V Verbs
Verbs are either primitive or derivative; the former are those which in their original signification are verbs; the latter are formed from primitive verbs, or from substantives, adjectives, or adverbs, by the application of particles.
Examples of primitive verbs are pukul, to strike; makan, to eat; lari, to run; of derivative verbs, ber-kaki, to have feet, from kaki, a foot; panjang-kan, to lengthen or make long, from panjang, long.
The primitive verb, which is generally a dissyllable, is either transitive, as tangkap, to seize, or intransitive, as tidor, to sleep; but a transitive sense may be given to an intransitive verb by the addition of the particle -kan, as lari, me-lari, to run; me-lari-kan, to carry off.
Though the examples of primitive verbs given above are translated for the sake of convenience by our infinitive, their signification is not necessarily rendered by that mood. Favre translates them by the past participle (as ambil, taken, buang, thrown2), but this is rather fanciful than accurate. The fact is, that the meaning of the radical or primitive is indefinite, and depends for its precise signification on its position (with respect to other words) in the sentence, or on the particles which may be added before or after it. Thus lari means simply run, though syntax will show that it may mean to run, I run, he runs, run thou, &c., according to its position in the sentence.
Marsden distinguishes the following moods—the imperative, the indicative or assertive, the conditional, and the infinitive or indefinite—“which admit, for the most part, of being expressed in the present, the past, and the future tenses or times.”
It is not proposed, in an elementary work like the present, to go deeply into a scientific arrangement, which, however well suited to the Latin and Greek languages, is adapted with less propriety to uncultivated languages like Malay. It is believed that an explanation of the use of auxiliaries and particles, and a paradigm showing the most common changes of which the verb is susceptible, will be sufficient, and that the student may be left to gain further knowledge as to the mode of expressing variations of mood and tense as he advances in the study of the language.3
Use of Particles
The inseparable affix -kan always denotes a verb used in a transitive sense; as men-jalan-kan, to cause to walk. It is an abbreviation of the preposition akan. Thus buat-kan (to do) means to do something to (akan) something or somebody.
The inseparable affix -i also denotes the transitive sense; as kras-i, to oppress (from kras, hard); halus-i, to treat carefully (from halus, fine, close).
The inseparable prefix ber- (bel-, be-) is the mark of a verb which expresses a state or condition of being; as ber-jalan, to walk, or to be in the act of walking; ber-wang, to have money; ber-misei, to wear moustaches; ber-pukul, to strike, i.e., to be in the act or condition of striking (not to strike another, transitive, which would be expressed by pukul- or me-mukul-kan).
The inseparable prefix me- (in all its various forms, mem, meng, men, and meny) is the mark of a verb which expresses an action; as men-jalan-kan, to cause to walk, mem-buat, to make; menyakit-kan, to afflict (from sakit); meng-ambil, to take.
According as the primitive verb has a transitive or intransitive sense, the derivative verbs formed from it will take ber- or me- as the case may be. Thus from adu, to sleep, is formed ber-adu, not meng-adu; while from adu, to complain, is formed meng-adu, not ber-adu.
Often both particles may be used, and both transitive and intransitive derivative verbs may be formed from the same primitive. Thus from taroh, to put, are formed menaroh, to put (the act of a person who puts), and ber-taroh, to bet (the condition of a person who stakes). From tidor, to sleep, are formed menidor-kan, to put to sleep, and ber-tidor, to be sleeping or lying down; and from ajar, instruct, meng-ajar, to teach (impart instruction), and bel-ajar, to learn (get instruction).
Mem-bawa, to bring, mem-bunoh, to kill, and me-makan, to eat, are formed from bawa, bunoh, and makan respectively, which, as they express actions, not states, do not take the prefix ber-. Ber-gantong is to hang (intransitive), that is, to be in a state or condition of hanging; meng-gantong-kan is to hang (transitive), that is, to perform the action of hanging something.
The particle per- (Sansk. pra), a prefix used with transitive verbs, does not seem always to effect a change in the sense. It is used more generally in literature than in the colloquial dialects, and seems to be introduced frequently for the sake of euphony only. The difference, for instance, between meng-himpun-kan, to assemble, to collect persons together, and mem-per-himpun-kan, to cause persons to collect together, is not very marked. No general rule applicable to all transitive verbs can be laid down for the use of this form with mem-per-; practice and experience must form the only guide.
