Breakdown of Saya menyumbang buku sejarah ke perpustakaan.
sebuah
a
buku
the book
saya
I
ke
to
perpustakaan
the library
menyumbang
to donate
sejarah
the history
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Questions & Answers about Saya menyumbang buku sejarah ke perpustakaan.
What is the role of the prefix meN- in menyumbang?
The prefix meN- is a common verbal prefix in Indonesian that turns a root word into an active verb. Here’s how it works for menyumbang:
- Root: sumbang (donate, contribute)
- MeN- prefix + nasal assimilation: meN-
- s → meny-
- Result: menyumbang (to donate)
This prefix signals that the subject is actively performing the action.
Why is the sentence using ke perpustakaan instead of di perpustakaan?
- ke perpustakaan means “to the library,” indicating direction or destination of the donation.
- di perpustakaan means “at the library,” indicating location where something happens.
Since you’re saying where you’re sending or giving the books, ke (to) is correct.
How do you express past tense in this sentence?
Indonesian verbs normally don’t change form for tense. To mark past action, you add time markers such as:
- sudah: Saya sudah menyumbang buku sejarah ke perpustakaan.
- telah: Saya telah menyumbang buku sejarah ke perpustakaan.
Both sudah and telah before the verb indicate that the action is completed.
Can you omit saya in this sentence?
Yes. Indonesian often drops the subject if it’s clear from context. So you can say:
- Menyumbang buku sejarah ke perpustakaan.
This sounds more like a note or bullet point. In full sentences, subjects are commonly included but not mandatory.
What is buku sejarah? Is it a compound noun or a noun followed by an adjective?
buku sejarah is a noun phrase where:
- buku = “book” (head noun)
- sejarah = “history” (modifier)
English order is modifier–noun (“history book”), but in Indonesian it’s noun–modifier (“buku sejarah”).
How would you say “I donated some history books,” implying more than one?
You can indicate plurality or indefiniteness in a few ways:
- Reduplication (not common here): buku-buku sejarah
- Adding beberapa (some):
Saya menyumbang beberapa buku sejarah ke perpustakaan. - Adding a numeral or quantifier:
Saya menyumbang tiga buku sejarah ke perpustakaan.
What’s the difference between using ke and untuk in this context?
- ke expresses movement or direction toward a place:
Saya menyumbang buku ke perpustakaan. - untuk expresses purpose or “for”:
Saya menyumbang buku untuk perpustakaan.
Both sentences are grammatically correct; ke emphasizes the destination, untuk emphasizes the beneficiary or purpose.
How do you form the passive voice of this sentence?
To make it passive:
- Actor-focused passive:
Buku sejarah disumbangkan oleh saya ke perpustakaan. - Recipient-focused passive (less common):
Perpustakaan disumbangi buku sejarah oleh saya.
Note the verb changes to disumbangkan (passive form).
Is there a noun form of menyumbang?
Yes, the noun form is sumbangan, meaning “donation.” For example:
- Saya memberikan sumbangan buku sejarah. (I gave a history book donation.)
- Perpustakaan menerima sumbangan buku sejarah. (The library received a donation of history books.)