"Mereka memainkan sendok dan garpu mereka."
Translation:They are playing with their spoons and forks.
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What is the function of memainkan here, benefactive or causative? This sentence is part of the Me-kan 1 lesson and the tips don't really help, since nobody really seem to 'suffer' an action.
Can we suppose it's benefactive because the spoons and the forks are being played with, so they 'suffer' the playing action?
"Memainkan" in this particular sentence is causative. One of the meanings of "memainkan" is "to mock" or "to spoil". "Memainkan" + spoons/forks = not use them for the original purpose, but use them like a toy and spoil the value as cutlery. Spoons/forks themselves are the victims of the "me-kan" action.
The suffix "-kan" bears the nuance of "with" from "to play with" in English, so you don't need "dengan".
"Memainkan sendok/garpu" = the victims are sendok/garpu themselves because they are the direct object.
"Memainkan dengan sendok/garpu" = Demonstrate a music performance etc. to someone else by collaborating spoons/forks. -- it sounds unnatural, though. There is an unmentioned audience there, and he/she is the beneficiary of the action.
Word bank: "They are playing with their spoons and forks" would be more usual, unless they are playing their spoons & forks as musical instruments.
They are playing with their spoons and forks. = not accepted, reported
Do we need to put "dengan" before "sendok" here?? Or "memainkan" itself means "to play with"?