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Welcome to Lesson 32 of the Latinum Institute Indonesian Course. Today we explore oleh, the Indonesian preposition meaning “by,” which marks the agent in passive constructions. This is one of the most important grammatical features distinguishing Indonesian from English.
The passive voice in Indonesian uses the prefix di- attached to verbs, with oleh optionally introducing the agent who performs the action. The pattern is: Patient + di-Verb + (oleh) + Agent. For example: Buku itu ditulis oleh penulis terkenal — “That book was written by a famous author.”
Unlike English, where passive voice is often discouraged in formal writing, Indonesian uses passive constructions extensively across all registers — in literature, journalism, academic texts, and everyday conversation. Understanding oleh is therefore essential for both comprehension and production of natural Indonesian.
In this lesson, we present 30 examples demonstrating oleh in various contexts, from simple everyday sentences to complex literary passages. The word appears in different positions and with different verb types, illustrating its grammatical flexibility.
For the complete course index, visit: https://latinum.substack.com/p/index
What does “oleh” mean in Indonesian? The Indonesian word “oleh” functions as a preposition meaning “by” when introducing the agent (doer) of an action in passive sentences. It follows verbs marked with the passive prefix di- and identifies who or what performed the action.
Key Takeaways
The passive voice with di- and oleh is extremely common in Indonesian and does not carry the same stylistic stigma as English passive. Oleh is mandatory when there is intervening material between the verb and agent, but optional when the agent directly follows the di- verb. The construction parallels English “by” but appears far more frequently in natural Indonesian discourse.
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32.1a Buku book itu that ditulis PASS-write oleh by penulis writer terkenal famous
32.1b Buku (BOO-koo) book itu (EE-too) that ditulis (dee-TOO-lees) PASS-write oleh (OH-leh) by penulis (puh-NOO-lees) writer terkenal (ter-kuh-NAL) famous
32.2a Rumah house ini this dibangun PASS-build oleh by ayah father saya my
32.2b Rumah (ROO-mah) house ini (EE-nee) this dibangun (dee-bah-NGOON) PASS-build oleh (OH-leh) by ayah (AH-yah) father saya (SAH-yah) my
32.3a Surat letter itu that dikirim PASS-send oleh by temanku friend-my
32.3b Surat (SOO-rat) letter itu (EE-too) that dikirim (dee-KEE-reem) PASS-send oleh (OH-leh) by temanku (tuh-MAHN-koo) friend-my
32.4a Makanan food sudah already disiapkan PASS-prepare oleh by ibu mother
32.4b Makanan (mah-KAH-nahn) food sudah (SOO-dah) already disiapkan (dee-see-AHP-kahn) PASS-prepare oleh (OH-leh) by ibu (EE-boo) mother
32.5a Cerita story ini this diceritakan PASS-tell oleh by nenek grandmother setiap every malam night
32.5b Cerita (chuh-REE-tah) story ini (EE-nee) this diceritakan (dee-chuh-ree-tah-KAHN) PASS-tell oleh (OH-leh) by nenek (NEH-nek) grandmother setiap (suh-TYAHP) every malam (MAH-lahm) night
32.6a Pintu door dibuka PASS-open oleh by angin wind kencang strong
32.6b Pintu (PEEN-too) door dibuka (dee-BOO-kah) PASS-open oleh (OH-leh) by angin (AH-ngeen) wind kencang (kuhn-CHAHNG) strong
32.7a Lagu song itu that dinyanyikan PASS-sing oleh by penyanyi singer dari from Jakarta Jakarta
32.7b Lagu (LAH-goo) song itu (EE-too) that dinyanyikan (dee-nyah-NYEE-kahn) PASS-sing oleh (OH-leh) by penyanyi (puh-NYAH-nyee) singer dari (DAH-ree) from Jakarta (jah-KAR-tah) Jakarta
32.8a Keputusan decision akan will diambil PASS-take oleh by pemerintah government besok tomorrow
32.8b Keputusan (kuh-poo-TOO-sahn) decision akan (AH-kahn) will diambil (dee-AHM-beel) PASS-take oleh (OH-leh) by pemerintah (puh-muh-REEN-tah) government besok (BEH-sok) tomorrow
