Formal Passive and Impersonal in Indonesian

In Brief

Formal Indonesian often puts the event, result, or information first and leaves the person responsible unstated. The main tools are an agentless di- passive, as in Keputusan ini telah disetujui, and impersonal frames such as Dapat dikatakan bahwa ... and Perlu diketahui bahwa .... These patterns are especially common in reports, academic prose, official notices, and news writing.

Overview

A passive clause presents the person or thing affected by an action as the subject (the part of the sentence that the statement is about). In Keputusan ini telah disetujui “This decision has been approved,” the decision is foregrounded; whoever approved it is not named. Indonesian forms this kind of passive mainly with di- attached directly to the verb root: setuju → disetujui, bahas → dibahas, and umum → diumumkan.

At C1, the challenge is no longer simply recognizing di-. It is learning how formal writers use passive wording to manage focus, avoid an unnecessary or unknown agent, and present statements with an institutional or objective tone. English does this too, but English normally requires a subject such as “it” in “It can be said that ...” Indonesian does not add an empty equivalent of “it”: Dapat dikatakan bahwa ... is already complete.

These constructions are useful, but they are not automatically better than active sentences. A passive is natural when the action or outcome matters more than the actor. If responsibility is important, naming the actor may be clearer.

How It Works

1. The agentless di- passive

The core pattern is:

affected participant + time/aspect/modal word + di-verb + additional information

An agent is the person or organization that performs the action. In formal passive writing, the agent is frequently omitted because it is unknown, obvious from context, unimportant, or deliberately backgrounded.

Function	Indonesian pattern	Example	Meaning
Basic passive	subject + di-verb	Usulan itu ditolak.	The proposal was/is rejected.
Completed event	subject + telah/sudah di-verb	Laporan telah diterbitkan.	The report has been published.
Future or intended event	subject + akan di-verb	Hasilnya akan diumumkan.	The results will be announced.
Possibility	subject + dapat/bisa di-verb	Data dapat diakses.	The data can be accessed.
Obligation	subject + harus/perlu di-verb	Formulir harus diisi.	The form must be completed.
Explicit agent	subject + di-verb oleh + agent	Kebijakan itu disusun oleh kementerian.	The policy was drafted by the ministry.

Write di- as part of the verb: dibahas, diterbitkan, diketahui. This differs from the preposition di meaning “in/at/on,” which is written separately: di kantor “at the office.”

Indonesian verbs do not change form for grammatical tense in the way English verbs do. Context and words such as telah “already/has,” sedang “currently,” and akan “will” locate the event in time. Therefore disetujui can mean “is approved,” “was approved,” or “be approved,” depending on its context.

2. Impersonal modal + passive frames

A particularly formal pattern places a modal or evaluative word before a passive verb, often with no stated subject:

modal/evaluative word + di-verb + bahwa-clause

A clause is a group of words built around a statement or action. Bahwa introduces a content clause and usually corresponds to English “that.”

Frame	Practical meaning	Typical purpose
dapat dikatakan bahwa ...	it can be said that ...	cautious conclusion
perlu diketahui bahwa ...	it should be noted/known that ...	directing attention to information
harus diakui bahwa ...	it must be acknowledged that ...	conceding a point
dapat disimpulkan bahwa ...	it can be concluded that ...	stating an inference
perlu ditegaskan bahwa ...	it must/should be emphasized that ...	strengthening an important point
diperkirakan bahwa ...	it is estimated that ...	reporting an estimate without naming the estimator

In these expressions, English supplies dummy “it,” but Indonesian normally begins directly with dapat, perlu, harus, or the passive verb. Do not translate English word for word by adding itu as a grammatical placeholder. Indonesian itu points to an actual thing or idea; it is not an empty subject.

The order matters. Modals and aspect markers normally precede the passive verb: dapat diketahui, perlu dipertimbangkan, telah disetujui, akan diumumkan. The prefix remains attached to the verb.

3. Adding or omitting the agent

When an agent must be identified, oleh introduces it:

Dokumen tersebut ditandatangani oleh direktur.

“The document was signed by the director.”