Auxiliaries
The auxiliary verbs and adverbs are—
Ada, is, was, are, were.
Sudah, was, did, has been.
Tĕlah, was, did, has been.
Mahu, will, shall, would, must.
Handak, will, shall, would, must, is, was, or were about to.
Jadi, is, was, become, became.
Paradigms
Tidor, sleep.
Sahaya tidor, I sleep, or I was sleeping.
Tidor-lah dia, he was sleeping or slept.
Ber-tidor, asleep, sleeping.
Sahaya sudah tidor, I have slept.
Dia telah tidor, he had slept.
Sahaya maku tidor, I will sleep, or I want to sleep.
Sahaya handak tidor, I shall sleep, or I am about to sleep.
Dia akan tidor, he will sleep or is going to sleep.
Tidor-lah, sleep thou.
Mahu-lak angkau tidor, you must sleep.
Biar iya tidor, let him sleep.
Handak-lah di-tidor-nia, it must be slept by him, i.e., he intends to sleep.
Menidor-kan or menidor-i, to lay down (transitive).
Mem-per-tidor-kan or mem-per-tidor-i, to cause to sleep.
Penidor, a soporific; that which causes to sleep.
Penidor-an, act of causing to sleep.
Per-tidor-an, that which belongs to sleep; a bed.
Ka-tidor-an, the act of sleeping; there was sleeping on the part of ——.
Sa-ka-tidor-an, the act of sleeping with another; there was sleeping with ——.
Si-tidor, the sleeper.
Ter-tidor, gone to sleep.
Lari, run.
Sahaya lari, I run, or I was running.
Lari-lah dia, he ran, or was running.
Ber-lari, run, running.
Ber-lari-lari, running about incessantly.
Sahaya sudah lari, I have or had run.
Dia telah lari, he had run.
Sahaya mahu lari, I will run, or I want to run.
Sahaya handak lari, I will run, or I am about to run.
Dia akan lari, he will run.
Lari-lah, run thou.
Mahu lah angkau lari, you must run.
Biar iya lari, let him run.
Handak-lah di lari-nia, it must be run by him, i.e., he intends to run.
Me-lari-kan, to carry off (transitive).
Lari-an, a running, a course.
Ber-lari-an, the act of running; there was running on the part of ——.
Ber-lari-lari-an, incessant running; running to and fro; there was incessant running on the part of ——.
Ka-lari-an, flight; act of running.
Pe-lari, a runaway, a fugitive.
Pe-lari-an, flight.
Di-lari-kan (passive), is, are, was, were, have, has, or had been run away with.
Di-lari-kan-nia, is, are, was, were, have, has, or had been run away with by him, her, or them.
Ter-lari, run, run away (past).
Bawa lari, to carry off, run off with. (Here lari is the past participle after bawa, to take, bring, and may be used with that verb in all its forms.)
Ada, be.
Sahaya ada, I am or was.
Ber-ada, have (possess.), has or had.
Meng-ada, to cause to be, to make, invent.
Sudah ada, have got, have been.
Telah ada, was, have been.
Mahu ada, must be.
Meng-ada-ngada, to make or invent repeatedly.
Meng-ada kan, to create, to cause to exist.
Ber-ada-kan, possess, own.
Mem-per-ada-kan, to produce, to cause to exist.
Ter-ada-kan, produced, created.
Ada-an, being, existence.
Ka-ada-an, state, existence.
Bawa, bring.
Sahaya bawa, I bring or was bringing.
Mem-bawa, bring, to bring.
Sudah bawa, has brought.
Telah bawa, had brought.
Mahu bawa, will or must bring.
Aku handak bawa, I will bring, or am about to bring.
Bawa-lah, bring thou.
Biar iya bawa, let him bring.
Mem-bawa-kan or mem-bawa-i, to cause to be brought or taken.
Pem-bawa, a bringer.
Bawa-an, that which is brought; a burden.
Pem-bawa-an, act of bringing, transport.
Di-bawa and di-bawa-kan, brought, passive.
Di-bawa-nia and di-bawa-kan-nia, is, are, was, were, have, has, or had been brought by him, her, or them.