32.9a Anak child itu that diajar PASS-teach oleh by guru teacher yang who baik good
32.9b Anak (AH-nahk) child itu (EE-too) that diajar (dee-AH-jar) PASS-teach oleh (OH-leh) by guru (GOO-roo) teacher yang (yahng) who baik (BAH-eek) good
32.10a Novel novel terkenal famous itu that ditulis PASS-write oleh by Pramoedya Pramoedya Ananta Ananta Toer Toer
32.10b Novel (NO-vel) novel terkenal (ter-kuh-NAL) famous itu (EE-too) that ditulis (dee-TOO-lees) PASS-write oleh (OH-leh) by Pramoedya (prah-MOO-dyah) Pramoedya Ananta (ah-NAHN-tah) Ananta Toer (TOO-er) Toer
32.11a Masalah problem ini this harus must diselesaikan PASS-solve oleh by kita we bersama together
32.11b Masalah (mah-SAH-lah) problem ini (EE-nee) this harus (HAH-roos) must diselesaikan (dee-suh-luh-SAH-ee-kahn) PASS-solve oleh (OH-leh) by kita (KEE-tah) we bersama (ber-SAH-mah) together
32.12a Berita news itu that disampaikan PASS-deliver oleh by wartawan journalist tadi earlier pagi morning
32.12b Berita (buh-REE-tah) news itu (EE-too) that disampaikan (dee-sahm-PAH-ee-kahn) PASS-deliver oleh (OH-leh) by wartawan (war-TAH-wahn) journalist tadi (TAH-dee) earlier pagi (PAH-gee) morning
32.13a Tarian dance tradisional traditional itu that ditampilkan PASS-perform oleh by seniman artist muda young
32.13b Tarian (tah-REE-ahn) dance tradisional (trah-dee-see-oh-NAHL) traditional itu (EE-too) that ditampilkan (dee-tahm-PEEL-kahn) PASS-perform oleh (OH-leh) by seniman (suh-NEE-mahn) artist muda (MOO-dah) young
32.14a Pekerjaan work ini this tidak not bisa can dilakukan PASS-do oleh by satu one orang person saja only
32.14b Pekerjaan (puh-ker-JAH-ahn) work ini (EE-nee) this tidak (TEE-dahk) not bisa (BEE-sah) can dilakukan (dee-lah-KOO-kahn) PASS-do oleh (OH-leh) by satu (SAH-too) one orang (OH-rahng) person saja (SAH-jah) only
32.15a Kebenaran truth akhirnya finally diungkapkan PASS-reveal oleh by saksi witness di at pengadilan court
32.15b Kebenaran (kuh-buh-NAH-rahn) truth akhirnya (ah-KHEER-nyah) finally diungkapkan (dee-oong-KAHP-kahn) PASS-reveal oleh (OH-leh) by saksi (SAHK-see) witness di (dee) at pengadilan (pung-ah-DEE-lahn) court
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32.1 Buku itu ditulis oleh penulis terkenal. “That book was written by a famous author.”
32.2 Rumah ini dibangun oleh ayah saya. “This house was built by my father.”
32.3 Surat itu dikirim oleh temanku. “That letter was sent by my friend.”
32.4 Makanan sudah disiapkan oleh ibu. “The food has already been prepared by mother.”
32.5 Cerita ini diceritakan oleh nenek setiap malam. “This story is told by grandmother every night.”
32.6 Pintu dibuka oleh angin kencang. “The door was opened by a strong wind.”
32.7 Lagu itu dinyanyikan oleh penyanyi dari Jakarta. “That song was sung by a singer from Jakarta.”
32.8 Keputusan akan diambil oleh pemerintah besok. “The decision will be made by the government tomorrow.”
32.9 Anak itu diajar oleh guru yang baik. “That child is taught by a good teacher.”
32.10 Novel terkenal itu ditulis oleh Pramoedya Ananta Toer. “That famous novel was written by Pramoedya Ananta Toer.”
32.11 Masalah ini harus diselesaikan oleh kita bersama. “This problem must be solved by us together.”
32.12 Berita itu disampaikan oleh wartawan tadi pagi. “That news was delivered by the journalist this morning.”
32.13 Tarian tradisional itu ditampilkan oleh seniman muda. “That traditional dance was performed by young artists.”
32.14 Pekerjaan ini tidak bisa dilakukan oleh satu orang saja. “This work cannot be done by just one person.”
32.15 Kebenaran akhirnya diungkapkan oleh saksi di pengadilan. “The truth was finally revealed by the witness in court.”
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32.1 Buku itu ditulis oleh penulis terkenal.
