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PREFIX Se-

Prefix Se- occurs with group numbers to form cardinal numbers and in fractions. It also replaces the number "satu" before classifiers.

To form cardinal numbers

sepuluh
sebelas
seratus
seribu
sejuta
semilyar

"ten"
"eleven"
"one hundred"
"one thousand"
"one million"
"one billion"

To form fractions

sepertiga
seperempat
seperlima
sepersepuluh
seperduapuluh

But: setengah or separuh

"one third"
"one fourth"
"one fifth"
"one tenth"
"one twentieth"

"half"

To replace "satu" before classifiers

ekor (tail)
helai (piece)
orang (person)
titik (dot, drop)
gelas (glass)
piring (plate)
cangkir (cup)

seekor kuda
sehelai kain batik
seorang wanita
setitik air
segelas susu
sepiring nasi
secangkir kopi

"a horse"
"a piece of batik cloth"
"a woman"
"a drop of water"
"a glass of milk"
"a plate of rice"
"a cup of coffee"


EXAMPLES:

1. Ada sebelas orang mahasiswa di kelas ini, sepuluh di antaranya adalah wanita.
    There are eleven students in this class, ten of them are females.

2. Hanya seperlima dari penduduk desa itu yang tidak buta huruf.
    Only one-fifth of the population of that village who are literate.

3. Untuk membuat kue itu, dibutuhkan tepung sebanyak setengah kilogram.
    To make that cake, needed flour a half kilogram.

4. Tadi pagi saya melihat seorang wanita cantik sedang membeli sehelai kain batik sementara suaminya membeli sepiring pisang goreng dan secangkir kopi.
    This morning I saw a beautiful woman who was buying a piece of batik cloth whilst her husband was buying a plate of fried banana and a cup of coffee.


Adapted from:
Indonesian: A Comprehensive Grammar
Sneddon, James Neil, Routledge, London, 1996.