Malay The Complete Course For Beginners

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Colloquial
Malay
The Complete Course
for Beginners
Zaharah Othman
First published 1995
This second edition first published 2012
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 1995 Sutanto Atmosumarto and Zaharah Othman
© 2012 Zaharah Othman
The right of Zaharah Othman to be identified as author of this work has been
asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any
form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented,
including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks,
and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Zaharah Othman.
Colloquial Malay: the complete course for beginners / Zaharah Wan. — 2nd ed.
p. cm. — (Colloquial 2s series: the next step in language learning)
Previous ed.: 1995.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Malay language—Conversation and phrase books—English. 2. Malay language—
Spoken Malay. I. Title.
PL5108.O85 2012
499′.2883421—dc23
2011020908
ISBN: 978-0-415-57252-1 (pack)

ISBN: 978-0-415-57250-7 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-0-415-57251-4 (CD)
ISBN: 978-0-203-85613-0 (ebk)
ISBN: 978-0-415-57253-8 (MP3)
Typeset in Avant Garde and Helvetica

by Graphicraft Limited, Hong Kong
Contents
Malay transcription and pronunciation vii
1 Berkenalan 1
Getting acquainted
2 Maaf, saya tak faham 16
Sorry, I don’t understand
3 Mau ke mana? 35
Where to?
4 Nak keluar makan? 51
Want to go out and eat?
5 Membeli-belah 64
Shopping
6 Jangan! 78
Don’t!
7 Bila sampai? 90
When did you arrive?
8 Selamat Hari Raya 106
Happy Eid
9 Saya sakit kepala 125
I have a headache
10 Ada macam-macam 140
There are all sorts of things
11 Amboi, tinggi sungguh menara ni! 154
Wow, this tower is so tall!
12 Tak apa! 166
Never mind!
13 Entahlah! 174
I don’t know!
14 Helo, boleh saya bantu? 185
Hello, can I help?
vi Contents
15 Tiket dibeli minggu lepas 195

The tickets were bought last week
Key to exercises 207

Malay–English glossary 220
Index 228
Malay transcription and pronunciation vii
Malay transcription
and pronunciation
The Malay language, Bahasa Melayu, is an Austronesian language,

spoken in countries such as Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Singapore,
central eastern Sumatra in Indonesia, and parts of the Philippines
and southern Thailand. Written in roman characters and without the
problematic elements of tone and gender found in other languages,
a student of the Malay language will find it easier to learn. All syllables
are pronounced almost equally and speakers of the Malay language
speak at a more flowing pace, almost singsong to the ear. Perhaps
the most challenging aspect of learning Malay would be the use of
classifiers or measure words, peculiar only to a handful of languages
in Asia, such as Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, Burmese and
Bengali. Another challenging aspect is the usage of prefixes and
suffixes.
In this edition of Colloquial Malay, attempts have been made to
teach Malay as it is spoken, as opposed to the way it is written. Malay
spoken across the region varies in dialect and accent; in Indonesia
it has a more staccato sound with a very distinct roll of the r, while
in Brunei Darussalam, the Malay spoken there is more similar to that
spoken in Sabah. Singapore Malay, while very similar to the Malay
spoken in Malaysia, has a rather distinct Singaporean element only
detectable by Malay speakers in the region. Within the Malay Peninsula
itself, there are many different accents with some words having
different meanings colloquially. Thus to have a truly Colloquial Malay
from the region is an impossible task.
It is impossible to learn a language without knowing its culture.
Therefore, where possible, applicable and relevant, there are culture
points, which usually follow a text.
While the basic elements of grammar in Malay remain the same,
its verb forms, nouns, adjectives and adverbs, prefixes, suffixes and
viii Malay transcription and pronunciation
the reduplication of words, sentence structure, spelling and pronun-

ciation may differ slightly.
This book has taken into account Malay as spoken every day, as
it evolves with the challenges of the modern world and the ever
increasing use of borrowed words, especially from Arabic, Sanskrit,
Chinese, Indian and Portuguese.
Similar to the English language, Malay uses a rising intonation for
yes-no questions.
In Malay, there are five vowels, a, e, i, o and u, and 34 consonants.
The vowels do not have an exact equivalent in English, while out
of the 34 consonants, six can be roughly pronounced as in English.
They are f, m, n, l, s and y. Pronunciation of the Malay consonants
and vowels is dealt with later in this section.
Word stress
There is no stress in the Malay word. Speakers of Malay do not depend
on stress to emphasise something but use intonation to express
emotions and attitudes. The Malay word is segmented into syllables
which receive almost equal stress, e.g. pa/pan (two syllables), ma/
ka/nan (three syllables), ke/sim/pu/lan (four syllables).
Malay speakers tend to shorten their words, dropping prefixes
and suffixes, all of which are understood in context. Here are some
examples of such words:
tetapi (but) tapi

sahaja (only) saja
tetamu (guest) tamu
kakak (elder sister) kak
abang (elder brother) bang
Kamu hendak pergi ke mana? (Where do you want to go?)

Kamu nak ke mana?
John mencuci muka. (John washes his face)

John cuci muka.
In some words, a glottal stop // can occur at the end, especially when
it ends with k, for example, kakak, but there are a few words which
Malay transcription and pronunciation ix
do not end with k but are actually pronounced as if there were a k.

The glottal stop, or rather the voiceless glotta plosive, is a type of
consonant sound used in many spoken languages and in Malay it is
represented by the letter k.
Here are a few examples:
nasi: pronounced as nasi(k)

bapa: pronounced as bapa(k)
pula: pronounced as pula(k)
juga: pronounced as juga(k)
bawa: pronounced as bawa(k)
ambil: pronounced as ambi(k)
Intonation
In Malay, as in English, a statement can be turned into a question
simply by using a rising intonation at the end of the statement,
especially in sentences requiring a yes/no answer.
Examples
Dia beli kereta baru. He bought a new car.

Dia beli kereta baru? He bought a new car?
John suami Mary. John is Mary’s husband.
John suami Mary? John is Mary’s husband?
A falling intonation is used for questions with question tags, e.g. what,
who, when.
Examples
Apa dia kata? What did he say?

Bila Heidi pergi? When did Heidi go?
Siapa guru kamu? Who is your teacher?
Pronunciation
In Malay there are five basic vowel phonemes: a, e, i, o and u.
Diphthongs or glides are made by combining one with another.
x Malay transcription and pronunciation
Vowels (CD1; 2–5)
a
There are two ways of pronouncing a, depending on its position
within a word. When it occurs in the initial position or in between two
consonants, it is pronounced like the ‘a’ in ‘father’.
Examples
anak child taman garden
alamat address badan body
amalan practice sasaran target
When a occurs in the final position, it is pronounced like the ‘a’ in

the word ‘visa’.
Examples
ada to have bahaya dangerous
apa what mana where
acara event apabila when
When combined with i or u, a produces the diphthongs ai as in ‘bye’

or ‘tie’ and au as in ‘cow’ and ‘bow’.
Examples
baik good laut sea
naik to go up daun leaf
main to play pulau island
e (CD1; 6)
There are two different ways to pronounce e in Malay. One is like
the ‘a’ in ‘ago’ or ‘amiss’. The other is somewhere between the ‘e’
in ‘bed’ and the ‘a’ in ‘bad’.
‘e’ as in ‘ago’ ‘e’ as in between ‘bed’ and ‘bad’
emas gold
enam six elak to avoid
empat four eja to spell
penat tired meja table
sedap delicious lelong to auction
Malay transcription and pronunciation xi
In words such as bela, it is most important to have the correct

pronunciation:
bela to breed or to bring up bela to defend
i (CD1; 7)
In the initial position, i is pronounced similarly to the English vowel
sound in ‘be’. When it occurs in the second syllable, after a first
syllable containing i, especially in between two consonants, the sound
is between i and e. This is because the old spelling used to be i . . . e,
while now it is i . . . i.
Examples
itu that bilik (pronounced as bilek) room

pintu door sisik (pronounced as sisek) scale
berdiri to stand titik (pronounced as titek) dot
mimpi to dream pilih (pronounced as pileh) to choose
o (CD1; 8)
The Malay o is short, as in the English ‘saw’ or ‘door’.
Examples
soto a kind of soup botol bottle

kotor dirty orang people
kosong zero tonton to watch
When combined with /i/, o produces the diphthong /oi/: (CD1; 9)
amboi (an exclamation)
u (CD1; 10)
In an open syllable, this vowel sound is pronounced as in the
English ‘put’. In the list below the two /u’s/ are pronounced in the
same way.
Examples
susu milk sudu spoon

bulu hair cucu grandchild
kuku nail suhu temperature
xii Malay transcription and pronunciation
In a closed syllable, /u/ is pronounced like the /o/ in Malay. The old
Malay spelling used to be /u/ followed by /o/. (CD1; 11)
Examples
subuh (suboh) dawn musuh (musoh) enemy

luruh (luroh) to fall gunung (gunong) mountain
untuk (untok) for burung (burong) bird
Consonants
There are 24 consonants in the Malay alphabet. To help you understand

how to pronounce them, familiarize yourself with the following terms:
aspirated: followed by a puff of air. In English, there is a differ-

ence between the p in pin (aspirated) and the p in spin. Hold
your hand in front of your mouth while saying these two words,
and you will feel the difference!
voiced/voiceless: the difference between, for example, b and p
in English; in one you vibrate the vocal chords as you say it,
and in the other you don’t.
unreleased: no explosion in the production of /t/, /d/, /p/, /b/,
/k/, and /g/ in the final position.
t and d (CD1; 12–14)

Unlike the English t, the t in Malay is not aspirated when it occurs in
the syllable-initial position (no puff of air) as in the English word ‘time’.
When one of these sounds replaces the other in a word, the meaning
changes.
Initial position
Examples
tari dance dari from
tahan to endure dahan branch
tua old dua two
talam tray dalam inside
Malay transcription and pronunciation xiii
Final position
d is usually devoiced (voiceless) when it occurs at the end of a word/
syllable, whereas t is pronounced unreleased.
Examples
abad century cepat quick
murid pupil tempat place
Ahad Sunday sempit narrow
abjad alphabet rumput grass
p and b (CD1; 15–17)

p is voiceless, never aspirated and unreleased when it occurs in the
final position.
Examples
pagi morning tutup to close
petang afternoon tetap to fix
potong to cut atap roof
b is voiced. Note the difference in meaning when these two letters
replace each other in certain words.
Examples
bagi to give pagi morning
parang large knife barang things/object
puluh ten buluh bamboo
palang to cross balang a jar
In the final position in a word, both consonants, p and b, are
pronounced unreleased.
Examples
sebab because tangkap to catch
bab chapter dakap to embrace
Arab Arab cukup enough
lembab damp lengkap complete
k and g (CD1; 18)

When k is in the initial position it is not aspirated, and when in the
final position it is pronounced unreleased, making it a glottal stop.
xiv Malay transcription and pronunciation
The g in Malay is the counterpart of k and it is voiced and pronounced

very much like in the English word ‘go’. Note the contrast in meaning
in the pairs of words below when k is replaced by g or vice versa.
Examples
kelas class gelas glass
kakak elder sister gagak crow
kalah to defeat galah pole
karang to compose garang fierce
Here are some examples of k in the final position as a glottal stop.

