bekerja

Bekerja is an Indonesian and Malay verb meaning to work or to be employed. It describes the act of performing tasks, providing services, or operating a machine, whether for remuneration or as part of one’s duties. The verb is commonly used to indicate occupation, professional activity, or general labor, as in bekerja sebagai guru (to work as a teacher) or bekerja di perusahaan (to work at a company).

The word is formed from the root kerja (work) with the prefix be-. In Indonesian, be- verbs convey action related to the root; bekerja is the standard infinitive form in formal use. Related nouns include pekerjaan (job), pekerja (worker), and pekerjaan rumah (household chores) when used in different contexts.

In Indonesian grammar, verbs are not conjugated for tense. Time and aspect are indicated with adverbs or auxiliary words. For example, saya sedang bekerja expresses an ongoing action (present continuous), saya telah bekerja signals a completed action (perfect), and saya akan bekerja indicates future action. Common collocations include bekerja keras (to work hard) and bekerja lembur (to work overtime).

Bekerja sits within a broader set of terms about labor and employment. It contrasts with keria informal speech where kerja may be used as a noun or in casual verb forms. In formal, workplace, and economic contexts, bekerja emphasizes the action of performing work, while the related nouns pekerjaan and pekerja focus on the job and the worker, respectively.