pernah

Pernah is an Indonesian and Malay adverb meaning "at any time previously; ever; once." It is used to indicate that an event or experience occurred somewhere in the past, at least once. In Indonesian, the word typically precedes the main verb and marks experiential past, often appearing in questions as well as declarative statements.

In questions, pernah prompts about personal experience or familiarity with something. Examples include: "Apakah kamu pernah ke Jepang?" meaning "Have you ever been to Japan?" and "Kamu pernah mencoba makanan itu sebelumnya?" meaning "Have you ever tried that food before?" In declarative sentences, pernah can express that someone has experienced something at least once, as in "Saya pernah tinggal di Bandung," "I have lived in Bandung." Negative forms use belum pernah or tidak pernah to mean "has never" or "have never," as in "Dia belum pernah naik gunung" or "Saya tidak pernah menonton film itu."

Pernah interacts with other aspect markers to nuance meaning. With sudah or belum, it can emphasize completion or recent experience, as in "Saya sudah pernah makan itu" (I have already tried that) or "Saya belum pernah mencoba itu" (I have not yet tried that). In formal or literary Indonesian, is sometimes contrasted with telah, which also marks past events but with a nuance of completed action and with a more formal register; pernah, by contrast, emphasizes experiential reach rather than merely completion.

In Malay, penggunaan pernah mirrors Indonesian usage, including questions like "Pernahkah kamu pergi ke sana?" and statements such as "Saya pernah bekerja di sana." The word is widely understood in both languages and remains a common device to express past experiences that occurred at least once.