(CD1; 19)
anak child banyak plenty
pokok tree pekak deaf
ajak to invite pijak to step
c and j (CD1; 20–21)

In Malay, c is pronounced as in the English word ‘choose’. j is pro-
nounced as in the English word ‘jump’. While c never appears in the
final position, j makes a rare appearance there in some words.
Examples
cari to find jari finger
acar pickle ajar to teach
garaj garage
faraj vagina
h (CD1; 22–24)
h is pronounced as in the English words ‘hooray’ and ‘hello’. It can
be found in the initial, medial and final positions. It must be noted
that in the final position, the h must be pronounced audibly otherwise
it carries a different meaning.
Initial and medial positions
Examples
hari day dahan branch
hujan rain tuhan god
bahasa language dahaga thirsty
Malay transcription and pronunciation xv
Final position
Examples
guruh thunder guru teacher
darah blood dara virgin
mudah easy muda young
In the middle position and flanked by two different vowels, the h is

not usually pronounced.
written spoken meaning
tahu tau to know

mahu mau to want
pahit pait bitter
dahi dai forehead
When h is flanked by the same vowel, it is pronounced clearly.
Examples
sihir witchcraft mohon to apply/request
leher neck dahan branch
ng (CD1; 25–28)
These two letters represent one sound, very much like the ‘ng’ in ‘sing’
and ‘ring’. When ng occurs in the initial and medial positions, it often
proves to be quite difficult for foreign speakers to pronounce.
Initial and medial positions

Examples
ngeri scary tengah middle
nganga to gape tangan hand
ngantuk sleepy jangan don’t
Final position
Examples
terbang to fly pulang to return
hilang to lose sarang nest
lubang hole subang earring
xvi Malay transcription and pronunciation
Combined ng and g
The three-letter combination ngg should be pronounced very much
like the Engish ‘ng’ in ‘angle’, ‘dongle’, ‘tango’, ‘bongo’, etc.
Examples
ganggu to disturb tangga stairs

bangga to feel proud tinggi tall/high
tinggal to live tanggal date
ny (CD1; 29)
The two letters ny represent one phonemic unit and are pronounced
like the ‘ny’ in ‘Kenya’ and ‘canyon’.
Examples
nyanyi to sing nyamuk mosquito

nyawa life kenyang to be full
banyak plenty sunyi quiet
r (CD1; 30)
r in Malay is similar to the English ‘r’, although it is rolled very gently,
especially when in the final position.
initial position syllable cluster final position
rasa to taste drama drama sabar to be patient

rosak faulty program programme besar big
roda wheel pra pre cabar to challenge
w (CD1; 31)
The Malay w differs from the ‘w’ in English, as it is pronounced with
much less rounding of the lips.
Examples
wajib obligatory wajah face

warna colour tawar tasteless
kawan friend waktu time
Malay transcription and pronunciation xvii
kh (CD1; 32)
These two letters are represented by one phonemic unit kh. Together
they sound like the ‘ch’ in the Scottish word ‘loch’ and can occur in
the beginning, in the middle and at the end of a syllable. Many of the
words with this sound have their origins in Arabic words.
initial middle final
khuatir to worry akhlak moral behaviour tarikh date

khabar news makhluk creature
sy (CD1; 33)
These two letters give the sound ‘sh’ as in the English words ‘shame’,
‘shock’ or ‘shy’.
Examples
dasyat terrible syurga heaven

syukur to be grateful syarat terms
isyarat signal syampu shampoo
m, n, l, s, f, v, y and z are all similar to their English counterparts.

(CD1; 34)
Examples
m makan to eat mandi to bathe

n nama name nampak to see
l lupa to forget lapar hungry
s siapa who sapu to sweep
f fikir to think filem film
v televisyen television
y yang that
z ziarah to visit
Unit One
Berkenalan
Getting acquainted
In this unit you will learn:

• how to introduce yourself and others
• pronouns
• greetings and how to say ‘thank you’: Apa khabar?
Terima kasih
• how to address people (formal and informal)
• about the Malay family and Malaysian society
• the question tag kah and how to give a yes/no answer
• the question word siapa?
Dialogue 1
(CD1; 35)
Salleh and his older brother Badrul meet Sarah Green, a student on
an exchange programme. They get to know each other.
Salleh Apa khabar? Saya Salleh.

sarah Khabar baik. Nama saya Sarah Green.
Salleh Selamat datang ke Malaysia.
Ini abang saya Badrul.
sarah Terima kasih. Apa khabar, Badrul?
Badrul Baik. Anda dari England?
sarah Ya, saya dari England. Saya orang Inggeris.
2 Unit 1: Berkenalan
Salleh How are you? I am Salleh.

sarah Fine. My name is Sarah Green.
Salleh Welcome to Malaysia.
This is my brother Badrul.
sarah Thank you. How are you, Badrul?
Badrul Fine. Are you from England?
sarah Yes, I am from England. I am English.
Vocabulary
apa khabar? How are you? (literally: What news?)
saya I
khabar baik I am fine (literally: Good news)
nama name
selamat datang Welcome (literally: Safe arrival)
ke to (a place) (preposition)
terima kasih Thank you (literally: receive (with) love)
ini this
abang older brother
anda you (formal)
dari from (a place)
ya yes
orang people, person
Inggeris English
dan and
Language point
Personal and possessive pronouns
In Malay, there are several pronoun words with the same English
meaning but the ways of using them are different, especially when
you are talking to different people. This will be dealt with in depth in
the Culture points.
Unit 1: Getting acquainted 3
Note that personal pronouns and possessive pronouns share the

same form in Malay.
You will also notice that there is no gender in the Malay language;
for example, the third person dia can be male or female. When
spoken in context, you will understand the gender of the person
referred to. Once you are familiar with Malay names, this will become
easier.
saya, aku I, me, my, mine

anda, kamu, awak, you, your, yours
engkau, kau
dia he/she, him/her, his/hers
mereka they, them, their, theirs
kita we, our, us (including person spoken to)
kami we, our, us (excluding person spoken to)
ia it, its
Examples
Anda Sarah. You are Sarah.
Nama anda David. Your name is David.
Ini anda punya. This is yours.
Saya Salleh. I am Salleh.
Nama saya Salleh. My name is Salleh.
Ini saya punya. This is mine.
Dia suka saya. She likes me.
Note that the third-person plural mereka ‘they’ is hardly used in

spoken Malay. Instead, the term more commonly used is dia orang,
literally ‘them people’. However, this must not be confused with dia
orang Inggeris ‘he is English’.
Example
Mereka kawan saya. or Dia orang kawan saya.
They are my friends.
In spoken Malay, many words are shortened, and what you hear is
not how these words are spelt. For example, the word itu ‘that’ is
almost always shortened to tu and the word ini ‘this’ shortened to
ni. Throughout the course you will notice that there are many words
that are shortened in spoken Malay.
Examples
orang tu that person

nak (hendak) to want
tau (tahu) to know
Culture point
Greetings
In Dialogue 1, Salleh greets Sarah with Apa khabar?, which literally

means ‘What news?’, and the answer is Khabar baik, which literally
means ‘Good news’ or simply baik ‘good’. However, note that when
Muslims greet each other, they almost always say:
Assalamualaikum ‘Peace be upon you’.
And the reply is:
Wa’alaikumussalam ‘And peace be upon you too’.
(Borrowed words will be dealt with in Unit 11.)
A handshake is the norm when greeting people. However, as Malaysia

is predominantly a Muslim country, you will find that some people are
hesitant to shake the hands of people of the opposite sex.
A fact worth noting is that when some Malaysian Muslims are about
to do their prayers they perform their ablutions, so touching or being
in contact with a person of the opposite sex would mean he/she would
have to perform their ablutions all over again, thus the reluctance to
shake hands. But this must not be taken as a rebuff.
A nod of the head and a smile sometimes would suffice if you are
not sure.
How about a peck on the cheek? This depends on how close you
are to that person. An overt display of affection is certainly not the
thing to do.
Hand kissing is the norm when a younger person meets an older
person. This is done as a sign of respect, especially among family
members.
When you enter a hotel or a restaurant, the person greeting you
will put his/her right hand on the chest just below the left shoulder,
like this:
Language point
Countries, languages and nationalities
When Sarah introduces herself she says:
Saya orang Inggeris. I am an English person.
Put the words negara ‘country’, bahasa ‘language’ and orang ‘person’
before the name of a country and you get the country, language and
nationality. While quite a few country names are the same as in English,
except perhaps for a slight difference in spelling, some have totally
different names in Malay.
See the following table for some examples.
Country Language Nationality
negara Jepun ‘Japan’ bahasa Jepun ‘Japanese’ orang Jepun ‘Japanese’

negara Jerman ‘Germany’ bahasa Jerman ‘German’ orang Jerman ‘German’
negara Belanda bahasa Belanda ‘Dutch’ orang Belanda ‘Dutch’
‘the Netherlands’
negara Perancis ‘France’ bahasa Perancis ‘French’ orang Perancis ‘French’
Exercise 1
Translate the following into Malay.
1 This is James. He is John’s older brother.

2 They are English.
3 That’s Andre and Anna. They are French.
4 Yoko is Japanese. She speaks Japanese.
5 Ingrid and Johan like Germany.
6 Gopal works in Holland.
Vocabulary
bercakap to speak bekerja to work
suka to like di in/at
Language point
Compound nouns
A noun can be qualified by another noun or nouns to produce a

compound noun. In the English language, the qualifiers come before
the noun they qualify, but in Malay it is the opposite. Therefore, if the
English word order is 1, 2, 3 then the order in Malay is 3, 2, 1.
Examples
Salleh’s (older) brother (1, 2) abang Salleh (2, 1)

my (older) brother’s name (1, 2, 3) nama abang saya (3, 2, 1)
(an) English person (1, 2) orang Inggeris (2, 1)
my friend (1, 2) kawan saya (2, 1)
my (older) brother’s friend (1, 2, 3) kawan abang saya (3, 2, 1)
However, the basic sentence structure in Malay is similar to English

when a verb is involved.
Examples
I work (1, 2) saya bekerja (1, 2)

she likes me (1, 2, 3) dia suka saya (1, 2, 3)
you eat bread (1, 2, 3) anda makan roti (1, 2, 3)
Culture points
Saya and aku
In the conversation between Salleh, Sarah and Badrul, the pronoun

saya is used for ‘I’. This is the most polite term meaning ‘I’ and is
the recommended one to use in any situation. However, you might
also hear people using the personal pronoun aku.
Aku is a term that is quite problematic as its usage and meaning
are quite extreme. It is usually used only among friends who are very
familiar and close to each other, and among people around the same
age. A younger person, a child, must never use aku to speak to older
people; for example, parents, teachers or superiors. And aku is
definitely not to be used on formal occasions, as in work situations,
especially with people you have just met.
However, at the other extreme, aku is used in songs to express
love, as well as in prayers to show one’s closeness to God.
Anda/kamu/awak/engkau
Similarly, although there are many words in Malay for ‘you’, it is best
to use anda, especially when you are speaking to a person whose
status you do not know. People who are familiar to each other can
certainly use the other terms.
Malays get away from using ‘I’ and ‘you’ because they generally
use their own names instead of saya, almost as a third person, and
refer to the person they are speaking to using his or her name. This
is especially so when speaking to family members and friends.
Examples
Hannah to Maria: Maria bekerja di bank?

Maria to Hannah: Ya, Maria bekerja di bank.
Hannah to Maria: Is Maria working in a bank?
Maria: Yes, Maria (I) am working in a bank.
Maria to her mother: Mak, Maria nak makan.
Mother to Maria: Maria nak makan apa? Mak masak kari.
Maria to her mother: Mother, Maria (I) want to eat.
Mother to Maria: What does Maria want to eat? Mother

(I) has cooked curry.
Note: When Maria speaks to her mother, she addresses her as Mak
(short for Emak). It is rather like saying ‘mum’ instead of ‘mother’.
Some people called their mother Ibu.
Selamat
The word selamat means ‘safe’. It is used to convey messages of
goodwill.
Here are several examples:
Selamat pagi Good morning
Selamat tengah hari Good afternoon (from 12 noon to 2pm)
Selamat petang Good afternoon (from 2pm to 6pm)
Selamat malam Good night
Note that Selamat malam is seldom used to greet someone at night.
It is usually used to bid someone ‘Good night’ before going to sleep
or as a goodbye.
Selamat tinggal Goodbye (said by the person who is leaving)
Selamat jalan Goodbye (literally ‘safe journey’ – said by
the person left behind)
Selamat datang Welcome
Exercise 2
What do you say:
1 when someone is leaving your house?
2 when you meet a friend in the morning?
3 when you welcome a friend at the door?
4 when you are leaving someone to go on a journey?
5 when you are parting company at night?
Dialogue 2
(CD1; 37)
Badrul and Sarah are getting to know each other and exchanging
information.
Badrul Anda suka Malaysia?

sarah Ya, saya suka Malaysia.
Saya pelajar di sini. Badrul pelajar?
Badrul Saya bukan pelajar. Saya bekerja di bank.
sarah Anda bekerja di Kuala Lumpur?
Badrul Tidak. Di Muar.
Mari makan.
sarah Baiklah. Terima kasih.
Badrul Sama-sama.
Badrul You like Malaysia?

sarah Yes, I like Malaysia.
I am a student here. Are you a student?
Badrul I am not a student. I work at a bank.
sarah You work in Kuala Lumpur?
Badrul No. In Muar.
Let’s eat.
sarah All right. Thank you.
Badrul You’re welcome.
Vocabulary
pelajar student makan to eat
di sini here baiklah all right
tidak no, not sama-sama you’re welcome,
mari let’s same to you
Language point
Ya, tak/tidak and bukan
As in English, a rising intonation at the end of a Malay sentence

denotes a question, even if there is no question tag word. And you
can answer using ya for ‘yes’ and tak or tidak for ‘no’. Tak is short
for tidak and is more commonly used in conversational Malay.
Tak negates a verb and adjective, whereas bukan negates a noun.

