Questions & Answers about Saya mendengar berita di radio.
Why is the verb mendengar and not just dengar?
Dengar is the basic root, meaning hear or listen.
Mendengar is the active verb form built from that root. In standard Malay, many verbs take the meN- prefix, and dengar becomes mendengar.
So:
- dengar = root / dictionary form
- mendengar = to hear / to listen
In everyday speech, especially informal speech, people often do say just dengar:
- Saya dengar berita di radio.
That is very natural in conversation.
But Saya mendengar berita di radio sounds more standard, careful, or written.
Does mendengar mean hear or listen?