Independent per- is a restricted derivational prefix, not simply a shorter spelling of productive memper-. It forms stems such as perbesar and perpanjang, but those stems most often surface inside a larger active, passive, imperative, or suffixed construction: memperbesar, diperpanjang, Perbesar gambarnya!, and mempersatukan.
This page explains the internal formation of those stems. The neighboring pages handle their meaning network and valency, lexicalization, and register; the broader active template has its own memper- formation guide. Write per- + besar only as linguistic notation. Actual words are solid: perbesar, memperbesar, and diperbesar.
The canonical template is usually an inner stem
The structural core is:
per- + licensed base → per-base
That result may then enter a larger word:
| Bracketing | Surface word | Typical environment |
|---|---|---|
| [per-[besar]] | perbesar | directive or stem citation |
| [meN-[per-[besar]]] | memperbesar | actor-oriented transitive verb |
| [di-[per-[besar]]] | diperbesar | passive verb |
| [per-[satu]-kan] | persatukan | directive or larger suffixed stem |
Perbesar peta itu agar nama jalannya terbaca.
Enlarge that map so the street names are readable.
Editor memperbesar foto utama sebelum halaman dicetak.
The editor enlarges the main photo before the page is printed.
Tulisan pada layar dapat diperbesar dengan dua jari.
The text on the screen can be enlarged with two fingers.
The directive perbesar is a real surface form, but ordinary finite active clauses normally use memperbesar in careful Standard Indonesian. This distribution is why treating per- as freely productive on its own gives a distorted picture.
The required segmentation table
The first three rows are the brief's core families. Persatu is shown honestly as a bound stem: contemporary usage normally adds -kan or places it inside another derivation rather than using bare persatu as a finite verb. The last two rows add natural productive models.
| Base | Inner analysis | Stem | Established surface family |
|---|---|---|---|
| besar | per- + besar | perbesar | perbesar, memperbesar, diperbesar |
| panjang | per- + panjang | perpanjang | perpanjang, memperpanjang, diperpanjang |
| satu | per- + satu | persatu- (bound) | persatukan, mempersatukan, dipersatukan |
| kecil | per- + kecil | perkecil | perkecil, memperkecil, diperkecil |
| cepat | per- + cepat | percepat | percepat, mempercepat, dipercepat |
Perpanjang garis itu sampai menyentuh tepi kanan.
Extend that line until it touches the right edge.
Kami akan memperpanjang masa pendaftaran selama tiga hari.
We will extend the registration period by three days.
Kedua kelompok itu dipersatukan oleh tujuan yang sama.
The two groups are united by the same goal.
Perkecil ukuran berkas sebelum mengirimkannya.
Reduce the file size before sending it.
Perubahan jadwal itu mempercepat proses pengiriman.
That schedule change speeds up the delivery process.
No initial p disappears in perpanjang. The p of panjang remains because per- has no nasal-substitution rule like meN- or peN-. The sequence contains prefix-final r followed by root-initial p: per-panjang in analysis, perpanjang in actual spelling.
Default per- preserves the base
Before most licensed bases, per- is invariant and the base remains fully recoverable.
Pemerintah memperluas jaringan bus ke daerah pinggiran.
The government expands the bus network to outlying areas.
Aplikasi itu mempermudah pengguna mencari dokumen lama.
The application makes it easier for users to find old documents.
Kamera otomatis mempertajam gambar yang agak buram.
The automatic camera sharpens an image that is slightly blurry.
Kami mempersempit pilihan menjadi tiga calon.
We narrow the choice down to three candidates.
These examples contain the larger memper- surface template, but their internal bases remain luas, mudah, tajam, and sempit. Not every adjective licenses this pattern, and some bases prefer -kan or a different verb entirely.
r-loss before r and first-syllable /ər/
When per- meets a base beginning in r, the prefix-final r is absent; the root's r remains. One useful model is rendah → perendah, which normally appears as memperendah or diperendah.
| Underlying structure | What is lost | Correct surface | Not |
|---|---|---|---|
| pe | prefix-final r | perendah | perrendah |
| meN- + pe | prefix-final r | memperendah | memperrendah |
Penggalian yang berlebihan dapat memperendah permukaan air tanah.
Excessive excavation can lower the groundwater level. (formal)
Ketinggian rak itu diperendah agar mudah dijangkau anak-anak.
The shelf height was lowered so children could reach it easily.
The single r in perendah belongs to rendah. This is comparable to berenang from be- + renang: morphology identifies which r survives even when ordinary spelling shows only one.
The reduced pe- shape also occurs when the base's first syllable contains the schwa-plus-r sequence /ər/, as in kerja. With the required -kan, per- + kerja + -kan surfaces as pekerjakan, not perkerjakan; the larger active and passive forms are mempekerjakan and dipekerjakan.
Perusahaan itu mempekerjakan dua teknisi tambahan selama musim ramai.
That company employs two additional technicians during the busy season.
Kedua teknisi itu dipekerjakan dengan kontrak enam bulan.
The two technicians are employed on six-month contracts.
Exceptional pel- before ajar
The ajar family has an exceptional pel- shape in pelajari, which then appears in mempelajari and dipelajari. This is an established allomorph, not a productive rule for all vowel-initial bases.
Peserta mempelajari prosedur keselamatan sebelum masuk laboratorium.
Participants study the safety procedure before entering the laboratory.
Semua contoh dalam bab ini harus dipelajari dalam konteks.
All examples in this chapter must be studied in context.