The suffix kah is sometimes used at the end of a sentence to make
it a question.
Yoko orang Jepunkah? Is Yoko Japanese?

Ya, Yoko orang Jepun. Yes, Yoko is Japanese.
Ingrid suka kari? Ingrid likes curry?
Tidak, Ingrid tak suka kari. No, Ingrid doesn’t like curry.
Paulo abang Sonia? Is Paulo Sonia’s brother?
Bukan, Paulo bukan No, Paulo is not Sonia’s brother.
abang Sonia.
Culture point
Malaysian society
Malaysian society is one that readily ‘adopts’ other people. Thus it is

most likely that you either find yourself to be a sister, brother, uncle
or aunty to someone you have just met. You will also find yourself in
situations where you are requested to call someone ‘sister’, ‘brother’,
‘aunty’ or ‘uncle’.
Here are the most common terms of address in informal
situations:
Pak Cik ‘Uncle’ – this is usually the form of address to a man

much older than you.
Mak Cik ‘Aunty’ – as above but to a woman much older
than you.
Encik – any male of adult age
Cik – a single woman of any age
Puan – a woman who is already married. It is worth noting here
that a Malay woman who is married does not take her hus-
band’s name. She retains her father’s name, as in: Fatimah binti
Hassan, binti being ‘daughter of’. (Binti in written form is usually
shortened to bt.) When Fatimah marries Ali, she is still Puan
Fatimah. It is her children who take their father’s name. For
example, Fatimah’s son will be: Ali bin Ahmad; bin being ‘son
of’. As with binti, bin is normally shortened to b in written form
or left out altogether.
Exercise 3
Use the appropriate pronouns (saya, kami, kita, anda, mereka/dia
orang, etc) in the following sentences:
1 Mat is speaking to an elderly gentleman.

Nama ________ Mat.
2 Jane and Joan are telling Amy about their lunch.
________ makan di restoran.
3 Anis and her sisters are talking to each other about their house.
Rumah ________ besar.
4 James is talking about Mary and her sisters.
________ bekerja di rumah.
5 Kay is asking a guest his name.
Apa nama ________?
Vocabulary
rumah house
besar big
restoran restaurant
Exercise 4
How would each person address the other?
1 a child speaking to an elderly woman at a fruit stall

2 a woman speaking to a gentleman at a post-office counter
3 a student speaking to a woman who is still single
4 a man speaking to a married woman
5 a girl speaking to an elderly gentleman
Additional vocabulary
A Malay family
datuk grandfather
nenek grandmother
ibu-bapa parents
suami husband
isteri wife
anak child
bapa/ayah father
emak/ibu mother
anak-anak children
anak perempuan daughter
anak lelaki son
cucu grandchild
cucu perempuan granddaughter
cucu lelaki grandson
abang older brother
kakak older sister
adik younger sibling
adik perempuan younger sister
adik lelaki younger brother
sepupu cousin
emak saudara aunty
bapa saudara uncle
anak saudara niece/nephew
Language point
Siapa ‘who’
When talking about people, the question word you use is siapa.
Examples
Siapa kakak Salleh? Who is Salleh’s older sister?

Siapa adik perempuan Who is Badrul’s younger sister?
Badrul?
Siapa ibu Ali? Who is Ali’s mother?
Exercise 5
Look at Ali and Fatimah’s family and answer the questions that
follow.
Keluarga Ali dan Fatimah
Ali suami Fatimah. Fatimah isteri Ali.

Dina, Badrul, Nani dan Salleh anak-anak Ali dan Fatimah.
Dina kakak Badrul, Nani dan Salleh.
Badrul abang Nani dan Salleh.
Badrul, Nani dan Salleh adik-adik Dina.
Dina ibu Ana. Johan bapa Ana.
Badrul bapa saudara Ana, dan Asiah emak saudara Ana.
Ana sepupu Abu.
Ana dan Abu cucu Ali dan Fatimah.
Ali datuk Ana dan Abu dan Fatimah nenek mereka.
Ali and Fatimah’s family

Ali is Fatimah’s husband. Fatimah is Ali’s wife.
Dina, Badrul, Nani and Salleh are Ali and Fatimah’s children.
Dina is Badrul, Nani and Salleh’s elder sister.
Badrul is Nani and Salleh’s elder brother.
Badrul, Nani and Salleh are Dina’s younger siblings.
Dina is Ana’s mother. Johan is Ana’s father.
Badrul is Ana’s uncle, and Asiah is Ana’s aunty.
Ana is Abu’s cousin.
Ana and Abu are Ali and Fatimah’s grandchildren.
Ali is Ana’s and Abu’s grandfather and Fatimah is their
grandmother.
1 Siapa ibu Ana?

2 Siapa isteri Badrul?
3 Siapa sepupu Abu?
4 Siapa nenek Ana?
5 Siapa cucu Fatimah?
Language points
Ialah ‘to be’
You will notice that in spoken Malay, especially in Colloquial Malay,

the verb ‘to be’ ialah is often left out.
Example
Dina ialah isteri Johan. Dina is Johan’s wife.
Leaving it out, especially in spoken Malay, doesn’t alter the meaning

at all.
Read Salleh’s short introduction of some of his family members.
Note that he never uses ialah.
Ini ibu-bapa saya, Ali dan Fatimah. Dina ialah kakak saya dan
suami dia Johan. Ini anak mereka, Ana. Dia anak saudara saya.
Ini adik perempuan saya. Nama dia Nani.
Titled people
There are many titled people in Malaysia. The titles are conferred
upon them, either by the state government or the Federal government.
Here is a list of some of the titles:
Male Female
Tun Toh Puan

Tan Sri Puan Sri
Datuk Seri Datin Seri
Datuk Datin
Dato Datin
Examples
Malaysia’s former Prime Minister is Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
The present Prime Minister is Datuk Seri Najib Tun Abdul Razak.
The High Commissioner of Malaysia to the UK is Datuk Zakaria Sulong.
His wife is Datin Hazizah Ahmad.
Culture point
Introducing people
When you are introducing people to each other, please do not point.
It is polite to use the thumb when referring to someone present.
Exercise 6
Read the paragraph below and answer the questions that follow.
Helen orang Inggeris. Dia kawan Ramlah. Dia belajar di

Malaysia. Helen dan Ramlah suka belajar bahasa Jerman.
Mereka mahu pergi ke negara Jerman. Abang Helen bekerja
di negara Jerman. Kawan Ramlah, Alan dan Sam bekerja di
bank di Singapura. Alan adik Sam dan mereka orang Inggeris.
Isteri Alan orang Malaysia dan isteri Sam orang Singapura.
Mereka bercakap bahasa Melayu dan bahasa Inggeris.
Vocabulary
kawan friend
mahu to want
belajar to study
1 Siapa kawan Helen?

2 Helen dan Ramlah belajar apa?
3 Siapa adik Sam?
4 Isteri Sam orang ________
5 Mereka (isteri Alan dan isteri Sam) bercakap bahasa ________
dan bahasa ________
Unit Two
Maaf, saya tak faham
Sorry, I don’t understand

• helpful phrases for the beginner: maaf, saya tak faham,
tolong ulang, etc.
• how to ask for favours, how to accept and turn down
requests politely using boleh, tolong and maaf
• how to express your likes/dislikes, what you want/don’t
want to do, and what you can/cannot do
• the meaning of buat apa?
• the prefixes me and ber
• occupations: pe + verb = doer; juru, tukang, etc.
Dialogue 1
(CD1; 39)
John is posting a packet to his mother in Australia.
John Saya mau hantar paket ini ke Australia.

Pekerja Ada apa di dalam?
John Maaf, saya tak dengar. Tolong ulang.
Pekerja Ada apa di dalam paket ini?
John Oh, ada buku dan baju.
Pekerja Tolong letak di atas timbang itu.
John Maaf, saya tak faham.
Pekerja Saya mau tahu berat paket itu.
John Oh, baiklah.
Unit 2: Sorry, I don’t understand 17
John I’d like to send this packet to Australia.

Worker What is in there?
John Sorry, I didn’t hear. Please repeat.
Worker What is there in this packet?
John Oh, there are books and clothes.
Worker Please put it on the weighing scale.
John Sorry, I don’t understand.
Worker I’d like to know the weight of the packet.
John Oh, all right.
Vocabulary
paket parcel
hantar to send, to post
ada to have/there is/there are
tolong please
letak to put
di atas on top
timbang weighing scale
berat weight
di dalam inside
dengar to hear
ulang to repeat
buku book
baju clothes
Language points
Helpful phrases
In the early stages of learning a new language, it is useful to learn

these phrases.
Maaf, saya tak faham. Sorry, I don’t understand.

Maaf, saya tak tau. Sorry, I don’t know.
18 Unit 2: Maaf, saya tak faham
Maaf, saya tak dengar. Sorry, I didn’t hear.

Tolong cakap lambat sikit. Please speak (a little) slowly.
Tolong eja. Please spell.
Tolong ulang. Please repeat.
Maaf, maafkan saya
The word maaf can be used to mean both ‘sorry’ or ‘excuse me’. It has
many different forms to use when you are interrupting a conversation,
stopping someone to ask for directions or when you have stepped
on someone’s toes, literally and metaphorically.
Examples
Maaf, itu apa? Sorry, what is that?

Maafkan saya, saya terlambat. Forgive me, I am late.
Saya minta maaf, saya silap. I apologise, I was mistaken.
Maaf, di mana bank? Excuse me, where is the bank?
Vocabulary
terlambat late (unintentionally)
silap mistaken
di mana where
Exercise 1
What do you say when:
1 you do not understand the instructions given to you?

2 you need someone to repeat something?
3 you need someone to talk a little bit slower?
4 you need the spelling of someone’s name?
5 you missed what is being explained to you?
6 you stepped on someone’s foot?
7 you were late for an appointment?
8 you didn’t know something?
Language point
Requesting a favour/turning down
a request politely
There are as many different ways and combinations to request a

favour as there are to refuse them; albeit politely.
Boleh tolong pos surat ini? Can you please post this letter?
Boleh bawa saya ke stesen? Can you take me to the station?
Tolong kemas bilik ini. Please tidy up the room.
Tolong buat kopi. Please make coffee.
Tolong jawab telefon. Please answer the phone.
If you are agreeable to the request, the answer should be a simple:
baiklah all right
or
tentu sekali certainly
However, if you cannot fulfil the request, apologise politely, giving

your reasons why as you do so:
Examples
Maaf, saya sibuk. Sorry, I am busy.

Maaf, saya tak ada masa. Sorry, I don’t have the time.
Maaf, saya ada kerja. Sorry, I have work (to do).
Maaf, saya tak boleh. Sorry, I can’t.
Maaf, saya letih. Sorry, I am tired.
Exercise 2 (CD1; 43)

How do you accept or refuse these requests? Use baiklah; maaf, saya
penat; maaf, saya sibuk; maaf, saya ada kerja; maaf, saya tak boleh;
maaf, saya tak tau, etc., all answers are applicable.
1 Boleh telefon saya? Can you phone me?

2 Boleh tolong beli roti? Can you please buy bread?
3 Boleh datang ke rumah saya? Can you come to my house?
4 Boleh bawa saya ke kedai? Can you take me to the shop?
5 Boleh angkat beg ini? Can you lift this bag?
Language points
Tolong
Tolong literally means ‘to help’, but it can be used to mean ‘please’
as in a request to do something. While it can be used in the same
way as ‘please’ is used in English, such as ‘Please close the door’,
it cannot be used in this way: ‘Yes, please,’ or ‘Sugar, please’.
This topic will be dealt with more in Unit 6.
Saya suka/mahu/boleh . . .
After introducing yourself, you will need to give more information

about yourself, perhaps saying what you like and what you don’t like,
what you can or cannot do, or what you want or don’t want to do.
suka/tak suka to like/don’t like

mahu/tak mahu to want/don’t want
boleh/tak boleh can/cannot
Dialogue 2
(CD1; 41)
Listen to this conversation between two new friends, Adam and Ali.
Ali Saya suka main bola sepak dan hoki.