32.2 Rumah ini dibangun oleh ayah saya.
32.3 Surat itu dikirim oleh temanku.
32.4 Makanan sudah disiapkan oleh ibu.
32.5 Cerita ini diceritakan oleh nenek setiap malam.
32.6 Pintu dibuka oleh angin kencang.
32.7 Lagu itu dinyanyikan oleh penyanyi dari Jakarta.
32.8 Keputusan akan diambil oleh pemerintah besok.
32.9 Anak itu diajar oleh guru yang baik.
32.10 Novel terkenal itu ditulis oleh Pramoedya Ananta Toer.
32.11 Masalah ini harus diselesaikan oleh kita bersama.
32.12 Berita itu disampaikan oleh wartawan tadi pagi.
32.13 Tarian tradisional itu ditampilkan oleh seniman muda.
32.14 Pekerjaan ini tidak bisa dilakukan oleh satu orang saja.
32.15 Kebenaran akhirnya diungkapkan oleh saksi di pengadilan.
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These are the grammar rules for oleh (by):
The Indonesian Passive Construction
Indonesian forms passive sentences differently from English. The basic pattern uses the prefix di- attached to the verb root, with oleh optionally introducing the agent:
Active: Ibu memasak makanan. (Mother cooks the food.) Passive: Makanan dimasak oleh ibu. (The food is cooked by mother.)
The transformation involves moving the object (makanan) to subject position, changing the verb prefix from meN- to di-, and marking the former subject with oleh.
When oleh is Required vs. Optional
Oleh is optional when the agent directly follows the di- verb: Makanan dimasak ibu (The food is cooked by mother). Oleh becomes mandatory when anything intervenes between verb and agent: Makanan dimasak dengan cepat oleh ibu (The food is cooked quickly by mother).
Omitting the Agent
Like English, Indonesian allows agentless passives: Makanan sudah dimasak (The food has been cooked). This is common when the agent is unknown, unimportant, or deliberately obscured.
Combining oleh with Pronouns
The third-person pronoun -nya can attach to oleh forming olehnya (by him/her/it): Buku itu ditulis olehnya (The book was written by him/her). Free-standing pronouns also work: oleh dia, oleh saya, oleh kita.
Passive with First and Second Person Agents
When the agent is first or second person, Indonesian often uses a different construction with the pronoun before the verb (without di-): Buku itu saya tulis (That book, I wrote it / That book was written by me). This is extremely common in spoken Indonesian.
Frequency of Passive Voice
Unlike English style guides that often discourage passive voice, Indonesian uses passive constructions extensively — estimated at 30-40% of sentences in formal writing compared to 4-5% in English. This is not considered poor style; it is natural Indonesian.
Common Mistakes
Learners often forget the di- prefix when using oleh, producing incorrect sentences like Buku tulis oleh dia instead of Buku ditulis oleh dia.
Another error is using oleh with active verbs: Dia oleh menulis buku is incorrect. Oleh only appears in passive constructions.
English speakers sometimes over-translate, using oleh where Indonesian would omit it or use a different construction entirely.
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The prevalence of passive voice in Indonesian reflects deeper cultural values. In Javanese and broader Indonesian culture, direct assertion of agency can be considered impolite or boastful. The passive construction allows speakers to describe events without emphasizing who did what — a form of linguistic humility.
In formal contexts, using passive voice shows respect and avoids the appearance of self-promotion. A job applicant might say Laporan ini ditulis oleh saya (This report was written by me) rather than the more assertive active Saya menulis laporan ini (I wrote this report).
Academic and official Indonesian is heavily passive. Government documents, news reports, and scholarly articles use passive constructions at rates that would seem excessive to English speakers but are perfectly natural and expected in Indonesian.
The word oleh also appears in certain fixed expressions: oleh karena itu (therefore, because of that), oleh sebab itu (for that reason). These function as discourse connectors rather than agent markers.
Regional variations are minimal for standard oleh. In colloquial Jakarta Indonesian (bahasa gaul), passive constructions may be simplified, but oleh remains standard across the archipelago.
The relationship between active meN- verbs and passive di- verbs is systematic and productive. Learning this alternation is fundamental to Indonesian fluency.
