Prefix meN is needed in a statement.

In this post, I would like to tell readers another grammatical rule in Malay.

If a sentence is a 'ayat penyata' (statement), the the transitive verb in it must be preceded by meN (this notation stands for me, mem, men, meng, meny and menge). Let us look at some examples for illustration purposes.

1 Dia beli sebuah buku di kedai itu. (wrong)
Dia membeli sebuah buku di kedai itu. (correct) [Prefix mem is used.]
[He bought a book at the shop.]

2 Saya lepaskan burung itu ke udara. (wrong)
Saya melepaskan burung itu ke udara. (correct) [Prefix me is used.]
[I released the bird into the air.]

3 Mereka sedang cari wang yang hilang itu. (wrong)
Mereka sedang mencari wang yang hilang itu. (correct) [Prefix men is used]
[They are looking for the missing money.]

4 Lina sudah pos surat itu. (wrong)
Lina sudah mengepos surat itu. (correct) [Prefix menge is used.]
[Lina has posted the letter.]

5 Adikku suka pakai baju putih. (wrong)
Adikku suka memakai baju putih. (correct) [prefix mem is used. p is to be dropped here.]
[My brother likes to wear white shirt.]

6 Pustakawan itu susun buku-buku itu setiap hari. (wrong)
Pustakawan itu menyusun buku-buku itu setiap hari. (correct) [Pefix meny is used. s is to be dropped here.]
[The librarian arranges the books every day.]

I hope readers and Malay language enthuasiasts are clear about the above rule by now.

So much for another grammatical rule in Malay - the language I teach and love.