With a short agent directly after the passive verb, oleh can sometimes be omitted: ditandatangani direktur. This compact pattern is common in news and administrative prose. However, oleh is clearer when the agent is long, when another phrase intervenes, or when the writer wants to emphasize who acted.

An agentless passive is not truly “without an actor” in meaning. It simply leaves the actor unexpressed. Compare:

• Tim penilai menyetujui usulan itu. — “The review team approved the proposal.” The actor is the focus.
• Usulan itu disetujui oleh tim penilai. — “The proposal was approved by the review team.” The proposal is the focus, but the actor is stated.
• Usulan itu telah disetujui. — “The proposal has been approved.” The result is the focus; the actor is omitted.

4. Relative and prepositional impersonal wording

Formal prose also embeds passive verbs inside a relative clause (a clause that describes a noun), usually introduced by yang:

• data yang diperoleh — “the data obtained”
• ketentuan yang telah ditetapkan — “the provisions that have been established”
• berdasarkan informasi yang tersedia — “based on the available information”

The expression menurut apa yang diketahui means roughly “according to what is known.” Here, apa yang diketahui is “what is known”: apa yang turns the following passive statement into the content referred to by menurut. In many real contexts, berdasarkan informasi yang diketahui/tersedia or sejauh yang diketahui may sound more precise.

Examples in Context

Indonesian	English	Note
Dapat dikatakan bahwa kebijakan tersebut cukup berhasil.	It can be said that the policy was fairly successful.	Cautious formal assessment
Perlu diketahui bahwa jadwal dapat berubah sewaktu-waktu.	It should be noted that the schedule may change at any time.	Draws attention to a condition
Keputusan ini telah disetujui.	This decision has been approved.	Completed result; agent omitted
Hasil penelitian akan diumumkan bulan depan.	The research results will be announced next month.	akan marks future time
Semua permohonan harus diajukan secara daring.	All applications must be submitted online.	Formal instruction
Data pribadi tidak boleh dibagikan tanpa izin.	Personal data must not be shared without permission.	Prohibition with passive verb
Dapat disimpulkan bahwa kedua faktor tersebut saling berkaitan.	It can be concluded that the two factors are related.	Impersonal inference
Harus diakui bahwa pelaksanaannya belum optimal.	It must be acknowledged that its implementation is not yet optimal.	Formal concession
Diperkirakan bahwa jumlah peserta akan meningkat.	It is estimated that the number of participants will increase.	Source of estimate not named
Dokumen tersebut ditandatangani oleh kedua pihak.	The document was signed by both parties.	Agent explicitly introduced by oleh
Ketentuan yang telah ditetapkan wajib dipatuhi.	The provisions that have been established must be followed.	Passive inside a relative clause
Menurut apa yang diketahui saat ini, tidak ada korban jiwa.	According to what is currently known, there were no fatalities.	Limits the claim to current knowledge
Masalah ini masih perlu dibahas lebih lanjut.	This issue still needs to be discussed further.	masih perlu + passive
Informasi lebih lanjut dapat diperoleh melalui situs resmi.	Further information can be obtained through the official website.	Common notice wording

Common Mistakes

Writing the verbal prefix as a separate word

• Wrong: Keputusan itu telah di setujui.
• Right: Keputusan itu telah disetujui.
• Why: Passive di- is a prefix and attaches to the verb. Only locative di is separate, as in di Jakarta.

Adding an English-style dummy subject

• Wrong: Itu dapat dikatakan bahwa hasilnya baik.
• Right: Dapat dikatakan bahwa hasilnya baik.
• Why: Indonesian does not need a meaningless equivalent of English “it.” Use itu only when it actually refers to something: Itu dapat dikatakan dengan lebih jelas “That can be said more clearly.”

Putting the modal after the passive verb

• Wrong: Laporan diterbitkan akan besok.
• Right: Laporan akan diterbitkan besok.
• Why: akan, dapat, harus, and similar words normally come before the passive verb.

Using oleh when no agent follows

• Wrong: Keputusan telah disetujui oleh.
• Right: Keputusan telah disetujui.
• Why: oleh introduces an actual agent. If the agent is omitted, omit oleh too.

