diper-: Formation and Allomorphy | Indonesian Grammar

Diper- is the patient-oriented member of a family whose actor-oriented form is commonly memper-: editor memperbesar foto → foto diperbesar editor. Its central formation combines passive di- with an inner per- stem. Both layers attach to the base, so the actual word is written solid.

This page covers segmentation, allomorphy, base restrictions, and dictionary recovery. The meaning page explains what these verbs mean, while the usage page handles arguments, agents, competitors, and register. The notation diper- + besar displays morphology; it is never the spelling of an ordinary word.

The canonical template

For a transparent family, the structure can be represented as:

di- + [per- + base] → diperbase

Gambar itu diperbesar sebelum dimasukkan ke laporan.

The image is enlarged before being inserted into the report.

Masa pendaftaran diperpanjang sampai Jumat.

The registration period is extended until Friday. (formal)

Pemeriksaan bagasi dipercepat dengan menambah dua petugas.

The baggage inspection is sped up by adding two officers.

The outer di- supplies passive orientation; the inner property family supplies the causative change. In actual spelling there is no space or hyphen between either layer and the base.

💡

For a transparent word, recover the active partner as a check: diperbesar ↔ memperbesar, diperpanjang ↔ memperpanjang, dipercepat ↔ mempercepat.

Required segmentation table

The first three rows are the core families. Luas gives another regular formation; rendah demonstrates productive loss of prefix-final r before a root-initial r.

Base	Abstract segmentation	Surface word	Active partner
besar	di- + per- + besar	diperbesar	memperbesar
panjang	di- + per- + panjang	diperpanjang	memperpanjang
cepat	di- + per- + cepat	dipercepat	mempercepat
luas	di- + per- + luas	diperluas	memperluas
rendah	di- + per- + rendah	diperendah	memperendah

Jendela di ruang kerja diperbesar agar lebih banyak cahaya masuk.

The window in the study is enlarged so that more light can enter.

Jalur bus akan diperpanjang hingga stasiun baru.

The bus route will be extended to the new station. (formal)

Proses verifikasi dapat dipercepat jika dokumennya lengkap.

The verification process can be accelerated if the documents are complete.

Akses internet diperluas ke tiga desa terpencil.

Internet access is being extended to three remote villages.

Ketinggian meja itu diperendah agar nyaman digunakan anak-anak.

The height of that table is lowered so children can use it comfortably.

The table's hyphens and deleted-letter notation belong to analysis only. The surface column shows the forms that belong in Indonesian text.

Default root preservation

Unlike meN- and peN-, diper- does not trigger nasal substitution of a root-initial p, t, s, or k. The base normally remains visible after the prefix.

Masa berlaku kartu itu diperpendek menjadi enam bulan.

The card's validity period is shortened to six months.

Ujung pensil diperuncing sebelum pola digambar.

The pencil point is sharpened before the pattern is drawn.

Ruang gerak kendaraan dipersempit oleh pembatas jalan.

The vehicle's room to maneuver is narrowed by the road barrier.

In diperpanjang, both instances of p are expected: one begins the inner per- element and one begins panjang. Nothing in this template deletes the root's p.

💡

Do not transfer the p/t/s/k substitution rules of meN- to diper-. The correct forms preserve the bases: diperpanjang, dipertajam, dipersempit, and diperkecil.

Prefix-final r-loss before an r-initial base

When the base begins with r, the final r of the inner per- element is absent and the root's r remains. Showing the reduced prefix keeps the base recognizable in the analysis:

di- + pe- + rendah  (from per- + rendah)  → diperendah    not diperrendah
di- + pe- + rumit   (from per- + rumit)   → diperumit     not diperrumit
di- + pe- + runcing (from per- + runcing) → diperuncing   not diperruncing

Suku bunga diperendah untuk mendorong investasi.

Interest rates are lowered to encourage investment. (formal)

Prosedur sederhana itu tidak perlu diperumit.

That simple procedure does not need to be made more complicated.

Ujung tongkat diperuncing dengan pisau kecil.

The end of the stick is sharpened with a small knife.

Ordinary spelling shows one r, the initial consonant of rendah, rumit, or runcing. Restoring the deleted prefix-final consonant would create an ungrammatical double rr.

Restricted base categories

The transparent core selects licensed gradable property bases. Frequent examples include besar, kecil, panjang, pendek, luas, sempit, cepat, lambat, kuat, lemah, jelas, mudah, indah, and buruk.

Kontras layar dapat diperkuat melalui menu pengaturan.

The screen contrast can be increased through the settings menu.

Petunjuk itu diperjelas dengan menambahkan gambar.

The instructions are clarified by adding an image.

Taman kecil di depan gedung akan diperindah bulan depan.

The small garden in front of the building will be beautified next month.

