Verbs with built-in prepositions (Additional Exercises, Prepositions Units 12, 119-136)
Pattern
Section titled “Pattern”Some English verbs already include a preposition in their meaning. They take a direct object, never a preposition + object. Indonesian uses membahas tentang, menghubungi dengan, memasuki ke — English folds the preposition into the verb.
| Verb | Already means | Right | Wrong | Indonesian false-friend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| discuss | talk about | discuss it | membahas tentang | |
| describe | tell about | describe it | menjelaskan tentang | |
| mention | refer to | mention it | menyebut tentang | |
| emphasise | stress / place emphasis on | emphasise it | menekankan tentang | |
| reach | arrive at | reach a decision | mencapai ke | |
| contact | get in touch with | contact him | menghubungi dengan | |
| enter | go into | enter the room | memasuki ke | |
| marry | marry her | menikahi dengan | ||
| resemble | look like / be similar to | resemble his father | menyerupai dengan | |
| lack | be without | lack experience | kekurangan akan |
Don’t say discuss about / describe about / mention about / contact with / enter into / reach to / emphasise on / lack of (as a verb) / marry with / resemble to.
“Over” phrasal verbs (the other trap)
Section titled ““Over” phrasal verbs (the other trap)”The user’s companion question: discuss over it is wrong, but over IS a real preposition in English — with phrasal verbs, not with transitive verbs.
| Phrasal verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| talk over | discuss thoroughly | Let’s talk it over. |
| think over | consider carefully | I’ll think it over. |
| look over | examine quickly | Look over this report. |
| go over | review / repeat | Go over the notes again. |
| get over | recover from | Get over the flu. |
| take over | assume control | She took over the project. |
Rule: these are fixed pairs — learn them as one unit. You cannot swap over for about or on. Talk over it ≠ talk about it in register, but only these specific verbs take over this way.
Why Indonesian speakers get it wrong
Section titled “Why Indonesian speakers get it wrong”Indonesian prepositions (tentang, dengan, ke, akan) are separate words that mark grammatical roles. The verb membahas literally means “discuss”, and tentang is the preposition “about” — written next to each other: membahas tentang. Translating word-for-word gives discuss about, which is wrong.
English is preposition-poor, phrasal-verb-rich. Many verbs hide the preposition inside themselves, and the few standalone prepositions we have are reserved for specific phrasal-verb pairs.
Quick test
Section titled “Quick test”If the verb is transitive (describes an action on a thing), try it with a direct object only. If that sounds natural, the preposition is built-in — don’t add one.
- discuss it ✓
- discuss about it ✗
- I contacted him ✓
- I contacted with him ✗
- She resembles her mother ✓
- She resembles to her mother ✗
Source
Section titled “Source”Raymond Murphy, English Grammar in Use (4th ed.), Additional Exercises — Prepositions (Units 12, 119-136). Ebot lesson 2026-08-29: “We have to ___ it” → discuss (not discuss over / discuss about). User follow-up: clarified the question is about over / about / - (the three option forms), confirming discuss it is the only correct choice.