The prefix memper- forms active transitive verbs such as memperbesar “enlarge,” memperpanjang “lengthen,” and mempercepat “speed up.” Its most transparent pattern attaches directly to a gradable property base and means increasing, decreasing, or bringing about a degree of that property. This page covers formation, bracketing, and spelling; the meaning network and valency and register are treated separately.
The canonical template
For the central adjective family, the practical template is:
memper- + property base → active transitive verb
Actual words are written solidly. The hyphen appears only in the abstract label or morphological analysis.
| Base | Analysis | Surface verb | Typical result |
|---|---|---|---|
| besar “large” | memper- + besar | memperbesar | make larger/enlarge |
| panjang “long” | memper- + panjang | memperpanjang | make longer/extend |
| cepat “fast” | memper- + cepat | mempercepat | make faster/accelerate |
| kecil “small” | memper- + kecil | memperkecil | make smaller/reduce |
| luas “wide/broad” | memper- + luas | memperluas | make wider/expand |
Memperkecil and memperluas are the two additional natural formations. All five verbs take an affected object in ordinary active clauses.
Klik gambar itu untuk memperbesar tampilannya.
Click that image to enlarge its display.
Pemerintah memperpanjang masa pendaftaran hingga Jumat.
The government extends the registration period until Friday. (formal)
Jalur baru akan mempercepat perjalanan ke bandara.
The new route will speed up the journey to the airport.
Kami memperkecil ukuran foto sebelum mengunggahnya.
We reduce the photo size before uploading it.
Perpustakaan memperluas ruang baca di lantai dua.
The library is expanding the reading room on the second floor.
Why the prefix is memper-
Historically and morphologically, memper- is related to actor-oriented meN- plus an inner per- stem. A useful bracketing for memperbesar is [meN-[per-[besar]]]. Synchronically, however, learners can treat default memper- as a stable surface prefix.
The p is retained: memperbesar, not memerbesar. Do not apply the ordinary simple-base pattern meN- + pilih → memilih across the internal prefix boundary. The nasal is realized as mem- before the p of per-, and the conventional combined prefix is memper-.
Editor memperjelas judul artikel agar tidak menyesatkan.
The editor clarifies the article title so it is not misleading.
Pekerjaan tambahan itu mempersulit jadwal kami.
That additional work complicates our schedule.
Aplikasi ini mempermudah pengguna menemukan dokumen lama.
This application makes it easier for users to find old documents.
The internal analysis explains the relationship between active memperjelas, bare directive perjelas, and passive diperjelas. It does not mean that every apparent inner stem is freely usable on its own; the ordinary related noun is penjelasan, not a mechanically generated perjelasan.
Base consonants remain visible
In default memper-, the beginning of the property base does not undergo the p/t/s/k nasal substitution familiar from simple meN- verbs. Panjang keeps p in memperpanjang; cepat keeps c in mempercepat; kecil keeps k in memperkecil; sempit keeps s in mempersempit.
Petugas memperpendek tali pengaman yang terlalu panjang.
The officer shortens the safety rope that is too long.
Pagar baru mempersempit jalan menuju sungai.
The new fence narrows the path to the river.
Kamera itu mempertajam gambar secara otomatis.
That camera sharpens the image automatically.
Lapisan tambahan memperkuat bagian bawah kotak.
The extra layer strengthens the bottom of the box.
Memperkuat retains root-initial k; it is not memperuat. The root is outside the nasal contact that produces deletion in a simple form such as menguatkan.
R-sensitive reduction
The inner per- family loses its prefix-final r before an r-initial base. Thus rendah gives memperendah, not memperrendah. In a detailed analysis, the one visible r begins rendah; the r of per- is absent.
| Underlying analysis | Deleted element | Surface word |
|---|---|---|
| meN- + pe | inner prefix-final r | memperendah |
| di- + pe | inner prefix-final r | diperendah |
Penambangan liar dapat memperendah permukaan air tanah.