Noun-based families are much more lexical. Alat → diperalat and budak → diperbudak are established, but they do not establish a productive rule for every noun.

Para pekerja itu merasa diperalat oleh pengurus organisasi.

The workers felt exploited by the organization's management.

Dalam catatan sejarah itu, penduduk setempat diperbudak oleh penjajah.

In that historical account, the local population was enslaved by the colonizers.

There is genuine productivity inside a licensed domain and genuine lexical restriction outside it. A novel form may be structurally imaginable yet unacceptable or unnatural to speakers.

Not every diper... string has this structure

Letters do not determine morphology. Several passive words begin with diper because their base itself begins with per.

Word	Useful analysis	Why it is not bare diper- + base
dipercaya	di- + percaya	percaya is the base
diperiksa	di- + periksa	periksa is the base
diperlukan	di- + perlu + -kan	the word contains suffix -kan

Keterangan saksi itu belum sepenuhnya dipercaya.

The witness's account is not yet fully believed.

Semua tas diperiksa sebelum penumpang masuk.

All bags are inspected before the passengers enter.

Kartu identitas diperlukan untuk mengambil paket.

An identity card is required to collect the package.

Conversely, diperoleh “be obtained” belongs to an established peroleh/memperoleh family even though the modern meaning is not predictable from free oleh “by.” Morphological membership and semantic transparency are separate questions.

Izin itu diperoleh setelah proses pemeriksaan yang panjang.

The permit was obtained after a lengthy inspection process. (formal)

💡

Ask two questions separately: “Can I identify the base and affixes?” and “Can I predict the meaning?” Diperoleh has a recoverable family but a lexicalized meaning.

Larger suffixed families require wider bracketing

Forms such as diperbaiki, dipersatukan, and dipekerjakan contain material beyond bare diper- + base. Their suffixes and allomorphs matter.

Jembatan itu diperbaiki setelah musim hujan.

The bridge was repaired after the rainy season.

Tiga unit kerja dipersatukan di bawah satu direktorat.

Three work units are united under one directorate. (formal)

Dua teknisi tambahan dipekerjakan selama musim ramai.

Two additional technicians are employed during the busy season.

Dipekerjakan reflects the reduced pe- shape in the kerja family and includes -kan. Diperbaiki includes -i, and dipersatukan includes -kan. These words should not be truncated to create imagined bare forms.

Recovering the base in a dictionary

For transparent words, search both the surface form and the property base: diperbesar → besar, diperpanjang → panjang, dipercepat → cepat. A dictionary may organize derivatives under the base rather than list a freely usable intermediate per- verb.

Bentuk diperpendek harus dicari dalam keluarga kata pendek.

The form diperpendek should be looked up in the pendek word family. (academic)

Do not assume that stripping di- leaves an independent verb. Perbesar can occur as a directive, but many inner stems are restricted, and ordinary actor-oriented declarative clauses use memper-.

Common Mistakes

1. Writing the abstract label inside the real word

❌ Masa pendaftaran di-per-panjang sampai Jumat.

Incorrect spelling—hyphens belong only in morphological analysis.

✅ Pendaftaran lokakarya diperpanjang hingga akhir pekan.

Registration for the workshop is extended through the weekend.

2. Deleting the root-initial p by analogy with meN-

❌ Jalur bus diperanjang sampai terminal baru.

Incorrect—the p of panjang remains in diperpanjang.

✅ Jalur bus diperpanjang sampai terminal baru.

The bus route is extended to the new terminal.

3. Restoring prefix-final r before an r-initial base

❌ Aturan itu diperrumit tanpa alasan yang jelas.

Incorrect—the prefix-final r is absent before the r-initial base rumit.

✅ Aturan itu diperumit tanpa alasan yang jelas.

That rule was made more complicated for no clear reason.

4. Treating a root beginning with per as an inner per- stem

❌ Dipercaya berasal dari diper- + caya.

Incorrect analysis—percaya is the lexical base; caya is not the modern base here.

✅ Berita itu dipercaya banyak orang.

That news is believed by many people.

5. Ignoring a suffix in a look-alike form

❌ Diperlukan adalah diper- + lu.

Incorrect segmentation—the base is perlu and the word also contains -kan.

✅ Waktu tambahan diperlukan untuk menyelesaikan pekerjaan ini.

Additional time is required to finish this work.

Key Takeaways

Canonical diper- combines passive di- with an inner property-changing per- family and is written solid.
The base is normally preserved; there is no p/t/s/k nasal substitution.
Before an r-initial base, the prefix-final r disappears while the root's r remains: diperendah, diperumit, diperuncing.
Transparent productivity centers on licensed gradable bases, while noun-based and opaque families are lexical.
Do not parse by letters alone: dipercaya, diperiksa, and diperlukan have different structures, and an apparent inner per- verb need not exist freely.

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