Adam Oh, saya tak boleh main hoki. Saya tidak suka main hoki.
Ali Saya mau main hoki di stadium. Kamu mau pergi?
Adam Saya tak boleh pergi. Saya sibuk.
Ali Kamu suka apa?
Adam Saya suka berenang dan berlari.
Ali Oh, saya tak boleh berenang.
Ali I like to play football and hockey.

Adam Oh, I can’t play hockey. I don’t like to play hockey.
Ali I want to play hockey at the stadium. Do you want to go?
Adam I cannot go. I am busy.
Ali What do you like?

Adam I like swimming and running.
Ali Oh, I can’t swim.
Vocabulary
main to play
bola sepak football
hoki hockey
berlari to run
Language point
Suka, mahu and boleh
As we have mentioned in the last unit, tak is the short form of tidak,
which is used to negate a verb or an adjective. Let us use tak with
suka, boleh and mahu.
Suka means ‘to like (something)’ or ‘to like (to do something)’. It
is not to be used to mean ‘I’d like to’.
Mahu means ‘to want’. It is pronounced as mau and will appear
in dialogues as ‘mau’.
Boleh means ‘can’ or ‘to have the ability (to do something)’.
Here is a list of action words that you can use with suka/tak suka,
mahu/tak mahu and boleh/tak boleh.
Note: You will notice that, in the table, some of the verbs used are
not in their root form. They are used with prefixes such as ber and
me, which will be dealt in greater detail later.
Saya masak (to cook)
Dia suka berenang (to swim)
John tak suka pergi (to go)
Mereka boleh main tennis (to play tennis)
Kami tak boleh menari (to dance)
Kita mahu menyanyi (to sing)
Kamu tak mahu berlakon (to act)
Jane belajar (to study)
Culture point
Mahu/mau
It has been frequently pointed out by English speakers that the usage
of mahu, meaning ‘to want (something)’ or ‘to want (to do something)’,
sounds a little harsh, not unlike a demand. However, this is not so in
Malay. as you can use mahu in a gentle tone when you are requesting
or stating that you want to do something.
Mahu or mau is interchangeable with nak – short for hendak –
which also means ‘to want’.
Dialogue 3
(CD1; 44)
Ali is asking Mary what she wants to drink.
Ali Mary mau apa?

Mary Saya mau teh.
Ali Oh, kamu tak suka kopi?
Mary Ya, saya tak suka kopi.
Saya tak boleh minum kopi.
Ali Saya nak minum kopi dan kamu nak teh.
Mary Oh, saya mau teh susu, terima kasih.
Ali What would you like, Mary?

Mary I’d like to have tea.
Ali Oh, you don’t like coffee?
Mary Yes, I don’t like coffee.
I can’t drink coffee.
Ali I want to drink coffee and you want tea.
Mary Oh, I’d like tea with milk. Thank you.
Vocabulary
teh tea dengan with
kopi coffee susu milk
Exercise 3
1 Say in Malay that you like/can/want to
a) makan kari
b) bercakap bahasa Melayu
c) main badminton
2 Say in Malay that you don’t like/don’t want to/cannot

a) berenang
b) bercakap bahasa Jerman
c) masak
Language point
Buat apa?
This question can convey many meanings. It literally means ‘Do

what?’
It can convey what a person is doing at that point in time:
Dia buat apa? What is he doing?

Dia makan. He is eating.
Or what a person does for a living:
Dia buat apa? What does he do?

Dia guru. He is a teacher.
Or intentions
Buat apa? What for?
A: Nak keluar? Want to go out?

B: Buat apa? What for?
A: Makan. To eat.
A: Saya mahu pergi pasar. I want to go to the market.
B: Buat apa? What for?
A: Beli ikan. To buy fish.
Note that, uttered in the wrong manner or tone, Buat apa? can
convey a somewhat disdainful rebuff which does not really ask for
an answer.
Dialogue 4
(CD1; 46)
Read the following phone conversation between Maria and her
friend Dena.
Maria Helo, Dena. Buat apa?

Dena Tak buat apa. Tengok TV.
Maria Nak keluar, tak?
Dena Buat apa?
Maria Makan dengan kawan baru saya, Leana. Mau tak?
Dena Leana? Dia buat apa?
Maria Dia guru.
Maria Hello, Dena. What are you doing?

Dena Not doing anything. Watching TV.
Maria ( You) Want to go out, or not?
Dena What for?
Maria To eat with my new friend, Leana. (Do you) Want or not?
Dena Leana? What does she do?
Maria She is a teacher.
Vocabulary
keluar to go out
kawan baru new friend
Language points
Tag question, tak?
When Maria asks Dena Nak keluar, tak?, it literally it means ‘Want
to go out, no?’ or ‘Want to go out, or not?’, and requires a Ya or
Tak answer.
Prefixes ber and me

Me and ber are prefixes that enable you to identify a word as a verb.
It is important to know that while most of the time these prefixes are
dropped, the usage of the wrong prefix can change the meaning of
the word completely.
Some verbs take me and ber, whereas some take only me and
some take only ber.
Dialogue 5
(CD1; 48)
Heidi and her friend Jan are talking about their hobbies.
Heidi Saya suka berjalan. Awak?

Jan Saya main piano. Saya suka muzik.
Heidi Awak berlatih di mana?
Jan Saya berlatih di sekolah.
Heidi Saya berjalan dan berlari di taman.
Jan Saya main piano dengan kawan di sekolah.
Heidi Kawan awak main apa?
Jan Dia main violin.
Heidi I like to walk. You?

Jan I play the piano. I like music.
Heidi Where do you practise?
Jan I practise in school.
Heidi I walk and run in the park.
Jan I play the piano with a friend in school.
Heidi What does your friend play?
Jan He plays the violin.
Vocabulary
berjalan to walk berlari to run
muzik music taman park
berlatih to practise dengan with
Language points
Verbs with the ber prefix
As you can see from Dialogue 5, some of the verbs used are with ber
and some without; with or without, it does not change the meaning.
Saya suka berjalan = Saya suka jalan

Saya suka main piano = Saya suka bermain piano
However, the word latih must be used with ber in Dialogue 5 because
here it means ‘to practise’. Used on its own, latih can also mean ‘to
train (someone)’.
Let us look at verbs that can be used independently as well as
with ber:
jalan to walk
Dia (ber)jalan di bandar. She walks in the city.
main to play
Heidi (ber)main bola. Heidi plays ball.
lari to run
Jan (ber)lari di padang. Jan runs in the field.
kerja to work
Liam (ber)kerja di rumah. Liam works at home.
pindah to move/to transfer
Dia (ber)pindah ke York. He moved to York.
cakap to talk
Saya (ber)cakap dengan dia. I spoke to her.
Let us now look at verbs which change meanings once ber is attached
to them:
angkat to lift berangkat to leave for

lepas to let go berlepas to depart
latih to train berlatih to practise
tolak to push bertolak to depart for
Examples
Dia angkat beg itu. He lifted the bag.

Dia berangkat ke London. He left for London.
Malik lepas tali itu. Malik let go of the rope.
Malik berlepas ke Amerika. Malik departed for America.

Din tolak Jan. Din pushed Jan.
Din bertolak ke Singapura. Din left for Singapore.
Note: For words beginning with r, one r is dropped when ber is

added. For example, berambut, berumah, berenang. In some words,
for smooth pronunciation, the other r is also dropped. For example,
bekerja, belayar.
The structure ber + noun is dealt with in Unit 5.
Verbs with the me prefix
The me prefix is more problematic as it has many variations (me,

mem, men, meny, meng) and the word form changes depending on
the first letter of the word.
Me goes with words beginning with l, m, n, r, y, ny, w:
me + lukis to draw
me + masak to cook
me + nikah to marry
me + rompak to rob
me + yakin to convince
me + nyanyi to sing
me + wawancara to interview
Mem goes with words beginning with b, f and p (but p is dropped):
mem + buka to open

mem + fitnah to slander
mem + potong = memotong to cut
mem + patah = mematah to break
Men goes with words beginning with d, j, c, t and z (t is dropped):
men + darat to land

men + jual to sell
men + curi to steal
men + tulis = menulis to write
men + tangkap = menangkap to catch
men + ziarah to visit
Meng goes with words beginning with vowels (a, e, i, o and u) and
g, h, and k (k is dropped):
meng + arah to direct

meng + eja to spell
meng + ikat to tie
meng + olah to compose
meng + urus to manage
meng + gosok to rub
meng + hidu to smell
meng + kayuh = mengayuh to pedal
meng + kupas = mengupas to skin
Meny goes with words beginning with s (s is dropped):
meny + sokong = menyokong to support

meny + sapu = menyapu to sweep
meny + soal = menyoal to question
Certain words take ber and me but the meaning changes. Also, words
with me sometimes also have the suffix i or kan, which are usually
used in written form:
berangkat to depart
mengangkat to lift
berjalan to walk
menjalankan to carry out
berjumpa to meet
menjumpai to find
berlaku to happen
melakukan to do
Exercise 4
Look at these pictures and, from the list of words below, say what each
person is doing.
Mereka buat apa?

Sam
Ali
Emily
Antoinne Sally
Ely
Andy dan Jo
Fran
drawing masak
swimming menari
watching television melukis
cooking makan
dancing menyanyi
singing berlari
eating berenang
running menonton televisyen
Exercise 5
Use the correct prefixes in the sentences below:
1 June ________ (angkat) beg itu.

2 Latif ________ (lepas) ke Brunei.
3 Joe ________ (nyanyi).
4 Heidi dan Mary ________ (lari) di taman.
5 Dia ________ (sapu).
6 Ahmad ________ (buka) buku.
7 Yoko ________ (tulis).
8 Sam ________ (jalan) ke pejabat.
Language points
Occupations
Derived from English

Some occupations are derived from English:
doktor
akauntan
polis
arkitek
konsultan
diplomat
Pe + verb
Most occupations are derived by adding the prefix pe to the appro-
priate verb, not unlike ‘verb + er/or’ in English. However, as with the
prefix me, the tricky bit is that the root word changes depending on
the initial letter of the word.
Pe – with verbs beginning with l, m, n, ny, r, y, w:
pe + lakon = pelakon actor

pe + layan = pelayan waiter
pe + lukis = pelukis artist
pe + latih = pelatih trainer (coach)
pe + main = pemain player, e.g., football player
pe + nasihat = penasihat adviser

pe + nyanyi = penyanyi singer
Pen – with verbs beginning with c, d, j, t, sy (the t is usually dropped):
pen + didik = pendidik educator

pen + jual = penjual seller
pen + jaga = penjaga carer or caretaker
pen + tulis = penulis writer
pen + tari = penari dancer
pen + tolong = penolong assistant
pen + syarah = pensyarah lecturer
Pem – with verbs beginning with b, p (the p is dropped):
pem + baca = pembaca newsreader
Peng – with verbs beginning with vowels, g, h and k (the k is

dropped):
peng + arah = pengarah director

peng + adil = pengadil judge, umpire
peng + urus = pengurus manager
peng + edar = pengedar distributor
peng + kawal = pengawal guard
Peny – with verbs beginning with s (the s is dropped):
peny + selia = penyelia supervisor
This ‘pe + verb’ formula is the norm but there are exceptions.
Juru + verb
There are also occupations made with ‘juru + verb’:
juru + rawat = jururawat nurse

juru + terbang = juruterbang pilot
juru + jual = jurujual sales assistant/promoter
juru + latih = jurulatih trainer, coach
Tukang
The word tukang implies someone who is skilled in his/her area of work,
usually manual labour as opposed to professionally trained positions.
tukang kebun gardener

tukang masak cook
tukang kasut cobbler
tukang kayu carpenter
tukang tilik fortune teller
tukang urut masseur
Other occupations
guru teacher
setiausaha secretary
kerani clerk
hakim judge
More formal ways of asking what work

a person does
Dia bekerja sebagai apa? What is he working as?