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From Bumi Manusia (This Earth of Mankind) by Pramoedya Ananta Toer (1980):
Deretan row panjang long gerbong carriage sebesar as-big-as rumah house penuh full barang goods dan and orang people pula also ditarik PASS-pull oleh by kekuatan power air water semata only
Deretan (duh-REH-tahn) row panjang (PAHN-jahng) long gerbong (ger-BONG) carriage sebesar (suh-buh-SAR) as-big-as rumah (ROO-mah) house penuh (PUH-nooh) full barang (BAH-rahng) goods dan (dahn) and orang (OH-rahng) people pula (POO-lah) also ditarik (dee-TAH-reek) PASS-pull oleh (OH-leh) by kekuatan (kuh-koo-AH-tahn) power air (AH-eer) water semata (suh-MAH-tah) only
Dunia world rasanya feel-it tiada not berjarak have-distance lagi anymore telah already dihilangkan PASS-eliminate oleh by kawat wire
Dunia (DOO-nyah) world rasanya (rah-SAH-nyah) feel-it tiada (tee-AH-dah) not berjarak (ber-JAH-rahk) have-distance lagi (LAH-gee) anymore telah (tuh-LAH) already dihilangkan (dee-hee-lahng-KAHN) PASS-eliminate oleh (OH-leh) by kawat (KAH-waht) wire
Deretan panjang gerbong sebesar rumah, penuh barang dan orang pula, ditarik oleh kekuatan air semata! ... Dunia rasanya tiada berjarak lagi — telah dihilangkan oleh kawat.
“A long row of carriages as big as houses, full of goods and people too, pulled by the power of water alone! ... The world felt as if it had no distance anymore — it had been eliminated by wire.”
Deretan panjang gerbong sebesar rumah, penuh barang dan orang pula, ditarik oleh kekuatan air semata! Dunia rasanya tiada berjarak lagi — telah dihilangkan oleh kawat.
This passage from Pramoedya’s masterwork describes the wonder of steam locomotion and telegraph technology in colonial Java. The narrator Minke marvels at modernity.
ditarik oleh kekuatan air — “pulled by the power of water” (steam). The passive ditarik (PASS-pull) from root tarik shows physical force being exerted on an object.
dihilangkan oleh kawat — “eliminated by wire” (telegraph). The passive dihilangkan (PASS-eliminate) from root hilang (disappear) with causative suffix -kan. The telegraph wire has caused distance to disappear.
Note how Pramoedya uses passive voice to emphasize the marvels themselves (the carriages, the world) rather than human agents. This creates a sense of wonder at impersonal technological forces reshaping reality.
semata — “only, merely” — emphasizes the miraculous simplicity: just water (steam) achieves this wonder.
Pramoedya Ananta Toer (1925-2006) composed Bumi Manusia while imprisoned without trial on Buru Island. He first narrated the story orally to fellow prisoners before writing it down. The novel, set in colonial Java around 1898-1918, follows the Javanese intellectual Minke as he navigates Dutch colonial society.
The passage illustrates Pramoedya’s modernist concerns: the transformation of the Indonesian world through technology, and the formation of national consciousness. The passive constructions with oleh are not merely grammatical choices but thematic ones — they show how colonial subjects experienced modernity as something done to them by external forces.
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The following 15 examples form a coherent news report about a cultural festival, demonstrating how passive voice with oleh dominates Indonesian journalism.