Ter-bawa, brought.
Ambil, take.
Sahaya ambil, I take.
Meng ambil, take, to take.
Sudah ambil, has or had taken.
Telah ambil, had taken.
Mahu ambil, will or must take.
Handak ambil, shall take or about to take.
Ambil-lah, take thou.
Mahu-lah angkau ambil, you must take.
Biar iya ambil, let him take.
Handak-lah di ambil-nia, he must take or intends to take.
Meng-ambil-kan, to take or cause to take.
Ambil-an, a thing taken.
Peng-ambil-an, the act of taking.
Di-ambil or di-ambil-kan, is or was, &c., taken (passive).
Di-ambil-nia or di-ambil-kan-nia, is or was. &c., taken by him, her, or them.
Ter-ambil, taken, having been taken.
Suroh, order.
Sehaya suroh, I order.
Menyuroh, order, to order.
Sudah suroh, has ordered.
Telah suroh, had ordered.
Mahu suroh, will or must order.
Handak suroh, shall order or about to order.
Suroh-lah, order thou.
Mahu-lah angkau suroh, you must order.
Biar iya suroh, let him order.
Handak-lah di suroh-nia, he must order or intends to order.
Menyuroh-kan, to issue orders, to commission.
Pe-suroh and penyuroh, one who is commissioned; a messenger.
Penyuroh-an, an order, command; the act of commanding.
Suroh-suroh-an, people who are at the orders or command of another.
Suroh-menyuroh, to issue orders incessantly.
Di-suroh or di-suroh-kan, is or was, &c., ordered.
Di-suroh-nia or di-suroh-kan-nia, is, or was, &c., ordered by him, her, or them.
Ter-suroh, ordered, having been ordered.
The facts to be derived from a careful study of the foregoing examples may be summarised as follows:—
1st. The tense of the verb standing alone is indefinite. It may be present, imperfect, present or past, &c., according to the context; as dia ada, he is; tatkala sahaya ada di sana, when I was there; kalau sahaya ada dĕkat, if I am, should be, were, or had been near. This applies equally to the forms created by prefixing ber- and me-, mem-, men-, meng-, meny- to the radical. Examples: kita ber-jalan, we are or were walking; nanti sampei sahaya ber-balik, wait till I shall have returned; mati-mati ber-minyak, if you should use oil; raja meng-angkat kalmarin dahulu, the raja set out the day before yesterday.
2d. The Imperfect may sometimes be expressed by making the verb, followed by the particle -lah, precede the pronoun; as diam-lah dia orang, they were silent; maka pergi-lah raja kapada tuan putri, and the king went to the princess.
3d. Past.— Though the past may be expressed by the primitive verb, as shown above, if the context shows that the act spoken of is past, it is, nevertheless, more emphatically marked by the use of the auxiliaries sudah and tĕlah, has or had; as dia sudah tidor, he has gone to sleep; telah lari-lah pe-rompah sumua, the pirates have (or had) all run away.
4th. Future.— The verb standing alone may express the future when there is something in the sentence which indicates that a future tense is meant, such as the word “to-morrow” or “hereafter;” as esok hari kita ber-pĕrang pula, to-morrow we shall be fighting again.
The future is also expressed by the auxiliaries mahu and handak; as dia mahu jual, he will sell it; tiada mahu dia datang, he would not come; kapal handak masok sungei, a ship is about to enter the river; di-panggil-nia orang-besar-besar mushawarat handak di-buat meligei, he summoned the chiefs to consult about building a palace.
Another mode of forming the future is by the word nanti (lit. wait), placed, like the French verb aller, before the verb; as sahaya nanti chahari, je vais chercher, I am going to seek, or j’irai chercher, I shall go to seek.
The preposition akan, in order to, in order that, is sometimes used to convey the sense of the future; as penyakit itu tiada akan semboh, that disease is not to be cured; siapa akan tahu? who shall know? (= who can tell?); jikalau raja yang anyaya naraka akan tampat-nia, if a king is unjust hell will be his place hereafter.
5th. Imperative.— To convey an order or command the radical is used either by itself or with the affix -lah; kamu, thou, being either expressed or understood. The particle adds additional emphasis to the command. Examples: pergi, go; pergi-lah, be off, get away; ka-luar or ka-luar-lah, go out; ka-luar-kan-lah, take (it) out, or turn (him) out.