Illegal mining can lower the groundwater level. (formal)
Nada musik diperendah agar sesuai dengan jangkauan penyanyi.
The musical key is lowered to suit the singer's range.
Do not “restore” a second r in the actual spelling. Analytical notation can show which morpheme lost it; surface Indonesian writes one r.
The related first-syllable /ər/ reduction appears in larger suffixed families. Kerja gives mempekerjakan, not memperkerjakan, and exceptional ajar gives mempelajari, not memperajari. Those words contain required -kan or -i and receive full treatment on the memper-...-kan and memper-...-i pages.
Perusahaan mempekerjakan dua teknisi tambahan.
The company employs two additional technicians.
Peserta mempelajari petunjuk keselamatan sebelum praktik.
Participants study the safety instructions before the practical session.
These are not alternate spellings of bare memper- + kerja/ajar. They are separate lexical templates included here only to show how inner per- allomorphy remains visible in the larger system.
Do not add redundant -kan to adjective stems
The central degree-changing verbs already become transitive through memper-. Standard forms are memperbesar, memperpanjang, mempercepat, memperkecil, and memperluas—not memperbesarkan, memperpanjangkan, mempercepatkan, memperkecilkan, or memperluaskan for their ordinary meanings.
Perubahan itu memperbesar risiko kebocoran.
That change increases the risk of leakage.
Panitia memperpanjang waktu pendaftaran selama dua hari.
The committee extends the registration period by two days.
Jalan pintas ini mempercepat perjalanan kami.
This shortcut speeds up our journey.
English often uses a separate make or a suffix such as -en, so learners may expect an additional causative marker. Indonesian memper- already supplies the active degree-changing verb in this family.
This does not mean that memper-...-kan never exists. Established words such as mempersatukan, mempertemukan, mempertahankan, and memperdengarkan have their own bases and lexical structures.
Musik sering mempersatukan orang dari latar belakang berbeda.
Music often unites people from different backgrounds.
Teman lama mempertemukan kami di acara itu.
An old friend brought us together at that event.
The correct principle is narrower: do not add -kan automatically to the productive adjective-based memper- verb.
Root-category restrictions
Gradable properties: the productive center
Common adjective and property bases include besar, kecil, panjang, pendek, cepat, lambat, luas, sempit, jelas, mudah, sulit, kuat, lemah, indah, and buruk. The derivative usually changes the object's degree or resultant property.
Lampu tambahan memperindah taman pada malam hari.
Additional lights beautify the garden at night.
Kurangnya informasi memperburuk kepanikan warga.
The lack of information worsens residents' panic.
Jeda singkat justru memperlambat proses pemuatan.
The brief pause actually slows down the loading process.
Not every adjective licenses the prefix. Some properties prefer meN-...-kan, a lexical verb, or membuat + adjective. Productivity is strong, not unlimited.
Nouns and other bases: lexical families
Noun bases occur in established words such as memperbudak “enslave,” memperalat “use/exploit as a tool,” and memperistri “take as a wife.” These often mean “make/treat as the base noun,” but the set is lexical and can be socially or stylistically marked.
Sistem itu memperbudak pekerja melalui utang.
That system enslaves workers through debt.
Jangan memperalat anak untuk menyerang mantan pasangan.
Do not use a child as a tool to attack a former partner.
Dalam cerita lama itu, sang pangeran memperistri putri dari kerajaan tetangga.
In that old story, the prince marries a princess from a neighboring kingdom. (literary)
Memperoleh “obtain” is highly lexicalized. Although its surface invites comparison with oleh, its modern meaning cannot be computed as ordinary degree change or “make into by.”
Para peserta memperoleh sertifikat setelah menyelesaikan pelatihan.
Participants receive a certificate after completing the training. (formal)
Voice shows the stem boundary
The corresponding passive replaces actor-oriented memper- with diper- while preserving the inner base. An imperative often uses the per- stem without mem-.
| Environment | besar family | panjang family |
|---|---|---|
| active | memperbesar | memperpanjang |
| passive | diperbesar | diperpanjang |
| imperative | perbesar | perpanjang |
Foto itu diperbesar sebelum dicetak.
