Embun pagi membuat rumput basah.

Morning dew makes the grass wet.

Breakdown of Embun pagi membuat rumput basah.

• membuat: to make
• basah: wet
• rumput: the grass
• embun pagi: the morning dew

Questions & Answers about Embun pagi membuat rumput basah.

Why is it embun pagi and not pagi embun?

In Indonesian, modifiers (like adjectives, time or place words) generally follow the noun they describe.

• embun = “dew” (head noun)
• pagi = “morning” (modifier)
  Putting pagi after embun yields the compound noun “morning dew.”

What role does the prefix me- play in membuat?

The prefix me- (with its variant mem- before b) turns a root into an active transitive verb.

• Root: buat = “make, do”
• With mem-: membuat = “to make/ cause/ produce (something)”
  It signals that the subject actively causes an action on an object.

How does Indonesian express “to make X [adjective]” in general?

You use membuat + object + adjective, with no linking verb:

• embun pagi membuat rumput basah
  “(The morning dew) makes (the grass) wet.”
  Alternatively, you can say menjadikan + object + noun/adjective (more formal):
• embun pagi menjadikan rumput basah

Why is there no article before rumput, and can we specify which grass?

Indonesian has no articles (a/the). Nouns stand alone, and context tells you if they’re generic or specific.
• Generic/indefinite: rumput = “grass” or “some grass”
• To specify, add a demonstrative or particle:

• rumput itu = “that grass”
• rumputnya = “the grass” (using the possessive marker)

Could we replace membuat rumput basah with membasahi rumput? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can say embun pagi membasahi rumput (“the morning dew wets the grass”). Differences:

• membasahi is me-
  • basah
    • -i, a transitive verb meaning “to wet.”
• membuat rumput basah focuses on the resulting state (“makes the grass wet”), while membasahi rumput emphasizes the action of wetting.
  Both are correct; the nuance is very slight.

In the original sentence, is basah acting as an adjective or a verb?

Here basah is an adjective describing the state of rumput.
Indonesian adjectives follow the noun without any copula (no “is”).

• rumput basah = “wet grass” (adjective usage)

Can we use menjadi instead of membuat—for example, rumput menjadi basah?

Yes. menjadi means “to become.”

• rumput menjadi basah = “the grass becomes wet.”
  Difference:
• membuat highlights the causer (embun pagi).
• menjadi simply reports the change of state, without specifying who or what caused it.

How would you put this sentence in the passive voice? Is it common?

Passive Indonesian uses di- on the verb and optionally adds “oleh”:

• Rumput basah dibuat oleh embun pagi.
  This is grammatically correct but a bit awkward for a natural phenomenon.
  Instead, speakers often rephrase:
• Rumput basah karena embun pagi. (“The grass is wet because of the morning dew.”)