berbahasa

Indonesian

Etymology

From ber- +‎ bahasa.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /bərbaˈhasa/ [bər.baˈha.sa]
• Rhymes: -asa
• Syllabification: ber‧ba‧ha‧sa

Verb

bêrbahasa

1. to speak (to be able to communicate in a language)

   Synonym: tuturkan

   Dia bisa berbahasa Inggris dengan lancar.

   He can speak English fluently.

2. (uncommon) to use polite language

Malay

Etymology

Affixation of ber- +‎ bahasa.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [bə(r).ba.hə.sa], [bə(r).ba.ha.sa]
  • (Southern Peninsular Malaysia Standard) IPA^(key): [bə(r).ba.hə.sə], [bə(r).ba.ha.sə]
• Hyphenation: ber‧ba‧ha‧sa

Verb

berbahasa (Jawi spelling بربهاس)

1. (transitive) to speak (of a language)

   Adam fasih berbahasa Perancis.

   Adam speaks French fluently.

2. (intransitive) to have good manners

   Synonyms: berbudi bahasa, beradab

Further reading

• "berbahasa" in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu (PRPM) [Malay Literary Reference Centre (PRPM)] (in Malay), Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017
  (also see "berbahasa" at PRPM first version)