bertempat

Bertempat is a form found in Indonesian and Malay that consists of the prefix ber- attached to the noun tempat (place). In modern Indonesian, this exact lexical item is uncommon. The more standard expression to convey the location of an event or object is bertempat, a verb that literally means “to have a place” or “to be located at.” Because bertempat is commonly used with di to specify location, the construction bertempat is often treated as nonstandard or archaic by contemporary grammars and dictionaries. Some older texts or certain dialects may still encounter bertempat, but it is not the recommended form in standard Indonesian.

Etymology: tempat comes from the root meaning “place,” while ber- is a derivational prefix that forms stative or habitual verbs. The implied meaning of bertempat would be something like “to have a place” or “to be situated,” aligning with other ber- constructions, though this exact formation is not widely used in today’s standard language.

Usage: When indicating where something takes place, the preferred form is bertempat di + location, for example, “Acara itu bertempat di Aula Utama.” Alternatives include “berlokasi di” or “terletak di.” The form bertempat tends to appear in historical texts, some legal Indonesian, or as a colloquial misformation that modern style guides generally discourage.

See also: bertempat, terletak, lokasi, tempat.