Dia bekerja sebagai guru. He works as a teacher.
Dia kerja apa? What is his job?
Dia peguam. He is a lawyer.
Culture point
Personal information
Do not be offended if you are probed about what you do. Some locals
may even ask about your gaji ‘salary’!
Exercise 6
Complete the sentences below:
1 Sally bekerja di sekolah. Dia ________
2 Aman urus kedai kasut. Dia ________
3 Larry melatih kanak-kanak main bola sepak. Dia ________
4 Yoko melukis. Dia ________
5 Husin jaga kebun. Dia ________
6 Lili merawat orang sakit di hospital. Dia ________
7 Barry memandu bas. Dia ________
8 Lisa masak di restoran. Dia ________
9 Nora menari. Dia ________
10 Heidi belajar di universiti. Dia ________
Vocabulary
jaga to care for, to look after
kedai shop
kasut shoes
orang sakit patient
memandu drive
Exercise 7
Read the following conversations.
a)
Mary: John bekerja sebagai apa?
John: Saya arkitek. Kamu buat apa?
Mary: Saya mengajar. Saya guru sekolah.
John: Saya buat bangunan.
b)
Sam: Yoko boleh buat kopi?
Yoko: Maaf, saya sibuk.
Sam: Baiklah, saya buat kopi.
Yoko: Saya nak belajar.
c)
Andre: Jangan buat bising.
Jane: Maaf, saya tak dengar.
Boleh ulang?
Andre: Jangan bising.
Jane: Oh, maafkan saya.
d)
Simon: Lee boleh berenang?
Lee: Ya, saya boleh berenang.
Simon: Mahu berenang di laut?
Lee: Oh, saya tak suka berenang di laut.
Saya mau berenang di kolam.
Vocabulary
laut sea
kolam pool
bangunan building
Unit Three
Mau ke mana?
Where to?

• how to ask and give directions
• how to locate a place, an object or a person
• useful phrases when asking or giving directions
• yang – which/that/who
• prepositions used with places: di, di mana, di dalam, di
antara, ke, ke mana
• ada and its dual functions – there is/there are, to have/to own
• the question word apa?
• bukan to negate a noun
• adjectives tinggi, cantik, besar, baru, mahal, etc.
Dialogue 1
(CD1; 50)
Danial asks John some questions.
Danial John, kamu mau ke mana?

John Ke pejabat.
Danial Pejabat di mana?
John Di Kuala Lumpur.
Danial Di mana di Kuala Lumpur?
John Di bangunan Angkasa di Jalan Ibrahim.
Danial Oh, saya tau, bangunan yang tinggi dan cantik tu.
John Betul. Ada banyak pejabat baru di dalam bangunan tu.
Danial Pejabat saya di situ juga.
36 Unit 3: Mau ke mana?
Danial John, where to? (i.e. where are you going?)

John To the office.
Danial Where is your office?
John In Kuala Lumpur.
Danial Where in Kuala Lumpur?
John At the Angkasa building in Jalan Ibrahim.
Danial Oh, I know, that tall and beautiful building.
John Correct. There are many new offices in that building.
Danial My office is in there too.
Vocabulary
ke mana (to) where banyak many
di mana (at) where baru new
pejabat office di dalam in/inside
tinggi high/tall juga also
cantik beautiful
Language points
The preposition di
Di is a very useful preposition that can mean ‘in’ or ‘at’ when used
with a place, as illustrated in the sentences below.
Pejabat saya di Kuala Lumpur. My office is in Kuala Lumpur.
Dia belajar di London. He is studying in London.
Dia di rumah. He is at home.
Di can also be attached to other prepositions, such as atas, bawah,
dalam and antara.
di atas on top, above
di bawah below, beneath
di dalam in, inside
di antara in between
However, it is not uncommon to drop di in spoken Malay.
Unit 3: Where to? 37
Di mana?
Literally, this phrase means ‘at where?’ and it can be placed at the
beginning of the sentence or at the end.
Di mana buku? Where is the book?
Buku di atas meja. The book is on the table.
Kucing di mana? Where is the cat?
Kucing di bawah meja. The cat is under the table.
Exercise 1
Choose the correct answer from the right-hand column.
1 Di mana baju saya? di atas pokok
2 Roti di mana? di bawah kerusi
3 Mana John? di dalam balang
4 Di mana kucing? di pejabat
5 Di mana burung? di dalam almari
Vocabulary
almari cupboard kerusi chair
balang jar pokok tree
roti bread
Dialogue 2
(CD1; 52)
Sam is looking for her shoes.
Sam Mana kasut saya?

Jo Kasut yang mana?
Sam Saya ada kasut putih dan kasut hitam.
Saya mau kasut yang hitam.
Jo Ada banyak kasut di dalam almari.
Sam Tak ada kasut hitam di dalam almari.
Jo Pakai kasut putih.
Sam Kasut yang putih tu kotor.
Sam Where are my shoes?

Jo Which shoes?
Sam I have white shoes and black shoes.
I want the shoes that are black.
Jo There are many shoes in the cupboard.
Sam There are no black shoes in the cupboard.
Jo Wear the white shoes.
Sam The shoes that are white are dirty.
Vocabulary
kasut shoes
yang which/that
yang mana which one
pakai to wear
hitam black
putih white
kotor dirty
Language points
The two uses of ada
Dialogue 2 illustrates the two uses of ada. Similar to English, ada

‘there is/are’ can be used either at the beginning of the sentence or
in the middle.
Saya ada kasut putih dan kasut hitam.

I have white shoes and black shoes.
Dia ada baju merah.

She has a red dress.
Ada banyak kasut di dalam almari.
There are many shoes in the cupboard.
Di atas meja ada buku.

On the table there is a book.
Apa? What?
Apa is a question word meaning ‘what’. It can be used at the beginning,

in the middle or at the end of a sentence:
Di atas meja ada apa? (Lit.) On the table there is what?
Or
Apa ada di atas meja? What is there on the table?
Or
Ada apa di atas meja? (Lit.) There is what on the table?
Exercise 2
Look at these pictures and answer the questions using ada to mean
‘there is/are’. For example:
Ada apa di atas meja?
1 Di bawah meja ada apa?
2 Ada apa di atas buku?

3 Apa di ada atas kerusi?
4 Di atas meja ada apa?
Language points
The preposition ke
Ke is another useful preposition. It means ‘to (a place)’.
Sami berjalan ke kedai.

Sami walks to the shop.
Anne mau pergi ke pejabat pos.

Anne wants to go to the post office.
As with di, ke comes before a place and is also normally attached

to another preposition showing the direction of the action.
ke atas ↑
Dia tengok ke atas. He looked up.
ke bawah ↓
Jo berlari ke bawah. Jo ran down.
Other prepositions
dari – from a place

Dia datang dari New York.
He comes from New York.
daripada – from a person/institution with people

Saya dapat hadiah daripada guru.
I got a present from the teacher.
Dia terima surat daripada pejabat.

He received a letter from the office.
untuk – for
Buku ini untuk anda.
This book is for you.
kepada – to a person
Dia hantar emel kepada John.
He sent an email to John.
Dialogue 3
(CD1; 54)
Read this conversation between Hassan and his friend Matt.
Hassan Saya beli hadiah.

Matt Untuk siapa?
Hassan Untuk kawan saya, Mary.
Matt Oh, saya dapat emel daripada Mary.
Hassan Ya, Mary hantar emel kepada kamu.
Matt Kamu beli hadiah itu dari mana?
Hassan Dari kedai buku.
Hassan I bought a present.

Matt For whom?
Hassan For my friend, Mary.
Matt Oh, I received an email from Mary.
Hassan Yes, Mary sent an email to you.
Matt Where did you buy the present from?
Hassan From the book shop.
Vocabulary
beli to buy
hadiah present/gift
dapat to receive, to get
Language point
Noun + yang + adjective
We have seen in the previous dialogues the usage of the particle

yang to place emphasis on adjuncts. When yang is omitted, there
is no difference in the meaning grammatically. The structure noun
+ yang + adjective forms a noun phrase and is not a complete
sentence.
Examples Bangunan yang tinggi dan cantik.

The building that is tall and beautiful.
kasut yang hitam the shoes that are black

kasut yang putih the shoes that are white
bangunan tinggi dan cantik the tall and beautiful building
kasut hitam the black shoes
kasut putih the white shoes
In a question, yang is used as follows:
Buku yang mana? Which book?

Bangunan yang mana? Which building?
Exercise 3
Read the passage below.
Ramli mahu pergi ke majlis hari jadi Mary. Dia memakai

kemeja baru yang bersih dan seluar panjang. Ramli membeli
kemeja itu di bandar. Dia juga membeli hadiah untuk Mary;
beg kecil yang cantik dan mahal. Mary kawan baik Ramli.
Vocabulary
majlis party panjang long
kemeja shirt membeli (beli) to buy
baru new bandar town
bersih clean kecil small
seluar trousers mahal expensive
Dialogue 4
(CD1; 56)
Jane and Anna are enjoying a walk in the park.
Jane Orang itu cantik.

Anna Yang mana?
Jane Yang tinggi dan kurus tu.
Anna Yang pakai cermin mata?
Jane Tak, yang pakai topi.
Anna Dia guru saya, guru yang ajar saya bahasa Melayu.
Jane Oh, dia yang mengajar kamu?
Anna Ya.
Jane That person is beautiful.

Anna Which one?
Jane The one that is tall and thin.
Anna The one wearing glasses?
Jane No, the one wearing a hat.
Anna She is my teacher, the teacher who teaches me the Malay

language.
Jane Oh, she is the one who teaches you?
Anna Yes.
Vocabulary
kurus thin (as in slim) guru teacher
cermin mata glasses mengajar to teach
pakai to wear topi hat
Exercise 4
Match the following nouns with the most appropriate adjective from the
right-hand column.
1 baju sedap (delicious)

2 rumah pandai (clever)
3 gambar nipis (thin)
4 pelajar cantik (beautiful)
5 makanan besar (big)
Language point
Asking and giving directions
Useful phrases when asking for directions

Maaf, saya sesat.
Sorry, I am lost.
Di mana taman?
Where is the park?
Boleh tunjuk jalan dari sini ke . . . ?

Can you show me the way from here to . . . ?
Saya mau pergi ke. . . . Boleh tunjuk jalan?

I want to go to the. . . . Can you show me the way?
Jauhkah?
Is it far?
Note: The word sesat means ‘to lose one’s way’; it is not the word
to use when you’ve lost something.
Useful phrases when giving directions

pergi/jalan terus go/walk straight on
belok kanan/kiri turn right/left
belok kanan pertama turn first right
belok kiri kedua turn second left
kamu akan nampak you will see
dekat saja near (only)
simpang jalan junction
Dialogue 5
(CD1; 58)
Jo asks a passerby for directions to the post office.
Jo Maaf, saya nak pergi ke pejabat pos. Boleh tunjuk jalan?

Lelaki Pejabat pos di Jalan Bunga.
Jo Jauhkah?
Lelaki Dekat saja. Dari sini, jalan terus, belok kanan ke Jalan Istana.
Kamu akan nampak stesen bas di sebelah kanan.
Pejabat pos di depan stesen bas.
Jo Terima kasih.
Jo xcuse me, I want to go to the post office. Can you show

E
me the way?
Man The post office is in Jalan Bunga.
Jo Is it far?
Man It’s near (only). From here, go straight, turn right into Jalan
Istana. You will see a bus station on the right-hand side.
The post office is in front of the station.
Jo Thank you.
Vocabulary
pergi to go sini here
tunjuk to show nampak see
jalan road or way kanan right
stesen station belok turn
dekat near terus straight
saja only depan in front of
Exercise 5
Study the map of the town below and answer the questions that follow.
1. Ask how to get from one place to the other as shown on the map:
Example Boleh tunjuk jalan dari bank ke kolam renang?
a) from the hotel to the school
b) from the school to the post office
c) from the school to the swimming pool
d) from the post office to the bank
2. By looking at the map, tell someone how to get from:
a) the bank to the post office
b) the swimming pool to the school
c) the hotel to the post office
d) the bank to the hotel
Vocabulary
kolam renang swimming pool
sekolah school
Exercise 6
Using the same map as in Exercise 5, answer the following questions,
using prepositions you have learnt.
Example
Di mana kolam renang?

