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Questions & Answers about Dia dipecat kemarin.
Why does dia not tell us whether the person is male or female?
In Indonesian, dia can mean either he or she. The language usually does not mark gender in third-person singular pronouns.
So Dia dipecat kemarin could mean:
- He was fired yesterday
- She was fired yesterday
If the speaker wants to make gender clear, they usually do it through context or by adding a noun, such as:
- pria itu = that man
- wanita itu = that woman
Why is the verb dipecat instead of something else?
Dipecat is a passive verb. It comes from the root pecat, which is related to dismissing or firing someone from a job or position.
The prefix di- often marks the passive voice in Indonesian:
- memecat = to fire someone
- dipecat = to be fired
So:
- Perusahaan itu memecat dia = The company fired him/her
- Dia dipecat = He/She was fired
Is this sentence passive?