The circumfix ber-...-an forms intransitive verbs such as bersalaman “shake hands,” berdatangan “arrive in succession,” and berjatuhan “fall one after another/in numbers.” The initial element follows the same r-sensitive pattern as ber-, while final -an remains part of the verb. This page covers formation and bracketing; the reciprocal and distributive meanings and broader usage belong to adjacent pages.
The canonical template
The broad structure is ber- + base + -an → intransitive verb. Brackets show that both parts enclose the base: [ber-[salam]-an] → bersalaman. The hyphens and ellipsis are analytical notation only; every actual word is solid.
| Base | Analysis | Surface verb | Typical formation |
|---|---|---|---|
| salam | [ber-[salam]-an] | bersalaman | default ber-...-an |
| kejar | [ber-[kejar]-an] | berkejaran | default ber-...-an |
| datang | [ber-[datang]-an] | berdatangan | default ber-...-an |
| jatuh | [ber-[jatuh]-an] | berjatuhan | default ber-...-an |
| rebut | [be-[rebut]-an] | berebutan | prefixal r is absent before root-initial r |
| terbang | [be-[terbang]-an] | beterbangan | prefixal r is absent in the first-syllable /ər/ pattern |
The last two are additional natural formations. In berebutan, the visible r belongs to rebut; in beterbangan, the r inside terbang remains. The circumfix does not delete a root consonant.
Para tamu bersalaman dengan tuan rumah.
The guests shake hands with the host.
Anak-anak berkejaran di halaman sekolah.
The children chase one another in the schoolyard.
Peserta mulai berdatangan sejak pukul tujuh.
Participants began arriving from seven onward.
Daun kering berjatuhan ketika angin bertiup.
Dry leaves fall in numbers when the wind blows.
Penumpang berebutan naik ke bus terakhir.
Passengers scramble to board the last bus.
Kertas-kertas beterbangan saat jendela dibuka.
Papers flew around when the window was opened.
Default ber-...-an
Most established bases retain ber-. Root-initial and root-final consonants remain visible: salam → bersalaman, datang → berdatangan, jatuh → berjatuhan, peluk → berpelukan, dekat → berdekatan.
Kedua sahabat itu berpelukan setelah lama tidak bertemu.
The two friends hugged after not seeing each other for a long time.
Rumah kami berdekatan, tetapi jarang bertemu.
Our houses are close to each other, but we rarely meet.
Mereka bermusuhan selama bertahun-tahun.
They were enemies for years.
Kejar ends in r, but that does not trigger reduction: the relevant condition concerns the beginning or first syllable of the base. Thus berkejaran retains prefixal r and the base-final r in their ordinary positions.
Dua kucing berkejaran mengelilingi meja.
Two cats chased each other around the table.
R-related reduction to be-...-an
Root-initial r
When the base begins with r, the prefix-final r is absent. Be- + rebut + -an yields berebutan, with one r—the root's. Do not write berrebutan or remove the root's r to create bee-butan.
Warga berebutan membeli tiket murah.
Residents scramble to buy discounted tickets.
Anak-anak berebutan duduk di dekat jendela.
The children compete to sit near the window.
Another established example is rangkul → berangkulan “embrace one another.” Its single visible r likewise starts the root rangkul.
Para pemain berangkulan setelah mencetak gol kemenangan.
The players embraced one another after scoring the winning goal.
First-syllable /ər/
The prefix-final r is also absent in established bases whose first syllable contains the schwa-plus-r pattern. Terbang → beterbangan and pergi → bepergian are the most useful models.
Burung-burung beterbangan di atas sawah.
Birds are flying around above the rice fields.
Ia sering bepergian sendiri untuk pekerjaannya.
She often travels alone for work.
Bepergian is semantically lexicalized and can have a singular subject, unlike strongly distributive berdatangan. Its formation still illustrates the same missing prefixal r.
No productive bel-...-an counterpart
Basic ber- has exceptional bel- in belajar, but contemporary reciprocal/distributive ber-...-an has no productive bel-...-an series. A learner should not invent belajaran from ajar. The established noun pelajaran belongs to the separate per-...-an nominal family, and the verb is belajar.
Mereka belajar bersama menjelang ujian.
They study together before the exam.
Pelajaran hari ini selesai lebih awal.
Today's lesson ended early.
Spelling at the -an boundary
Consonant-final bases attach straightforwardly: salam + -an → salaman, jatuh + -an → jatuhan inside the larger verbs. A vowel-final base preserves both boundary vowels. Sapa + -an gives sapaan, so the reciprocal verb is bersapaan with aa, not bersapan. Cinta + -an similarly appears in bercintaan.
Para tetangga yang baru pindah itu bersapaan setiap pagi.
The neighbors who just moved in greet one another every morning.
Sepasang tokoh utama digambarkan sedang bercintaan.
A pair of main characters are portrayed as being in love. (literary)
Speech may insert a glottal transition between the adjacent vowels, but standard spelling does not add an apostrophe or hyphen.
Which bases enter the pattern?
The most transparent bases support either multiple event participants or multiple event occurrences:
- Reciprocal action: salam → bersalaman, peluk → berpelukan, kejar → berkejaran.
