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Questions & Answers about Ibu mengawasi anaknya.
What does Ibu mean here? Is it mother or Mrs./ma’am?
Ibu can mean several things in Indonesian:
- mother / mom
- Mrs.
- a polite form of address for an adult woman, similar to ma’am
In Ibu mengawasi anaknya, the most natural reading is usually Mother is watching her child or The mother is supervising her child, especially because anaknya means her child / his child. Context decides the exact meaning.
Why is the verb mengawasi and not just awas?
Because awas is not the plain verb here.
- awas by itself usually means something like watch out!, be careful!, or relates to being alert.
- mengawasi is the actual verb meaning to supervise, to watch, or to keep an eye on.
So:
- awas! = watch out!
- mengawasi = to supervise / watch over
In this sentence, mengawasi is the correct verb form.
What is the root of mengawasi?