Hiding information that readers need

• Unclear: Kesalahan telah dilakukan.
• Clearer when responsibility matters: Kontraktor telah melakukan kesalahan tersebut.
• Why: A grammatical passive can still be poor communication. Name the actor when accountability or practical action depends on knowing who did what.

Treating telah as an English past-tense ending

• Misleading: adding telah to every English sentence containing “was” or “has been”
• Better: choose telah when completedness is relevant; otherwise rely on context: Gedung itu dibangun pada 1990 “The building was built in 1990.”
• Why: telah is a formal aspect marker showing completion, not a compulsory past-tense marker.

Usage Notes

Agentless passives are frequent in official announcements, regulations, research writing, news reports, meeting records, and procedural instructions. They let a document maintain continuity by keeping the same topic in subject position: a paragraph about proposal ini can continue with diajukan, ditinjau, and disetujui without repeatedly naming different officials.

Telah and dapat tend to sound more formal than sudah and bisa, although all four are standard Indonesian. A public notice may say Permohonan telah diterima and Informasi dapat diakses, while everyday conversation is more likely to use sudah diterima and bisa diakses. The distinction is one of register, not a rigid grammatical ban.

English readers should be cautious with translation. English often uses “should be noted” as a conventional phrase, but perlu diketahui literally presents the information as necessary to know. Depending on context, natural English may be “note that,” “please be aware that,” or “it is important to know that.” Conversely, not every English passive should become an Indonesian di- passive; an active Indonesian sentence may be more direct and natural.

Repeated impersonal frames can make prose heavy. Dapat dikatakan bahwa is useful for a cautious claim, but it should not be attached to every conclusion. If the evidence supports a direct sentence, state it directly. Similarly, perlu diketahui bahwa is best reserved for information the reader genuinely needs to notice.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

di- passive versus ter- forms

Formal writing also contains many ter- forms, but ter- is not simply a more formal substitute for di-. Depending on the word, ter- may describe a resulting state, an unintended event, or an ability:

Contrast	Usual interpretation
Pintu itu ditutup oleh petugas.	The door was closed by the officer: deliberate action
Pintu itu tertutup.	The door is closed: resulting state
Namanya ditulis di daftar.	His/her name was written on the list: action
Namanya tertulis di daftar.	His/her name is written/appears on the list: existing state

Some ter- words are established lexical items, so meaning cannot always be predicted mechanically. Learn frequent forms such as terkait “related,” tersedia “available,” and tercantum “listed/stated” as complete vocabulary items.

Impersonality as a rhetorical choice

Formal passive wording can create distance between writer and claim. Dapat disimpulkan bahwa ... presents a conclusion as arising from evidence, whereas Kami menyimpulkan bahwa ... openly identifies the researchers. Neither is inherently more correct. Academic and professional writers choose between them according to whether the procedure, result, institution, or individual decision-maker should be foregrounded.

The same choice affects accountability. Telah diputuskan bahwa ... “It has been decided that ...” may be suitable when the deciding body is already known. If it is not known, readers may reasonably ask who made the decision. Skilled formal writing uses agentlessness selectively rather than as a blanket sign of sophistication.

Dense passive chains

Administrative prose may place several passives close together: Dokumen yang telah diperiksa akan dikirim setelah formulir ditandatangani. This is grammatical, but long chains can burden the reader. Break them up or restore an active agent where that improves clarity: Petugas akan mengirim dokumen setelah pemohon menandatangani formulir. Advanced control means being able both to produce formal passives and to revise them away.

Practice Tips

1. Rewrite one event three ways. Start with an active sentence, then make a passive with oleh, then omit the agent: Panitia mengumumkan hasilnya → Hasilnya diumumkan oleh panitia → Hasilnya telah diumumkan. Notice how the focus changes.
2. Build a frame bank. Keep short examples with dapat dikatakan bahwa, perlu diketahui bahwa, harus diakui bahwa, and dapat disimpulkan bahwa. Replace the content clause with claims from articles you read.
3. Audit real formal texts. In a news report or official notice, underline every di- verb. Ask whether the agent is stated, recoverable from context, or intentionally irrelevant—and whether an active rewrite would be clearer.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Prefix di- (Passive) — review the basic formation of di- verbs and the use of oleh before focusing on formal, agentless patterns.