per-
Prefix ‘per’ is usually accompanied by prefix ‘me-’ before it. In order to facilitate a smooth transition in pronunciation letter ‘m’ is added between the prefix ‘me-’ and ‘per-’. However, the first letter or initial ‘p’ from the prefix ‘per-’ is retained.
Examples
| Root Word | Meaning | me + m + per + Root Word | In a Sentence | Meaning |
| ketat | tight | memperketat | Polisi sudah memperketat penjagaan di bandar udara | Police have tightened security at the airport |
| besar | large | memperbesar | Kardi sudah memperbesar rumahnya | Kardi has enlarged his house |
| panjang | long | memperpanjang | Keluarga itu harus memperpanjang liburannya | That family has to extend(lengthen) their holiday |
| tajam | sharp | mempertajam | Bapak sedang mempertajam pisau ini | Father is sharpening this knife |
| lancar | fluent | memperlancar<> | Mahasiswa itu sudah memperlancar bahasa Indonesianya | That student has improved(literally: made more fluent) his Indonesian |
Reference:
Indonesian: A Comprehensive Grammar (Routledge Grammars) by James Neil Sneddon(Dec 26, 1996)
Understanding Indonesian Grammar: A Student’s Reference and Workbook by James Neil Sneddon (Mar 2008)