Breakdown of Pembisik membaca naskah itu.
itu
that
membaca
to read
naskah
the script
pembisik
the prompter (theater)
Questions & Answers about Pembisik membaca naskah itu.
What does pembisik mean, and how is it formed?
Pembisik is built from the root bisik, which means to whisper.
The prefix peN- often makes an agent noun: a noun meaning the person who does the action.
So:
- bisik = whisper
- pembisik = whisperer / prompter
In this sentence, pembisik is especially natural as prompter, depending on context. A naskah is a written text or script, so the pairing sounds like someone working with a script.
Why is the verb membaca instead of just baca?
Baca is the root, meaning read.
Membaca is the standard active verb form, made with the prefix meN-:
- baca = read
- membaca = to read / reads / is reading, depending on context
In careful, standard Indonesian, when you have an active verb with a direct object, meN- is very common:
- Pembisik membaca naskah itu.
In informal speech, people sometimes drop the prefix and say baca, but membaca is the normal formal form here.
Why do the prefixes become pem- and mem- here?