- Distributed motion/change: datang → berdatangan, jatuh → berjatuhan, lari → berlarian, muncul → bermunculan.
- Spatial or social relation: dekat → berdekatan, jauh → berjauhan, sebelah → bersebelahan, musuh → bermusuhan.
Orang-orang berlarian mencari tempat berteduh.
People ran in different directions looking for shelter.
Pertanyaan baru terus bermunculan selama diskusi.
New questions kept emerging throughout the discussion.
Kedua desa itu berjauhan, tetapi masih berada dalam satu kecamatan.
The two villages are far apart but still in the same district.
Kantor pos dan bank bersebelahan.
The post office and the bank are next to each other.
The pattern is less than fully productive. A conceivable plural or reciprocal situation does not license ber-...-an on every verb. Established roots, collocations, and actual usage decide which forms belong to contemporary Indonesian.
True circumfix or ber- plus an -an noun?
Not every word beginning ber and ending an contains the circumfix. Berhalangan is best bracketed [ber-[halang-an]]: halangan “obstacle” is already a noun, and ber- means “have/be affected by an obstacle,” hence “be unable to attend.” It is not a reciprocal or distributive [ber-[halang]-an] event.
Maaf, saya berhalangan hadir besok.
Sorry, I am unable to attend tomorrow. (formal/polite)
Halangan itu akhirnya dapat diatasi.
That obstacle was finally overcome.
Bracketing depends on the lexical family, not only on the first and last letters. The same caution applies to other words formed by adding ber- to an established -an noun.
Recovering the base in a dictionary
Use the allomorph and meaning together: bersalaman → salam, berdatangan → datang, berebutan → rebut, beterbangan → terbang, bepergian → pergi. Simply deleting initial ber fails for reduced forms: ebutan and terbangan are not the intended lexical roots.
Dalam kamus, carilah bepergian dalam keluarga kata pergi.
In a dictionary, look for bepergian in the pergi word family. (academic)
Common Mistakes
Writing analytical boundaries in the word
❌ Para tamu ber-salam-an di pintu masuk.
Incorrect — hyphens belong only in morphological analysis.
✅ Para tamu bersalaman di pintu masuk.
The guests shake hands at the entrance.
Restoring prefixal r before an r-initial base
❌ Penumpang berrebutan masuk ke kereta.
Incorrect — prefixal r is absent before root-initial rebut.
✅ Penumpang berebutan masuk ke kereta.
Passengers scramble to board the train.
Restoring r in the first-syllable /ər/ pattern
❌ Daun-daun berterbangan tertiup angin.
Incorrect — the established surface form is beterbangan.
✅ Daun-daun beterbangan tertiup angin.
Leaves are flying around in the wind.
Treating final -an as proof of a noun
❌ Sebuah berdatangan terjadi sejak pagi.
Incorrect — berdatangan is a verb, not a count noun.
✅ Para pengunjung berdatangan sejak pagi.
Visitors have been arriving since morning.
Dropping a at a vowel boundary
❌ Kedua tetangga itu bersapan setiap pagi.
Incorrect — sapa + -an preserves both adjacent a letters.
✅ Kedua tetangga itu bersapaan setiap pagi.
The two neighbors greet each other every morning.
Misidentifying a layered ber- + noun form
❌ Berhalangan berarti banyak orang saling menghalangi.
Incorrect analysis — berhalangan contains the noun halangan and means be unable to attend/have an obstacle.
✅ Direktur berhalangan hadir karena sedang sakit.
The director is unable to attend because she is ill. (formal/polite)
Key Takeaways
- Ber-...-an forms verbs, not nouns: bersalaman, berkejaran, berdatangan, berjatuhan.
- Default ber-...-an preserves the base; r-sensitive be-...-an removes prefixal r in berebutan, beterbangan, and bepergian.
- Preserve root letters and suffix-boundary vowels, including bersapaan with aa.
- The pattern favors reciprocal, distributive, and relational bases but is lexically restricted.
- Distinguish a true circumfix from layered ber- + -an noun, as in berhalangan.
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Start learning Indonesian →Related Topics
- ber-...-an: Meanings and Derivational NetworkC1 — Understand how ber-...-an verbs express reciprocal, distributed, repeated, and spatially scattered events while implying participant or event plurality.
- ber-...-an: Valency, Lexicalization, and RegisterC1 — Use ber-...-an predicates with reciprocal partners, distributed subjects, competing verb frames, lexicalized senses, and register-aware paraphrases.
- ber-: Formation and AllomorphyA1 — Form standard ber- verbs with the default ber-, conditioned be-, and exceptional bel- surface patterns.
- Reduplication in Reciprocal VerbsB1 — Distinguish basic reciprocity from copied reciprocal verbs that add repeated, distributed, or playful interaction.
- Valency-Changing MorphologyB2 — See how Indonesian derivation adds, removes, and promotes participants through causative, applicative, reciprocal, middle, and ter- constructions.
- Attaching Prefixes and SuffixesA2 — Write ordinary Indonesian affixes solid with lowercase bases and use boundary hyphens around capitalized or acronym bases.