Kolam renang di Jalan Padang, di depan muzium.
1 Di mana stesen bas?

2 Di mana kedai bunga?
3 Di mana sekolah?
4 Di mana bank?
5 Di mana muzium?
Vocabulary
restoran restaurant
stesen bas bus station
kedai bunga florist (flower shop)
muzium museum
pasar market
Exercise 7
Match the following places with the word on the right best associated
with them.
1 pejabat pos belajar (to study)

2 pasar membeli setem (to buy stamps)
3 taman membeli daging (to buy meat)
4 kolam renang bermain bola (to play ball)
5 sekolah berenang (to swim)
Culture point
Getting about in Malaysia
Malaysia has an excellent transport system. Whether you are travelling

by road, air or river, there are various options available to take you
where you want to go.
By air
Malaysia has its own carrier, Malaysia Airlines System (MAS), as well
as the no-frills budget airline Air Asia, both of which serve domestic
and international destinations daily. There is also a domestic airline
to touristy places called Firefly.
By road
It is cheaper to travel by bus in Malaysia. Most, if not all, buses in
Kuala Lumpur are air-conditioned. Teksi or taxis in major cities are
usually fitted with meters and most are air-conditioned.
If you want to drive, you need a Malaysian Driving Licence, Prob
ationary Driving Licence or an International Driving Licence. To use a
foreign licence, get it endorsed by the Road Transport Department. Note
that all vehicles travel on the left-hand side of the road and that the
use of safety belts by front passengers is mandatory in Malaysia.
By rail
You can travel within Peninsula Malaysia by rail. There are also express
services between big cities. Most have restaurant coaches.
By sea
There are several ports of entry in Malaysia, namely Penang, Port
Klang, Kuantan and Kuching.
When you are in Malaysia, you will probably hear the locals referring
to names of places by their initials. Here are some examples:
Kuala Lumpur KL
Port Dickson PD
Petaling Jaya PJ
Kota Kinabalu KK
Johor Bahru JB
Kota Bahru KB
Kuala Terengganu KT
Trishaws are known as the ‘kings of the road’. In most touristy

places, such as Malacca, they are decorated to attract customers.
The trishaw peddlers also have radios, blaring music and songs, giv-
ing the place an air of festivity.
Language point
Modes of transport
Regardless of the form of transportation that you take, you use the
verb naik, which in this context means ‘to board’. You can also use
the word ambil (pronounced ambik) to literally mean ‘to take’ a mode
of transport.
Examples
Saya naik teksi ke kedai.

Dia naik basikal ke sekolah.
Heidi naik kereta api ke Johor.
Kami ambil bas dari PJ.
You can also use dengan, meaning ‘with’.
Examples
Saya pergi ke Kuala Lumpur dengan kereta.

Dia pergi dengan motorsikal.
Or if you are walking, just say Saya berjalan kaki . . . , which literally
means ‘I walk on foot’.
Exercise 8
Ahmad went to Raju’s house. Read his description of the journey, then
answer the questions that follow.
Dari rumah saya, saya naik bas ke stesen kereta api. Saya
ambil kereta api Bandar Seri Melur. Saya turun di Bandar
Seri Melur dan saya pergi ke Taman Anggur dengan bas. Di
Taman Anggur, saya berjalan kaki ke Jalan Tasek, belok kiri
ke Jalan Emas. Rumah Raju di depan pasaraya. Rumah Raju
rumah yang besar dan cantik.
1 Ahmad naik apa ke stesen kereta api?

2 Ahmad naik kereta api ke mana?
3 Ahmad pergi ke Taman Anggur dengan apa?
4 Di mana rumah Raju?
5 Yang mana rumah Raju?
Unit Four
Nak keluar makan?
Want to go out and eat?

• the different kinds of places to eat: gerai, restoran, layan diri
• how to order food; ask for different kinds of food, and
express likes and dislikes
• how to give compliments or voice dissatisfaction
• the different tastes of food: manis, tawar, sedap, masin, etc.
• words and phrases related to food and eating: sudah
kenyang, cukup, masih lapar
• how certain nouns are formed: verb + an = noun
makan + an = makanan (food)
masak + an = masakan (cooking)
Dialogue 1
(CD1; 60)
Lisa is hungry and phones Nina to ask her to join her for a meal.
Lisa Helo Nina, jom keluar makan!

Nina Helo Lisa, boleh juga. Saya lapar.
Lisa Nak makan di mana?
Nina Gerai boleh, restoran pun boleh.
Lisa Boleh kita makan makanan India?
Nina Boleh tapi makanan India pedas.
Lisa Ah, kita pergi ke restoran Vietnam.
Masakan Vietnam tak pedas.
52 Unit 4: Nak keluar makan?
Nina Boleh juga!

Lisa Sedap tapi mahal.
Lisa Hello Nina, let’s go out and eat!

Nina Hello Lisa, can (also). I am hungry.
Lisa Where do you want to eat?
Nina ( Lit.) Stalls okay, restaurants also okay.
Lisa Can we eat Indian food?
Nina We can but Indian food is spicy.
Lisa Ah, we go to a Vietnamese restaurant.
Vietnamese cooking is not spicy.
Nina Can (also)!
Lisa Delicious but expensive.
Nina Never mind, it’s my treat.
Vocabulary
keluar to go out pun also
juga also pedas spicy
lapar hungry sedap delicious
gerai stalls mahal expensive
makanan food tak apa never mind
masakan cooking (N) belanja to treat
Language point
Forming nouns with verb + an
In Malay, nouns can often be formed by adding an to the end of a

verb, as illustrated in Dialogue 1.
Makanan India pedas. Indian food is hot.
Masakan Vietnam tak pedas. Vietnamese cooking is not hot.
makan (to eat) + an = makanan (food)
minum (to drink) + an = minuman (a drink)
tulis (to write) + an = tulisan (writing)
Unit 4: Want to go out and eat? 53
jual (to sell) + an = jualan (sale)

pakai (to wear) + an = pakaian (clothing)
hibur (to entertain) + an = hiburan (entertainment)
However, when formed this way, some nouns have totally unrelated
meanings.
angkat (to lift) + an = angkatan (a force, as in air force)

alas (to place something underneath, like a placemat underneath
a hot pot) + an = alasan (an excuse)
bangun (to get up or stand up) + an = bangunan (a building)
Exercise 1
Turn the following verbs into nouns by adding an and then find their
meanings in a dictionary.
1 nyanyi 4 kirim
2 layan 5 pinjam
3 ajar
Culture points
Food, glorious food!
You will find that the subject of food is a very popular one among
Malaysians and eating is said to be a favourite pastime.
In Dialogue 1, Lisa and Nina discuss where and what to eat. There
are many eateries in Malaysia, ranging from roadside stalls to coffee
shops and expensive restaurants with a variety of international foods
in hotels and food courts. There are takeaway as well as self-service
outlets, literally translated as layan diri, where you can help yourself
to the food served and you pay at the till.
Malaysian cuisine is a melting pot of influences from the main racial
groups in Malaysia: Malays, Indian and Chinese. Malay cooking tradition
ally uses lots of herbs and coconut milk, but it has also been heavily influ
enced by Indian cooking, especially curries. The vegetable dishes, which
tend not to be spicy, are a combination of Malay and Chinese cooking.
Neighbouring countries such as Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam
are also making an impact, as these offer a variety of choice for
visitors, especially from the West, who come for a culinary experience.
Western food is also widely available.
So, the choice is yours!
Lauk
A complete typical Malay meal usually consists of rice and several other
accompanying dishes. which are collectively termed lauk. Anything
that is eaten with rice is lauk, and these could be:
kari ayam chicken curry
sayur campur mixed vegetables
ikan goreng fried fish
sambal udang chilli prawns
sup kambing lamb soup
Language point
Important words and phrases when talking
about food
When eating in big restaurants and hotels where buffets are served
and menus are in English as well as Malay, you’ll have no problem
understanding the menu or what to order. However, eating in a small
stall or a restaurant in a remote area may prove more difficult. It would
be helpful for you to learn some important phrases.
Dishes are simply divided into:
goreng bakar/ kari sambal sup

‘fried’ panggang ‘curry’ ‘chilli ‘soup’
‘grilled’ based’
ayam ayam ayam bakar/ kari sambal sup

‘chicken’ goreng panggang ayam ayam ayam
kambing kambing kambing kari sambal sup

‘lamb’ goreng panggang kambing kambing kambing
lembu (usually daging daging kari sambal sup

called daging) goreng panggang daging daging daging
‘beef’
It is worth noting that kambing is both ‘goat’ and ‘lamb’, while daging,
although it means ‘meat’, almost always means ‘beef’. The word for
‘cow’ is lembu.
Additional food vocabulary

udang prawn
ketam crab
sayur vegetable
Most sambal are pedas (spicy) as they are chilli based, while kari
can be hot or mild.
There are also noodle dishes – mee ‘fresh rice noodles’, beehoon
‘dried thin noodles’ and kwayteow ‘flat noodles’, and all these can
fall into the categories of sup and goreng. There are many varieties
of noodle dishes, one just needs to explore!
Dialogue 2
(CD1; 62)
Lisa and Hamid finally decide to eat at a stall.
Pelayan Nak makan apa?

hamid Saya mahu nasi dengan kari ayam dan sup sayur.
Lisa Saya nak mee goreng, kurang pedas.
Pelayan Nak minum apa?
hamid Saya dahaga. Jus oren untuk saya.
Lisa Untuk saya teh tarek tak mau gula.
Pelayan Jus oren dan teh tarek tak mau gula.
Apa lagi?
Lisa Itu saja.
Waiter What would you like to eat?

hamid I want rice with chicken curry and vegetable soup.
Lisa I want fried noodles, less spicy.
Waiter All right. What do you want to drink?
hamid I’m thirsty. Orange juice for me.
Lisa For me ‘teh tarek’, no sugar.
Waiter Orange juice and teh tarek, no sugar.

What else?
Lisa That’s all.
Vocabulary
dengan with
kurang less
jus oren orange juice
teh tarek a typical tea drink that is very sweet (literally,
it means ‘pulled tea’)
gula sugar
dahaga thirsty
apa lagi? what else?
itu saja that’s all
Culture point
Teh tarek
Teh tarek – or literally ‘pulled tea’ – is a Malaysian speciality. Tea

leaves are boiled, and then thick, sweetened condensed milk is added.
Some people even add sugar. The tea is then poured from a big
container into a glass. The act of ‘pulling’ produces froth and is said
to enhance the taste.
Dialogue 3
(CD1; 64)
After eating, Lisa and Nina discuss the food.
Lisa Mee goreng saya masin.

Nina Oh, kari ayam saya sejuk, tak panas.
Lisa Ya, teh tarek saya pun sejuk.
Nina Jus oren saya tawar!

Lisa Ya, makanan di sini tak sedap!
Lisa My fried noodles were salty.

Nina Oh, my chicken curry was cold, not hot.
Lisa Yes, my teh tarek was also cold.
Nina My orange juice was tasteless!
Lisa Yes. The food here is not delicious!
Vocabulary
masin salty panas hot (temperature)
sejuk cold tawar tasteless
Additional vocabulary to describe food

pahit bitter
masam sour
manis sweet
Language point
Describing food
Tawar is, literally, ‘tasteless’. If there’s no taste of salt in a curry, then

it is tawar; coffee without sugar is tawar; and an orange that is
neither sweet nor sour is also tawar.
These adjectives describing food can be used with intensifiers
such as:
sangat very
terlalu too
sungguh so
kurang less
agak quite
Examples
Kari saya terlalu pedas. My curry is too spicy.

Mee goreng itu sangat masin. Those fried noodles were
very salty.
Kopi ini sungguh pahit. This coffee is so bitter.
Sup ini kurang sedap. This soup is less (not so) tasty.
Exercise 2
Read the questions and choose one or more answers.
1 You cannot eat hot and spicy food. What would you choose to eat?
a) sambal ayam
b) kari udang
c) sambal daging
d) mee goreng pedas
e) kwayteow sup
2 You are vegetarian but you eat seafood. What dish(es) would you
avoid?
a) sup ayam
b) daging bakar
c) sayur campur
d) ikan goreng
e) kari udang
3 The soup you ordered is not hot. What would you say?
a) Sup saya manis.
b) Sup saya masin.
c) Sup saya tawar.
d) Sup saya sejuk.
4 You want to compliment the chef on his food. What would you say?
a) Makanan ini sedap.
b) Makanan ini pahit.
c) Makanan ini mahal.
d) Makanan ini masam.
Exercise 3
What do these taste like?
1 2 3
4 5
Dialogue 4
(CD1; 66)
Yoko has been invited to Nina’s house for dinner.
Nina Yoko nak makan dengan tangan atau dengan sudu?

