pertama

Indonesian

Indonesian ordinal numbers

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Cardinal : satu     Ordinal : pertama

Etymology

From Malay pertama, from Sanskrit प्रथम (prathamá, “first”), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *pratamás (“first, foremost”), from Proto-Indo-European *pro-tm̥mós (“foremost”). Doublet of pratama.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /pərˈtama/ [pərˈt̪a.ma]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ama
• Syllabification: per‧ta‧ma

Adjective

pertama

1. first

   Synonym: kesatu

Usage notes

The suppletive ordinal number pertama is normally used elsewhere, while kesatu is only used to make emphasis directly on the ordering (compare anak pertama vs. anak kesatu, both similarly means "the first child" but the latter means more of "child no. 1").

Further reading

• “pertama”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

Malay

Malay ordinal numbers

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Cardinal : satu     Ordinal : pertama

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit प्रथम (prathamá). Partially displaced native words kesatu.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pərtama/
  • (schwa-variety) IPA^(key): [pə(r)tamə]
• Rhymes: -ama, -ma, -a

Adjective

pertama (Jawi spelling ڤرتام, comparative lebih pertama, superlative paling pertama)

1. first

Descendants

• Indonesian: pertama

Further reading

• "pertama" in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu (PRPM) [Malay Literary Reference Centre (PRPM)] (in Malay), Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017