Mahu and handak with the affix -lah signify must; as mahu-lah kamu turut, ye must obey; handak-lah ayam yang puteh, there must be a fowl that is white, or, the fowl must be a white one; handak-lah segala pegawei raja itu duduk dengan adab dan diam, the king’s officers must sit with reverence and in silence.
The third person of the imperative mood, which we express by “let him,” may be rendered in Malay by the use of the word biar or biar-lah, with the verb in the manner shown by the following examples:— Biar-lah dia masok, let him come in; biar-lah aku mati, let me die.
6th. From many verbs are formed verbal nouns by prefixing the particle pe- (peng, pem, pen, peny) to the radical. This prefix operates like the syllable -er in such words as robber, purchaser, teacher; as churi, to steal; pen-churi, a robber; bĕli, to buy; pem-bĕli, a purchaser; ajar, to teach; peng-ajar, a teacher. Substantives of this kind and others formed from the verb with the particles ka- and -an have already been noticed under the head of the Substantive. But the form arrived at by prefixing to the simple verb the particle ka- and annexing the particle -an is not merely a noun, but, as Marsden says, “a gerund in form as well as in sense, being in fact a verbal noun infinitively applied in construction;” as, ka-dengar-an sampei Sayong, it was to be heard as far as Sayong; tiada ka-tahu-an, not to be understood; mata-hari tiada ka-lihat-an sebab ka-lindong-an-lah sayap-nia, the sun was not to be seen by reason of the shadowing of its wings.
7th. Passive.— In Malay the passive voice is denoted by the particle di- prefixed to the verb. The place of the nouns which express the agent and subject respectively will be understood from the following examples:—
Hamba di-pukul orang, I was beaten by men.
Orang di-pukul hamba, the men were beaten by me.
Rumah di-makan api, the house was consumed by fire.
Api di-padam-kan orang, the fire was extinguished by men.
Here the personal pronoun or other agent follows the verb and the subject precedes it.
Sometimes the preposition “by” finds an equivalent in Malay, the word uleh being expressed instead of being understood (as in the preceding sentences). Examples:—
Maka uleh baginda pun di-sambut dengan seperti ‘adat, they were received by the king with the customary ceremony.
Di-titah-kan-lah uleh baginda, it was commanded by the king.
The passive participle is formed by prefixing to the verb the inseparable particle ter-; as ter-pukul, struck; ter-tulis, written. When ter- precedes per-, one of the particles drops its final letter; as te-per-sayang, compassionated; ter-pe-lanting, sent flying.
Other forms of the Verb.— In the preceding paradigms generally those changes have been inserted which result from the application of inseparable particles. But there are moods and tenses of the English verb which are translatable in Malay, though they are not included above because they involve the use of other words, which, though united to the verb in construction, do not form part of it.
Conditional or Potential.— In expressing a conditional or potential sense the verb undergoes no change, though following such conjunctions as “if,” “provided that,” “in order that;” as jika tuan datang, if you come; kalau raja me-larang, if the king should forbid; dapat kami ber-untong, provided we are successful; sapaya jangan hamba kĕna rugi, in order that I may not incur a loss; agar sapaya anak-nia menjadi ‘alim, in order that his children may become learned.
Optative.— An optative sense is generally indicated by such words as apa-lah, apa-lah kira-nia, prithee, expressions of entreaty, or garangan, forsooth, conveying the notion of a doubt or query; as barang di-sampei-kan Allah apa-lah kira-nia, may God in his goodness cause it to arrive. But sometimes these are understood; as di-bri Allah kamarau sadikit, may God grant a little fair weather.
Participle Present.— Continuity or existing duration of action is often expressed by the use of such words as lagi, still more, sambil, seraya, and serla, whilst at the same time the verb remains unaltered in form; as lagi datang, coming; lagi tidor, sleeping or still asleep; ber-jalan sambil ber-sinnyum, walked on smiling; meniambah serta meniapu ayer mata-nia, made obeisance, at the same time wiping away her tears.
Tengah, half, middle, is often used with the verb in a similar way; as dia tengah makan nasi, he was in the act of eating his dinner.