32.16a Festival festival budaya culture tahunan annual dibuka PASS-open oleh by gubernur governor kemarin yesterday
32.16b Festival (fes-TEE-vahl) festival budaya (boo-DAH-yah) culture tahunan (tah-HOO-nahn) annual dibuka (dee-BOO-kah) PASS-open oleh (OH-leh) by gubernur (goo-ber-NOOR) governor kemarin (kuh-MAH-reen) yesterday
32.17a Acara event ini this dihadiri PASS-attend oleh by ribuan thousands pengunjung visitor dari from berbagai various daerah region
32.17b Acara (ah-CHAH-rah) event ini (EE-nee) this dihadiri (dee-hah-DEE-ree) PASS-attend oleh (OH-leh) by ribuan (ree-BOO-ahn) thousands pengunjung (pung-OON-joong) visitor dari (DAH-ree) from berbagai (ber-BAH-gah-ee) various daerah (dah-EH-rah) region
32.18a Sambutan welcoming-speech disampaikan PASS-deliver oleh by ketua chief panitia committee dengan with penuh full semangat spirit
32.18b Sambutan (sahm-BOO-tahn) welcoming-speech disampaikan (dee-sahm-PAH-ee-kahn) PASS-deliver oleh (OH-leh) by ketua (kuh-TOO-ah) chief panitia (pah-nee-TEE-ah) committee dengan (duh-NGAHN) with penuh (PUH-nooh) full semangat (suh-MAH-ngaht) spirit
32.19a Tarian dance pembuka opening dipersembahkan PASS-present oleh by kelompok group seni art lokal local
32.19b Tarian (tah-REE-ahn) dance pembuka (puhm-BOO-kah) opening dipersembahkan (dee-per-suhm-BAH-kahn) PASS-present oleh (OH-leh) by kelompok (kuh-LOM-pok) group seni (SUH-nee) art lokal (LOH-kahl) local
32.20a Pameran exhibition kerajinan handicraft dikunjungi PASS-visit oleh by wisatawan tourist asing foreign dan and domestik domestic
32.20b Pameran (pah-MEH-rahn) exhibition kerajinan (kuh-rah-JEE-nahn) handicraft dikunjungi (dee-koon-JOON-gee) PASS-visit oleh (OH-leh) by wisatawan (wee-sah-TAH-wahn) tourist asing (AH-seeng) foreign dan (dahn) and domestik (doh-MES-teek) domestic
32.21a Makanan food tradisional traditional disajikan PASS-serve oleh by para the-plural pedagang trader di at sepanjang along jalan street
32.21b Makanan (mah-KAH-nahn) food tradisional (trah-dee-see-oh-NAHL) traditional disajikan (dee-sah-JEE-kahn) PASS-serve oleh (OH-leh) by para (PAH-rah) the-plural pedagang (puh-DAH-gahng) trader di (dee) at sepanjang (suh-pahn-JAHNG) along jalan (JAH-lahn) street
32.22a Konser concert musik music daerah regional diadakan PASS-hold oleh by pemerintah government kota city setiap every malam night
32.22b Konser (KON-ser) concert musik (MOO-seek) music daerah (dah-EH-rah) regional diadakan (dee-ah-dah-KAHN) PASS-hold oleh (OH-leh) by pemerintah (puh-muh-REEN-tah) government kota (KOH-tah) city setiap (suh-TYAHP) every malam (MAH-lahm) night
32.23a Lomba competition menulis writing diikuti PASS-follow oleh by lebih more dari than seratus hundred peserta participant
32.23b Lomba (LOM-bah) competition menulis (muh-NOO-lees) writing diikuti (dee-ee-KOO-tee) PASS-follow oleh (OH-leh) by lebih (luh-BEEH) more dari (DAH-ree) than seratus (suh-RAH-toos) hundred peserta (puh-SER-tah) participant
32.24a Hadiah prize utama main diserahkan PASS-hand-over oleh by walikota mayor kepada to pemenang winner
32.24b Hadiah (HAH-dee-ah) prize utama (oo-TAH-mah) main diserahkan (dee-suh-RAHH-kahn) PASS-hand-over oleh (OH-leh) by walikota (wah-lee-KOH-tah) mayor kepada (kuh-PAH-dah) to pemenang (puh-muh-NAHNG) winner
32.25a Keamanan security dijaga PASS-guard oleh by petugas officer kepolisian police selama during acara event berlangsung take-place
32.25b Keamanan (kuh-ah-MAH-nahn) security dijaga (dee-JAH-gah) PASS-guard oleh (OH-leh) by petugas (puh-TOO-gahs) officer kepolisian (kuh-poh-lee-SEE-ahn) police selama (suh-LAH-mah) during acara (ah-CHAH-rah) event berlangsung (ber-lahng-SOONG) take-place
32.26a Dana fund festival festival disumbangkan PASS-donate oleh by perusahaan company swasta private dan and pemerintah government
32.26b Dana (DAH-nah) fund festival (fes-TEE-vahl) festival disumbangkan (dee-soom-bahng-KAHN) PASS-donate oleh (OH-leh) by perusahaan (puh-roo-sah-HAH-ahn) company swasta (SWAHS-tah) private dan (dahn) and pemerintah (puh-muh-REEN-tah) government