Pelajari petunjuk penggunaan sebelum menyalakan mesin.
Study the instructions before turning on the machine.
Do not segment mempelajari as mem- + pelajar + -i on the assumption that its object is a student. Synchronically useful bracketing connects the verb to ajar through the exceptional pel-...-i stem. The standalone noun pelajar “student” is a homograph with its own lexical history and syntax.
Root-category restrictions
The most transparent per- stems select gradable property bases: besar, kecil, panjang, pendek, luas, sempit, cepat, and lambat. The result supports a causative or degree-changing verb in a larger template.
Teknisi memperpendek kabel yang terlalu panjang.
The technician shortens the cable that is too long.
Jalan baru itu mempersingkat waktu tempuh ke bandara.
The new road shortens the travel time to the airport.
Exact bracketing prevents a common visual mistake here: mempersingkat contains the inner stem persingkat from per- + singkat, with no -kan suffix. The final -kat belongs to the base singkat. This is another licensed property family, but its existence still does not guarantee a corresponding form for every adjective.
Noun and numeral bases occur in more lexicalized families: budak → memperbudak, alat → memperalat, and satu → mempersatukan. These cannot be generalized to every noun or number.
Kelompok bersenjata itu memperbudak penduduk setempat.
The armed group enslaved the local population.
Jangan memperalat anak untuk menyelesaikan konflik orang dewasa.
Do not exploit a child as a tool for resolving an adult conflict.
The examples are established vocabulary, not a recipe for inventing perkursi or permeja.
The homograph per is a separate word
Free per meaning “per, each, by,” or “starting from” is not this derivational prefix. It is written separately: per orang, kilometer per jam, satu per satu, per 1 Januari.
Biaya pendaftaran sebesar lima puluh ribu rupiah per orang.
The registration fee is fifty thousand rupiah per person.
Petugas memeriksa dokumen satu per satu.
The officer checks the documents one by one.
Tarif baru berlaku per 1 Januari.
The new rate takes effect starting January 1. (formal)
This free form never becomes persatu in the phrase “one by one.” Bound persatu- belongs to persatukan/mempersatukan “unite,” a different structure and meaning.
Recovering the base in dictionaries
Search both the actual surface word and the lexical base. Memperbesar should lead to besar, memperpanjang to panjang, and mempersatukan to satu. A dictionary may list the larger conventional word rather than an unattested standalone inner stem. Do not strip mem- and assume whatever remains is independently usable.
Kamus menempatkan memperbesar dalam keluarga kata besar.
The dictionary places memperbesar in the besar word family. (academic)
For opaque families, base recovery must be learned: memperoleh belongs historically and lexically with oleh/beroleh/peroleh, but modern memperoleh means “obtain,” not a compositional use of the preposition oleh “by.”
Common Mistakes
1. Writing an analytical boundary in the actual word
❌ Tolong per-besar gambar di halaman pertama.
Incorrect spelling—the hyphen belongs only in morphological notation.
✅ Tolong perbesar gambar di halaman pertama.
Please enlarge the image on the first page.
2. Separating the active template
❌ Editor memper besar foto utama.
Incorrect—ordinary affixes and lowercase bases form one graphic word.
✅ Editor memperbesar foto utama.
The editor enlarges the main photo.
3. Confusing bound persatu- with free per
❌ Panitia memanggil peserta satu persatu.
Incorrect spelling for ‘one by one’—free per is a separate word.
✅ Panitia memanggil peserta satu per satu.
The committee calls the participants one by one.
4. Restoring the prefix-final r before rendah
❌ Tindakan itu memperrendah permukaan air tanah.
Incorrect—the prefix-final r is absent before the r-initial base rendah.
✅ Tindakan itu memperendah permukaan air tanah.
That action lowers the groundwater level.
5. Missing the exceptional ajar allomorph
❌ Peserta memperajari aturan baru sebelum ujian.
Incorrect—the ajar family uses pel- in mempelajari.
✅ Peserta mempelajari aturan baru sebelum ujian.
Participants study the new rules before the exam.
Key Takeaways
- Perbesar, perpanjang, and persatu- are inner stems; modern active use usually places them in larger memper- or suffixed templates.
- Default per- preserves the base, while its final r is absent before an r-initial base; ajar exceptionally gives pelajari.
- There is no p/t/s/k nasal substitution in per-: perpanjang retains the initial p of panjang.
- Free per in per orang and satu per satu is a separate word, not the derivational prefix.
- Dictionary lookup must recover the lexical base without assuming every intermediate stem is independently usable.
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Start learning Indonesian →Related Topics
- per-: Meanings and Derivational NetworkC1 — Interpret restricted per- stems across causative, unifying, numerical, and lexicalized families without confusing their homographs.
- per-: Valency, Lexicalization, and RegisterC1 — Use per- families with their licensed objects, competing causatives, lexicalized frames, and formal or conversational alternatives.
- memper-: Formation and AllomorphyB2 — Form memper- verbs with solid spelling, intact adjective bases, restricted r-sensitive alternations, and no redundant -kan.
- diper-: Formation and AllomorphyB2 — Build and analyze diper- passives, including root preservation, r-loss, restricted bases, and deceptive look-alike forms.
- Attaching Prefixes and SuffixesA2 — Write ordinary Indonesian affixes solid with lowercase bases and use boundary hyphens around capitalized or acronym bases.
- An EYD V Editing ChecklistB2 — Edit Indonesian spelling in a repeatable sequence covering capitals, word boundaries, compounds, reduplication, particles, punctuation, and loans.