The photo is enlarged before printing.
Perbesar hurufnya agar mudah dibaca.
Enlarge the lettering so it is easy to read.
Kontrak tersebut diperpanjang hingga akhir tahun.
The contract is extended until the end of the year. (formal)
Perpanjang garis ini sampai tepi kertas.
Extend this line to the edge of the paper.
This family relation is useful for dictionary lookup, but the passive and usage system receive their own pages.
Recovering the base in a dictionary
For default forms, remove memper- and test the remainder: memperbesar → besar, memperpanjang → panjang, mempercepat → cepat, memperkecil → kecil, memperluas → luas. Then check the surface word and base family in a reliable dictionary.
Kamus menempatkan mempercepat dalam keluarga kata cepat.
The dictionary places mempercepat in the cepat word family. (academic)
With reduced or lexicalized forms, simple stripping fails. Memperendah contains rendah, not endah; mempekerjakan contains kerja plus -kan; mempelajari contains ajar in an exceptional family. Base recovery must account for allomorphy and the whole lexical template.
Common Mistakes
Adding redundant -kan
❌ Kami perlu memperbesarkan ukuran huruf ini.
Incorrect for the standard adjective-based form — memperbesar is already transitive.
✅ Kami perlu memperbesar ukuran huruf ini.
We need to enlarge this font size.
Deleting the root-initial consonant
❌ Proyek itu akan memperanjang jalan desa.
Incorrect — panjang keeps its initial p after memper-.
✅ Proyek itu akan memperpanjang jalan desa.
The project will extend the village road.
Applying ordinary nasal substitution to memper-
❌ Editor memerjelas bagian yang ambigu.
Incorrect — the established combined prefix is memper-.
✅ Editor memperjelas bagian yang ambigu.
The editor clarifies the ambiguous section.
Restoring a second r before rendah
❌ Mereka memperrendah panggung agar lebih mudah diakses.
Incorrect — inner prefix-final r is absent before rendah.
✅ Mereka memperendah panggung agar lebih mudah diakses.
They lower the stage to make it more accessible.
Treating every memper- word as degree change
❌ Memperoleh berarti membuat sesuatu menjadi lebih oleh.
Incorrect analysis — memperoleh is a lexicalized verb meaning obtain.
✅ Kami memperoleh izin setelah menunggu dua minggu.
We obtained permission after waiting two weeks.
Key Takeaways
- Default memper- attaches solidly to a licensed property base: memperbesar, memperpanjang, mempercepat.
- Base consonants remain visible; ordinary simple-base nasal substitution does not delete them.
- Inner per- reduction explains memperendah, while mempekerjakan and mempelajari belong to larger suffixed lexical templates.
- Do not add -kan automatically to adjective-based forms; memperbesar is complete.
- Gradable properties form the productive center, while noun and opaque derivatives such as memperbudak and memperoleh require lexical verification.
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Start learning Indonesian →Related Topics
- memper-: Meanings and Derivational NetworkB2 — Understand how memper- creates causative degree changes and how transparent adjective families differ from restricted lexical verbs.
- memper-: Valency, Lexicalization, and RegisterB2 — Use memper- verbs with appropriate objects, established lexical families, competing causatives, and register-sensitive alternatives.
- per-: Formation and AllomorphyC1 — Recognize restricted per- stems, their r-loss and exceptional pel- patterns, and the larger templates in which they normally surface.
- diper-: Formation and AllomorphyB2 — Build and analyze diper- passives, including root preservation, r-loss, restricted bases, and deceptive look-alike forms.
- memper-...-kan: Formation and AllomorphyB2 — Build and recognize memper-...-kan verbs, including their inner per- stem, r-related variants, suffix spelling, and active–passive counterparts.
- Attaching Prefixes and SuffixesA2 — Write ordinary Indonesian affixes solid with lowercase bases and use boundary hyphens around capitalized or acronym bases.