clause gives no agent because the speaker does not need to identify one.
Building the verb
Attach di- directly to a transitive base:
| Base | Passive verb | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| baca | dibaca | be read |
| tulis | ditulis | be written |
| ambil | diambil | be taken |
| sapu | disapu | be swept |
| buka | dibuka | be opened |
Pesan itu dibaca setelah makan siang.
That message is read after lunch.
Alamatnya ditulis di bagian atas.
The address is written at the top.
Paketnya diambil kurir sore tadi.
The package was collected by the courier late this afternoon.
Lantai aula disapu setiap pagi.
The hall floor is swept every morning.
Gerbang utama dibuka pukul enam.
The main gate is opened at six.
The hyphen belongs only in the abstract label di- or the analysis di- + baca. Actual words are solid: dibaca, not di-baca or di baca.
The patient is subject, but the verb does not agree
English changes is to are or was. Indonesian has no such agreement. Dibaca stays identical with one book, several books, a person, and any time reference.
Satu buku dibaca hari ini.
One book is read today.
Tiga buku dibaca hari ini.
Three books are read today.
Dokumen itu ditulis kemarin.
That document was written yesterday.
Surat itu ditulis besok.
That letter will be written tomorrow.
The time words kemarin and besok change the English translation, but ditulis itself remains unchanged. Di- marks voice, not past tense.
Expressing or omitting the agent
A short third-person name or noun can immediately follow the verb:
Artikel itu dibaca Rina sebelum rapat.
That article is read by Rina before the meeting.
Lantai itu disapu petugas kebersihan.
That floor is swept by the cleaner.
Oleh explicitly introduces the agent. It is especially clear with a longer agent phrase and is frequent in formal writing.
Surat pengaduan itu ditulis oleh Ali.
That complaint letter is written by Ali.
Keputusan tersebut disetujui oleh mayoritas anggota dewan.
That decision was approved by a majority of council members. (formal)
Jembatan itu dibangun oleh perusahaan dari Surabaya.
The bridge was built by a company from Surabaya.
The agent can disappear when unknown, obvious, irrelevant, or deliberately withheld.
Kuncinya diambil.
The key was taken.
Jadwal pertemuan sudah diubah.
The meeting schedule has already been changed.
Semua jendela ditutup sebelum hujan.
All the windows are closed before the rain.
Agent omission is not an error. It is one of the main reasons speakers choose passive voice.
Third-person agents and other voice patterns
The neutral di- pattern is particularly natural with a third-person name, noun, or omitted agent: dibaca Rina, ditulis oleh Ali, diambil. With a simple first- or second-person pronoun, Indonesian normally uses object voice instead: Buku itu saya baca, literally “That book, I read.”
Catatan itu saya baca sebelum rapat.
I read that note before the meeting.
Pesan ini harus kamu tulis hari ini.
You must write this message today.
At A1, remember the practical division: di- readily presents a third-person or unspoken agent; a nearby pronoun agent often appears before a bare verb. Both are patient-oriented choices.
Passive di- versus locative di
Passive di- is a prefix attached to a verb. Locative di is a separate preposition before a place.
Surat itu ditulis di kantor.
That letter is written at the office.
Kuncinya disimpan di laci atas.
The key is kept in the top drawer.
In ditulis di kantor, attached di- marks the passive verb, while separate di introduces the location.
| Form | What follows? | Spelling |
|---|---|---|
| passive prefix | verb base: tulis | ditulis |
| locative preposition | place: kantor | di kantor |
Register and frequency
The di- passive is very common in formal reports, instructions, news, and academic prose because those genres often track documents, procedures, findings, and affected entities. It is not limited to formal language; ordinary conversation also uses it naturally.
Permohonan tersebut akan diperiksa oleh petugas.
The application will be examined by an officer. (formal)
Pesannya sudah dibaca belum?
Has the message been read yet? (informal)
Formal prose favors explicit participants and oleh with long agents. Conversation often omits a recoverable agent. The voice construction itself remains standard in both.
Common Mistakes
Separating the passive prefix
❌ Surat itu di tulis Ali.
Incorrect — passive di- attaches to the verb.
✅ Surat itu ditulis Ali.
That letter is written by Ali.
Joining the locative preposition
❌ Surat itu ditulis dikantor.
Incorrect — locative di is separate before a place.
✅ Surat pengaduan itu ditulis di kantor.
That complaint letter is written at the office.
Treating di- as past tense
❌ Karena memakai di-, kuncinya diambil harus selalu berarti waktu lampau.
Incorrect interpretation — di- marks passive voice, not past time.
✅ Kuncinya akan diambil besok.
The key will be collected tomorrow.
Adding an English-style passive auxiliary
❌ Buku itu adalah dibaca Rina.
Incorrect — Indonesian does not place adalah before a di- passive verb.
✅ Buku cerita itu dibaca Rina.
That storybook is read by Rina.
Changing the verb for a plural subject
❌ Tiga surat itu dituliss oleh Ali.
Incorrect — Indonesian verbs do not agree in number.
✅ Tiga surat itu ditulis oleh Ali.
Those three letters are written by Ali.
Key Takeaways
- The affected patient is the di- passive's syntactic subject, even though the verb has no subject agreement.
- Attach di- to the verb: dibaca, ditulis, diambil.
- A short third-person agent can follow directly or appear with oleh; the agent may also be omitted.
- Di- marks passive voice, not past tense.
- Passive di- is attached, while locative di is separate: ditulis di kantor.
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Start learning Indonesian →Related Topics
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