Yoko Dengan tangan.
Nina Bagus. Yoko boleh basuh tangan di sinki.
Yoko Ini kari apa, Nina?
Nina Ini kari ayam.
Yoko Ada kacang dalam kari ini?
Nina Tak ada kacang, tapi ada santan.
Yoko Saya tak boleh makan kacang.
Nina Tambahlah. Makan lagi.
Yoko Cukup, terima kasih. Saya sudah kenyang.
Nina Does Yoko want to eat with hand or with spoon?

Yoko With hand.
Nina Good. You can wash your hands at the sink.
Yoko What curry is this, Nina?
Nina This is chicken curry.
Yoko Are there nuts in the curry?
Nina No nuts, but there’s coconut milk.
Yoko I cannot eat nuts.
Nina Have some more. Eat more.
Yoko That’s enough, thank you. I am full.
Vocabulary
tangan hand (although what is meant here is actually ‘fingers’,
which is jari)
atau or
sudu spoon
basuh to wash
sinki sink
kacang nuts
santan coconut milk
tambah (literally, this means ‘to add’, but in this context,
it means to have a second helping. ‘Take more rice!’)
lagi more
cukup enough
sudah/dah already
kenyang full
Language points
More useful eating phrases
Here are some more words and phrases relating to the art of eating.
lapar – hungry
Contrary to popular belief, Malaysians are not hungry all the time,
BUT it does seem as if they eat all the time.
belum lapar – not hungry yet
If you have not felt the gnawing pain of hunger, and a friend asks you
to go out and eat, you can say, saya belum lapar.
masih lapar – still hungry
If you have eaten but you are still hungry, and in the company of
close friends, of course you can say masih lapar and help yourself
to a second helping.
tambah – a second helping
Tambah means ‘to add’. However, when you are having a meal and
you are about to finish, your kind host or hostess will cajole you to
take a second helping. Because Malay food is served to be shared

by all, you are encouraged to take more rice, and have more helpings
of the curry or the side dishes.
cukup – enough
When you’ve had enough food, it is polite to say cukup, terima kasih,
and usually with a gesture of the right hand to mean, ‘no more, please’.
This can also be said and done when someone is scooping more
food onto your plate, or putting sugar into your tea.
sudah kenyang – already full
When you have eaten enough food, it is polite to say sudah kenyang
to mean you are already full.
tak lalu makan (or tak ada selera) – no appetite
Tak lalu makan can arise from various situations, such as:
• You noticed a restaurant that is dirty and grubby:
Saya tak lalu makan di sini.
I don’t have the appetite to eat here.
• You are not well and don’t feel like eating:
Saya tak lalu makan.
I don’t have the appetite to eat.
Tenses
In Malay, verbs do not change their form when the action is done by
either gender and they do not change even when the action is done
or has yet to be done. Although the tenses, especially the present
continuous, the future and the past tense, are normally omitted in
colloquial Malay, it helps to know how they are used.
saya makan I eat

saya sedang makan I am eating
saya telah makan nasi I ate rice
saya sudah makan I have eaten
saya akan makan I will eat
Sedang, telah, sudah/dah and akan are usually used for emphasis.
Note that the present continuous tense – sedang – is hardly used in

colloquial Malay – it is instead replaced by the word duk from duduk
‘sit’ or tengah ‘in the middle of’. This is explained more in Unit 12.
Example
Dia sedang makan or Dia duk makan or Dia tengah makan
Exercise 4
Fill in the blanks, choosing from the following words. The words in
brackets will help you.
sedang, sudah/dah, telah, akan, belum, masih
1 Paulo masih lapar. Dia ________ makan. (present continuous)

2 Dia makan nasi, kari dan sayur. Dia ________ kenyang. (past)
3 Ahmad mahu minum jus lagi. Dia ________ dahaga. (present)
4 Sekarang Joanne ________ masak untuk keluarga dia.
(present continuous)
5 Jangan bising! Kamelia ________ tidur. (past)
6 Dia ________ belajar bahasa Malaysia di sekolah. (past)
7 Betty beli ikan di pasar. Dia ________ masak kari ikan. (future)
8 Alan beli tiket kereta api. Dia ________ pergi ke Singapura.
(future)
Vocabulary
sekarang now
tidur sleep
tiket tiket
Culture point
Going native
Although in most restaurants and even at the stalls, forks and spoons
(not knives) are provided, most locals prefer to eat with their fingers,
especially if it is Malay or Indian food. In all eateries, there are sinks
where you can wash your hands, or a special finger bowl is provided.
You use your right hand to eat, NOT the left hand.
And when you visit a Malay house, do not be surprised to find that
some people sit on the floor (on a mat) to eat. Men and women have
different sitting positions.
Exercise 5
Read the passage and then answer the questions that follow.
Nisa masak nasi, kari kambing, ayam goreng, sambal udang

dan sup sayur. Dia jemput Ali, Chong, Sami, Suan dan Ray
datang ke rumah dia. Mereka suka masakan Nisa. Ali suka
kari tapi dia tak makan ayam. Chong tak makan sambal
udang. Sambal itu pedas.
Suan bawa kek untuk Nisa. Kek itu terlalu manis untuk
Nisa. Ray tak boleh makan kek itu sebab dia terlalu kenyang.
Dia tambah nasi dan kari kambing. Kari kambing sangat
sedap. Dia tak boleh makan lagi.
Suan tidak sihat. Dia tidak lalu makan. Dia tak ada selera.
Dia makan sup sayur saja.
Vocabulary
jemput to invite
bawa to bring
kek cake
sebab because
1 Nisa masak apa?

2 Nisa jemput siapa ke rumah dia?
3 Ali tak makan apa?
4 Suan bawa apa untuk Nisa?
5 Suan tidak lalu makan sebab dia ________
Unit Five
Membeli-belah
Shopping

• the different kinds of outlets available: where to find what
you want: pasar, pasaraya, kedai runcit, kedai buku, etc.
• cardinal and ordinal numbers
• classifiers: sehelai baju, dua orang anak
• berapa ‘how many/much?’ or banyak mana?
• how to ask for what you want
• how to exchange goods: more adjectives with lebih,
kurang, etc.
• ber + noun = verb, e.g. ber + kasut = berkasut ‘to be
with shoes’ = ‘to wear shoes’
• more adjectives with intensifiers: terlalu
• shapes, patterns, colours: bulat, berjalur, kuning
• the art of bargaining
Dialogue 1
(CD1; 68)
Rajan has just arrived and he needs to buy some essential things for
his stay in Malaysia. He discusses with Ali where to get them.
Rajan Saya perlu beli barang.

Ali Kamu mau beli apa?
Rajan Saya perlu sehelai kemeja baru dan sepasang kasut.
Ali Kita boleh beli kemeja di kedai pakaian.
Di sini tak ada kedai kasut.
Unit 5: Shopping 65
Rajan Saya juga mau dua pos kad dan peta.

Ali Kalau begitu, mula-mula kita pergi ke kedai buku.
Di situ ada pos kad dan peta.
Rajan Selepas itu?
Ali Selepas itu kita ke kedai pakaian untuk beli kemeja.
Rajan Saya juga mau sebotol ubat batuk.
Ali Kita beli ubat batuk di kedai ubat.
Rajan Saya fikir, lebih baik kita ke pusat membeli-belah.
Tentu semua ada di sana.
Ali Oh, ya, kasut di tingkat kedua!
Rajan I need to buy things.

Ali What do you want to buy?
Rajan I need a new shirt and a pair of shoes.
Ali We can buy shirts from the clothes shop.
There are no shoe shops here.
Rajan I also want postcards and a map.
Ali If that is so, first of all we go to the bookshop.
There are postcards and maps there.
Rajan After that?
Ali After that, to the clothes shop to buy the shirt.
Rajan I also want a bottle of cough medicine.
Ali We buy the cough medicine at the medicine shop.
Rajan I think it is better if we go to the shopping centre.
Surely everything is there.
Ali Oh, yes, shoes are on the second level.
Vocabulary
kemeja shirt fikir think
pos kad postcard lebih baik better
peta map pusat membeli-belah shopping centre
mula-mula first of all tentu surely
selepas itu after that semua all
ubat medicine tingkat level
batuk cough kedua second
kalau begitu if that is so
66 Unit 5: Membeli-belah
Note that sehelai and sepasang are classifiers, which are dealt with
later in this unit.
Language points
What kind of shop?
As you can see from Dialogue 1, it is easy to recognise what the
shops sell. As in English, a shoe shop is kedai kasut and a bookshop
is kedai buku, but this does not apply to all shops.
Here are some more examples:
kedai daging butcher’s
kedai bunga florist
kedai ubat medicine shop
kedai roti bakery/bread shop
kedai rambut hairdressing salon
kedai lampu lighting shop
kedai emas goldsmith
Jaime pergi ke kedai daging untuk beli ayam dan daging.
Jaime went to the butcher’s to buy chicken and beef.
Anne potong rambut di kedai rambut.
Anne had her hair cut at the hairdressing salon.
Cardinal numbers
To learn numbers, first memorise the numbers 0–10.
0 kosong
1 satu
2 dua
3 tiga
4 empat
5 lima
6 enam
7 tujuh
8 lapan
9 sembilan
10 sepuluh
Unit 5: Shopping 67
Note that se in Malay is also ‘one’, as you will see when you start
learning about classifiers. Puluh is ‘ten’. Therefore sepuluh is literally
‘one ten’.
For numbers above 10, belas at the end of the a number denotes
‘teen’.
11 sebelas
12 dua belas
13 tiga belas
14 empat belas and so on . . .
20 dua puluh
21 dua puluh satu
100 seratus
101 seratus satu
1000 seribu
1200 seribu dua ratus
100,000 seratus ribu
1,000,000 sejuta
1,200,314 sejuta, dua ribu tiga ratus empat belas
Exercise 1
Read these numbers out loud:
1 24 4 2,462
2 51 5 7,986
3 137
Exercise 2
Read these telephone numbers out loud. Phone numbers in Malay are
read out by individual number.
Language point
Ordinal numbers
In Dialogue 1 Ali remembers that the shoe shop is on the second

floor or second level of the shopping centre.
Oh, ya, kasut di tingkat kedua!

Oh, yes, shoes are on the second level!
With the exception of pertama to mean ‘first’, the rest of the ordinal
numbers simply have the prefix ke.
pertama first
kedua second
ketiga third
keempat fourth
kelima fifth
keenam sixth
ketujuh seventh
kedua-dua both
ketiga-tiga all three
Examples
Buku ini buku kedua saya mengenai Malaysia.

This book is my second book about Malaysia.
Dia tinggal dengan ketiga-tiga anak dia.

She lives with all her three children.
Exercise 3
Translate the following sentences into Malay.
1 Lillian’s second child is studying in her first year at university.

2 Anton bought all four books from me.
3 Jean has five children. Her third child is a girl.
4 My first car is a Proton.
5 Joshua is the tenth student to get a present from the school.
Unit 5: Shopping 69
Culture point
Shopping and bargaining
Malaysia is a haven for shopping. Depending on what you want to buy,

there are numerous places to choose from; ranging from exclusive
boutiques to supermarkets, shopping malls, street markets and night
markets (pasar malam).
Huge complexes tend to house not only offices but also shops,
and shopping here will not give you the liberty to bargain.
You can buy everyday necessities from corner shops. Shops are
easily identified by what they sell.
At a pasar malam, you can get mostly everything from ready cooked
food to household goods, CDs and DVDs (although you might want
to check out the authenticity), clothes and fresh fruit and vegetables.
This is where you will need your bargaining skills.
The art of bargaining is to ask for a price, feign disinterest and
walk away. You will be guaranteed a much lower price when you are
called back to state your price. This is usually done repeatedly until
both parties agree to a price. However, the streetwise, hardened pasar
malam vendor knows a tourist who has just stepped off a plane when
he sees one!
Exercise 4
Where do you go when you need:
1 flowers?
2 bread?
3 stationery?
4 clothes?
5 jewellery?
6 medicine?
Dialogue 2
(CD1; 70)
Listen to the conversation between Leela and a street vendor.
Leela Berapa harga baju ini?

