ter- and ke-
In formal Indonesian prefix ter- has several functions, however in colloquial Indonesian only accidental verb can take ke- instead of ter-.
| Formal Form | Colloquial Form | Meaning |
| Jangan termakan oleh cinta saja. Pencurinya sudah tertangkap. Jangan tertawa keras-keras. |
Jangan kemakan ama cinta aja. Pencurinya udah ketangkep. Jangan ketawa keras-keras. |
Don’t be consumed by love alone. The thief has been caught. Don’t laugh too loud. |
Prefix ke- can also occur with verbs indicating ability, or with a negative, inability.
| Formal Form | Colloquial Form | Meaning |
| Apakah tulisannya terbaca? Rumahnya tidak terurus. |
Tulisannya kebaca nggak? Rumahnya nggak keurus. |
Can you read his writing? He is not able to take care of his house. |
The following sentence combines the prefix ke- that indicates inability and then accidental:
| Formal Form | Colloquial Form | Meaning |
| Seandainya tidak terbeli sekarang nanti terbawa mimpi. | Kalo nggak kebeli sekarang nanti kebawa ngimpi. | If she can’t buy it now, she’s going to dream about it. |
In a few context prefix ke- can occur where prefix ter- doesn’t occur such as the following:
| Formal Form | Colloquial Form | Meaning |
| Kemarin saya bertemu Doni. Lamaran saya belum tentu diterima. Saya ingin sekolah lagi. Itu lebih baik dibandingkan harus bekerja. |
Kemaren gue ketemu Doni. Lamaran gue belom tentu keterima. Saya kepengen sekolah lagi. Itu lebih baik ketimbang harus kerja. or Itu lebih baik dibandingin harus bekerja. |
I met/saw Doni yesterday. I am not certain that my application will be accepted. I want to study again. That’s better rather than(compared with) to having to work. |
There is no tertemu, terterima, tertimbang, teringin.
Reference: Colloquial Jakartan Indonesian by James Neil Sneddon, 2006