Bisa

Bisa is a common word in Indonesian and Malay that expresses ability or possibility. As a modal auxiliary verb, it is used to indicate that someone is able to do something or that a situation is possible. For example, Saya bisa membaca means “I can read,” and Kamu bisa datang malam ini means “You can come tonight.” The form can be negated with tidak bisa or ga bisa, as in Saya tidak bisa datang.

Bisa also forms questions with the inverted politer structure Bisakah kamu…? as in Bisakah kamu membantu saya? In everyday use, bisa appears in affirmative statements, negative sentences, and in hypothetical or conditional contexts. A frequent collocation is bisa jadi, meaning “it could be” or “perhaps,” as in Bisa jadi dia terlambat.

In Malay, bisa carries the same core meaning of ability or possibility and is widely used in casual speech. In more formal contexts, other words such as boleh (may, allowed) or dapat (to be able) may be preferred depending on the sense of permission or capability.

Etymology and distribution: bisa belongs to the core lexicon of Austronesian languages and is widely used across Indonesian and Malay varieties. Its exact historical origins are not fully settled, but it is considered a fundamental word for expressing capability and possibility in both languages.

See also: Indonesian language, Malay language, modal verbs.