Paraphrasing in Indonesian (parafrase) means restating someone’s idea in fresh words and structure while keeping the meaning — and still crediting the source. The principles are universal, but Indonesian has features that make some techniques easier than in English. Here’s how to paraphrase well in Bahasa Indonesia.
Why most paraphrasing fails
The common mistake is the same in any language: swapping a few synonyms while keeping the original sentence shape. The result is awkward and still too close to the source. Real paraphrasing rebuilds the sentence — see our paraphrasing techniques guide.
Techniques that work well in Indonesian
- Switch active and passive. Indonesian moves fluidly between active (me-) and passive (di-) forms. “Peneliti melakukan survei” ↔ “Survei dilakukan oleh peneliti” — a clean structural change.
- Reorder clauses. Move the karena/sehingga clause to the front or back to reshape the sentence.
- Change word class with affixes. Indonesian’s affix system lets you turn verbs into nouns easily: menganalisis → analisis, membandingkan → perbandingan — then rebuild around the new word.
- Use standard (baku) synonyms where natural — but keep the register formal and don’t force rare words.
A worked example
Original: “Pandemi mempercepat adopsi kerja jarak jauh di banyak perusahaan.” Weak: “Pandemi mempercepat penggunaan kerja jarak jauh di banyak perusahaan.” (just one synonym — too close) Strong: “Di banyak perusahaan, kerja jarak jauh diadopsi jauh lebih cepat akibat pandemi.” (reordered + active→passive + reworded)
Keep it formal and standard
Paraphrasing for academic work means using baku words and correct affixes. Watch the di- prefix vs preposition, and nonstandard spellings — our guide to common Indonesian grammar mistakes covers the traps.
How the tools help
When your paraphrase still hugs the original, the paraphraser works fully in Bahasa Indonesia — paste your sentence, see a genuinely restructured version across modes, then pick the one that says exactly what you mean. Finish with the grammar checker to catch any affix or baku slips.
Always cite the source
This is the line that matters: changing the words doesn’t make the idea yours. If you paraphrase a source, you still add a citation — build it with the citation generator and see paraphrasing vs plagiarism. Parafrase to write clearly in your own voice; cite to stay honest.
AI-powered — please review results before use.