32.27a Liputan coverage acara event dilakukan PASS-do oleh by berbagai various media media nasional national dan and internasional international
32.27b Liputan (lee-POO-tahn) coverage acara (ah-CHAH-rah) event dilakukan (dee-lah-KOO-kahn) PASS-do oleh (OH-leh) by berbagai (ber-BAH-gah-ee) various media (MEH-dee-ah) media nasional (nah-see-oh-NAHL) national dan (dahn) and internasional (een-ter-nah-see-oh-NAHL) international
32.28a Dokumentasi documentation foto photo dibuat PASS-make oleh by tim team profesional professional untuk for arsip archive
32.28b Dokumentasi (doh-koo-men-TAH-see) documentation foto (FOH-toh) photo dibuat (dee-BOO-aht) PASS-make oleh (OH-leh) by tim (teem) team profesional (proh-feh-see-oh-NAHL) professional untuk (OON-took) for arsip (AR-seep) archive
32.29a Penutupan closing festival festival ditandai PASS-mark oleh by pertunjukan show kembang flower api fire yang which spektakuler spectacular
32.29b Penutupan (puh-noo-TOO-pahn) closing festival (fes-TEE-vahl) festival ditandai (dee-tahn-DAH-ee) PASS-mark oleh (OH-leh) by pertunjukan (per-toon-JOO-kahn) show kembang (kuhm-BAHNG) flower api (AH-pee) fire yang (yahng) which spektakuler (spek-tah-KOO-ler) spectacular
32.30a Keberhasilan success acara event ini this dipuji PASS-praise oleh by semua all pihak party yang who terlibat involved
32.30b Keberhasilan (kuh-ber-hah-SEE-lahn) success acara (ah-CHAH-rah) event ini (EE-nee) this dipuji (dee-POO-jee) PASS-praise oleh (OH-leh) by semua (suh-MOO-ah) all pihak (PEE-hahk) party yang (yahng) who terlibat (ter-LEE-baht) involved
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32.16 Festival budaya tahunan dibuka oleh gubernur kemarin. “The annual cultural festival was opened by the governor yesterday.”
32.17 Acara ini dihadiri oleh ribuan pengunjung dari berbagai daerah. “This event was attended by thousands of visitors from various regions.”
32.18 Sambutan disampaikan oleh ketua panitia dengan penuh semangat. “The welcoming speech was delivered by the committee chief with great enthusiasm.”
32.19 Tarian pembuka dipersembahkan oleh kelompok seni lokal. “The opening dance was presented by a local art group.”
32.20 Pameran kerajinan dikunjungi oleh wisatawan asing dan domestik. “The handicraft exhibition was visited by foreign and domestic tourists.”
32.21 Makanan tradisional disajikan oleh para pedagang di sepanjang jalan. “Traditional food was served by the traders along the street.”
32.22 Konser musik daerah diadakan oleh pemerintah kota setiap malam. “Regional music concerts were held by the city government every night.”
32.23 Lomba menulis diikuti oleh lebih dari seratus peserta. “The writing competition was entered by more than a hundred participants.”
32.24 Hadiah utama diserahkan oleh walikota kepada pemenang. “The main prize was handed over by the mayor to the winner.”
32.25 Keamanan dijaga oleh petugas kepolisian selama acara berlangsung. “Security was guarded by police officers during the event.”
32.26 Dana festival disumbangkan oleh perusahaan swasta dan pemerintah. “Festival funds were donated by private companies and the government.”
32.27 Liputan acara dilakukan oleh berbagai media nasional dan internasional. “Event coverage was done by various national and international media.”
32.28 Dokumentasi foto dibuat oleh tim profesional untuk arsip. “Photo documentation was made by a professional team for the archive.”
32.29 Penutupan festival ditandai oleh pertunjukan kembang api yang spektakuler. “The festival closing was marked by a spectacular fireworks display.”
32.30 Keberhasilan acara ini dipuji oleh semua pihak yang terlibat. “The success of this event was praised by all parties involved.”
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32.16 Festival budaya tahunan dibuka oleh gubernur kemarin.
32.17 Acara ini dihadiri oleh ribuan pengunjung dari berbagai daerah.
32.18 Sambutan disampaikan oleh ketua panitia dengan penuh semangat.
32.19 Tarian pembuka dipersembahkan oleh kelompok seni lokal.
32.20 Pameran kerajinan dikunjungi oleh wisatawan asing dan domestik.
32.21 Makanan tradisional disajikan oleh para pedagang di sepanjang jalan.
32.22 Konser musik daerah diadakan oleh pemerintah kota setiap malam.
32.23 Lomba menulis diikuti oleh lebih dari seratus peserta.
32.24 Hadiah utama diserahkan oleh walikota kepada pemenang.
32.25 Keamanan dijaga oleh petugas kepolisian selama acara berlangsung.
32.26 Dana festival disumbangkan oleh perusahaan swasta dan pemerintah.
32.27 Liputan acara dilakukan oleh berbagai media nasional dan internasional.
32.28 Dokumentasi foto dibuat oleh tim profesional untuk arsip.
32.29 Penutupan festival ditandai oleh pertunjukan kembang api yang spektakuler.
32.30 Keberhasilan acara ini dipuji oleh semua pihak yang terlibat.
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This news report demonstrates the overwhelming preference for passive voice in Indonesian journalism. Notice how nearly every sentence uses the di- + oleh construction.
di- + oleh frequency: All 15 sentences use passive voice with explicit oleh agents. This density is typical of Indonesian news writing, where objectivity is expressed through de-emphasizing human agency.
Compound agents: Several sentences show multiple agents joined by dan (and): oleh wisatawan asing dan domestik (by foreign and domestic tourists), oleh perusahaan swasta dan pemerintah (by private companies and government).
Institutional agents: News writing frequently uses collective/institutional agents: oleh pemerintah kota (by the city government), oleh petugas kepolisian (by police officers), oleh berbagai media (by various media).
Time expressions: Notice how time markers (kemarin, setiap malam, selama acara berlangsung) integrate naturally with the passive construction without affecting oleh placement.
Verb variety: The genre section demonstrates many different di- verbs: dibuka (opened), dihadiri (attended), disampaikan (delivered), dipersembahkan (presented), dikunjungi (visited), disajikan (served), diadakan (held), diikuti (followed/participated), diserahkan (handed over), dijaga (guarded), disumbangkan (donated), dilakukan (done), dibuat (made), ditandai (marked), dipuji (praised).
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oleh /o.leh/ — Two syllables: OH-leh. The ‘o’ is a pure mid-back rounded vowel, not a diphthong. The ‘e’ in the second syllable is a schwa (pepet) in some dialects or a clear /e/ in others.
di- prefix /di/ — Always pronounced DEE, attached directly to the verb root without pause.
Key pronunciation points for this lesson:
The prefix di- never carries primary stress; stress falls on the root verb’s penultimate syllable: di-TU-lis, di-BA-ngun, di-KI-rim.
The Indonesian ‘r’ is a tapped or trilled alveolar, never the English approximant: terkenal, pertunjukan.
The letter ‘c’ is always pronounced /tʃ/ (like English ‘ch’): acara (ah-CHAH-rah), cerita (chuh-REE-tah).
The letters ‘ng’ represent a single sound /ŋ/ (as in English ‘sing’): angin, pengunjung, berlangsung.
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This lesson is part of the Latinum Institute Modern Language Course series, designed for autodidact learners seeking systematic language acquisition through interlinear glossed texts.
The Latinum Institute has been creating language learning materials since 2006, pioneering the revival of traditional construed-text methodology for modern language acquisition. Our approach draws on techniques proven effective over centuries of classical language education, adapted for contemporary learners.
The interlinear glossing method provides immediate comprehension without constant dictionary consultation. By seeing meaning directly beneath each word, learners absorb vocabulary and grammatical patterns simultaneously. The duplex format — showing both the target text and pronunciation guide with glosses — accelerates both reading and listening skills.
Indonesian presents an excellent opportunity for English speakers: relatively simple phonology, no grammatical gender, no verb conjugation for person/number, and a largely regular derivational morphology. However, the voice system (active meN- vs. passive di-) requires careful attention, making lessons like this one particularly valuable.
For more information about Latinum Institute courses and methodology, visit: -
Course Index: https://latinum.substack.com/p/index -
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The CSV-based curriculum ensures systematic coverage of high-frequency vocabulary, progressing from the most common words to less frequent but essential items. This frequency-based approach maximizes communicative competence at every stage.
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✓ Lesson 32 Indonesian complete
Nexal code: @ᴸᴱˢˢᴼᴺ.32.ᴵᴺᴰᴼᴺᴱˢᴵᴬᴺ.ᴼᴸᴱᴴ.ᶜᴼᴹᴾᴸᴱᵀᴱ
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