Penjual Murah saja. Lima puluh ringgit.
Leela Terlalu mahal. Dua puluh saja.
Penjual Oh, jangan begitu. Ini kain cantik.
Leela Tak apa. Di sana lebih murah.
Penjual Mau berapa? Empat puluh?
Leela Dua puluh lima saja.
Penjual Dua puluh lima ringgit saya rugilah.
Leela Baiklah. Tiga puluh.
Penjual Terima kasih!
Leela How much is this dress?

Vendor Cheap only. Fifty ringgit.
Leela Too expensive. Twenty only.
Vendor Oh, don’t be like that. This is good material.
Leela Never mind. It’s cheaper there.
Vendor How much do you want? Forty?
Leela Twenty-five only.
Vendor Twenty-five ringgit and I lose.
Leela All right. Thirty.
Vendor Thank you.
Vocabulary
harga price
lebih murah cheaper
kain cloth, material
rugi to lose (not make a profit)
Culture point
The Malaysian currency
The Malaysian currency is called the Ringgit Malaysia, denoted by

the symbol RM. However, when spoken, only the word ringgit is
Unit 5: Shopping 71
used. It used to be known as dollars and quite a few people still

refer to the currency as dollars. This must not be confused with
US dollars.
The coins are known as sen; 100 sen make RM1.
Examples
RM42.50 empat puluh dua ringgit lima puluh sen

RM84.00 lapan puluh empat ringgit
RM590.40 lima ratus sembilan puluh ringgit empat
puluh sen
RM 7,429.30 tujuh ribu, empat ratus dua puluh sembilan
ringgit tiga puluh sen
Exercise 5
Answer the questions, using the prices given in brackets.
1 Berapa harga baju ini? (RM150.00)

2 Berapa harga buku ini? (RM25.99)
3 Berapa harga kereta ini? (RM45,670)
4 Berapa harga beg ini? (RM365.99)
5 Berapa harga kasut ini? (RM97.25)
Language point
Classifiers
Classifiers are used to quantify nouns and can vary according to

the shape, size or nature of the object. However, it is comforting to
know that in colloquial Malay, most of the time the classifiers are
dropped. If you want to use classifiers, it is important that you use
the right one.
In Dialogue 1 Rajan says:
Saya perlu sehelai kemeja baru dan sepasang kasut. Saya

juga mahu sebotol ubat batuk.
As se denotes ‘one’, helai, pasang and botol are all classifiers for
the different objects.
There are many other classifiers in Malay. Here are some examples:
orang – for people

seorang guru a teacher
dua orang anak two children
empat orang polis four policemen
helai – for things that are thin and flimsy
dua helai kemeja two shirts

empat helai kertas four pieces of paper
tiga helai saputangan three handkerchiefs
buah – although it means ‘fruit’, this applies to large things ranging

from countries to houses, buildings, cars and tables
dua buah negara two countries
tiga buah rumah three houses
enam buah kereta six cars
keping – for flat, thin and stiff objects such as planks of wood, toast
and postcards
lima keping roti five pieces of bread
tujuh keping papan seven planks of wood
empat keping poskad four postcards
ekor – associated with animals, as it means ‘tail’. However, this

classifier is also used for animals without tails!
dua ekor kucing two cats
empat ekor arnab four rabbits
lima ekor ikan five fish
sembilan ekor lembu nine cows
biji – means ‘seeds’ but is the classifier for fruit

lima biji oren five oranges
enam biji limau six lemons
tujuh biji durian seven durians
sebiji bawang an onion
Some other useful classifiers are:

dua botol susu two bottles of milk
secawan kopi a cup of coffee
lima gelas jus five glasses of juice
sepinggan nasi a plate of rice
Unit 5: Shopping 73
Exercise 6
Which is the odd one out in each group of words?
1 2 3 4 5
buah helai ekor biji keping
kereta saputangan kucing pensil kasut
rumah kerusi anjing oren papan
negara tisu durian rambutan sanwic
meja kemeja ikan epal gambar
ikan kertas lembu durian poster
Dialogue 3
(CD1; 72)
Rajan is choosing a shirt to buy at a department store.
Penjual Encik saiz apa?

Rajan Sederhana.
Penjual Warna apa?
Rajan Saya suka biru.
Penjual Saya ambil kemeja biru, saiz sederhana.
Rajan Oh, tolong cari yang berjalur.
Penjual Baiklah, yang berjalur.
Rajan Dan berkolar putih.
Salesperson What size are you?

Rajan Medium.
Salesperson What colour?
Rajan I like blue.
Salesperson I will take a blue shirt, medium size.
Rajan Oh, please find one with stripes.
Salesperson All right, the one with stripes.
Rajan And with a white collar.
Vocabulary
saiz size berjalur with stripes
warna colour berkolar with a collar
cari to find
Language points
Forming verbs with ber
Ber is effectively a verb maker. Almost all words with the prefix ber
are verbs.
• ber + noun = verb
Here ber carries the function of ‘to have’, ‘to wear’ or ‘to be using’.
Examples
berkasut = with shoes, to be wearing shoes
berkereta = to have a car, to be driving
berkemeja = to wear a shirt
Helga berkasut putih ke sekolah. Helga wears white shoes
to school.
Menon berkereta ke pejabat. Menon drives to the office.
Simone berkemeja putih. Simone wears a white shirt.
• ber + adjective = verb
Examples
berjalur = with stripes or stripey
berbintik = with polka dots
berbunga = with flowers, floral
Rajan suka kemeja berjalur. Rajan likes shirts with stripes.
Baju Anne berbintik biru. Anne’s dress has blue polka
dots.
Saya tak suka seluar berbunga. I don’t like floral trousers.
Warna Colours
putih white
hitam black
merah red
biru blue
kuning yellow
hijau green
ungu purple
Unit 5: Shopping 75
To describe the shade of the colour, add tua (‘old’ or in this case
‘dark’) or muda (‘young’, in this case ‘light’).
Baju Mariam warna apa?

Warna merah tua.
Seluar Jane warna apa?
Warna hijau muda.
Corak Patterns
berjalur with stripes

berpetak checked
berbintik with polka dots
Bahan Materials
kain cloth
kulit leather
plastik plastic
Saiz Sizes
kecil small
sederhana medium
besar large
Exercise 7
You’ve lost your luggage. Look at the pictures and, using the list of
descriptions below as a guide, describe what you have lost.
kemeja besar kecil

payung berjalur sederhana
seluar pendek kecil kulit
beg tangan plastik berpetak
beg
Dialogue 4
(CD1; 74)
Rania bought a pair of shoes which she discovered were a little bit
too tight. She goes back to the shop to exchange them. She also
wants to exchange a blouse that is a size too big.
Rania Maaf, saya nak tukar kasut ini.

Penjual Mengapa, cik?
Rania Terlalu kecil. Tak padan.
Penjual Cik pakai saiz apa?
Rania Saiz 5, tapi ini saiz 4.
Penjual Jadi, kasut ini ketat?
Rania Ya, terlalu ketat. Tak padan.
Penjual Dan blaus ni?
Rania Terlalu besar. Dan saya nak tukar warna.
Saya nak blaus warna merah.
Rania Sorry, I would like to change these shoes.

Penjual Why?
Rania They are too small. (They) don’t fit.
Penjual What size do you wear?
Rania Size 5, but this is size 4.
Penjual So, these shoes are tight?
Rania Yes, too tight. (They) don’t fit.
Penjual And this blouse?
Rania Too big. And I would like to change the colour.
I want a red blouse.
Unit 5: Shopping 77
Vocabulary
tukar to change ketat tight
mengapa why padan fit
sebab because blaus blouse
Language point
Why?
Mengapa, or alternatively kenapa, are question words that are a

little bit formal. They are used, just not as frequently as pasal apa?
(lit. ‘about what?’) or sebab apa? (lit. ‘because of what?’).
Whichever question word you use to ask ‘why?’, it will always
require the answer sebab or kerana, both of which mean ‘because’.
Mengapa tak padan? Sebab terlalu ketat.

Sebab apa nak tukar? Sebab tak cantik.
Pasal apa tak beli? Sebab tak suka.
For more on mengapa, pasal apa, etc., see Unit 12.
Exercise 8
Read Rajan’s notes, then translate them into English.
Pergi ke pusat membeli-belah. Beli kemeja, sepasang kasut,

poskad.
Ali beli buku, peta dan pen.
Kasut warna hitam. Cantik, tapi terlalu besar. Pergi tukar saiz.
Kemeja warna biru berjalur, berkolar putih. Cantik.
Poskad untuk ibu.
Buku Ali mahal. Tak boleh tawar. Di pasar malam boleh
tawar.
Semua sekali belanja RM152.20. Masih ada RM732.00 untuk
makan dan beli barang.
Unit Six
Jangan!
Don’t!

• how to prohibit someone from doing something using
jangan, janganlah!
• more about inviting someone to join you in your activities,
inviting someone to do something: mari kita, sila, jom
• the ubiquitious lah!
• how to use: larang, ajak, pujuk, suruh, minta, tanya
• how to give instructions and sequences: mula-mula,
selepas tu, kemudian, last sekali
Dialogue 1
(CD1; 76)
Samira and Marsha are walking along a beach. They see a creature
on the sand.
Samira Apa ni? Cantik!

Marsha Tak taulah. Nampak macam binatang.
Samira Saya nak ambil bawa baliklah!
Marsha Jangan!
Samira Tapi saya suka!
Marsha Jangan pegang! Merbahaya!
Samira Apa dia boleh buat?
Marsha Tak taulah! Mari kita pergi!
Samira Oh, okay!
Unit 6: Don’t! 79
Samira What is this? It is beautiful!

Marsha Don’t know. Looks like an animal.
Samira I want to bring it back!
Marsha Don’t!
Samira But I like (it)!
Marsha Don’t touch! It’s dangerous!
Samira What can it do?
Marsha Don’t know! Let’s go!
Samira Oh, okay!
Vocabulary
binatang animal
pegang to touch, to hold
merbahaya dangerous
Language point
Jangan! Don’t!
In Dialogue 1, Marsha is quite adamant that Samira shouldn’t touch

the creature.
She says:
Jangan! Jangan pegang! Don’t! Don’t touch!
Jangan is a prohibitive term used with verbs and adjectives. Read

this stern instruction from Milah to her son Atan:
Atan, Ibu mahu keluar. Atan jangan nakal. Jangan menonton

TV dan jangan bising. Ibu nak Atan baca buku, Jangan
malas.
Atan, I (mother) am going out. Atan, don’t be naughty. Don’t
watch TV and don’t make a noise. Mother wants Atan to read
books. Don’t be lazy.
80 Unit 6: Jangan!
Vocabulary
nakal naughty
bising to make a noise
malas lazy
For best effect, jangan is usually used in short sentences. It is usually,

but not always, used with verbs in their root form. To make it sound
less harsh, use lah – as in Janganlah – to sound persuasive or even
to cajole.
Examples
Janganlah menangis! Don’t cry!
Janganlah! Please don’t!
Exercise 1
Answer the following questions, choosing from the responses given
below.
1 What do you say when you want to stop children from making
a noise?
2 What do you say when you want to tell someone not to smoke?
3 What do you say when you want to tell someone not to enter
a room?
4 What do you say when you want to tell someone not to open
the door?
5 What do you say when you want to tell someone not to sleep?
Jangan tidur! Jangan bising! Jangan merokok! Jangan
masuk! Jangan masuk! Jangan buka! Jangan lari!
Dialogue 2
(CD1; 78)
Yoko goes to Hani’s house to ask her to go out with her.
Yoko Hani, mari kita ke kedai!

Hani Jom! Saya tak ada kerja.
Yoko Saya nak cari buku.
Unit 6: Don’t! 81
Hani Mari masuk.

Yoko Terima kasih.
Hani Silalah minum dulu.
Yoko Saya nak cepat. Jomlah!
Hani Okay, Jom!
Yoko Hani, let’s go to the shop!

Hani Come! I don’t have anything to do.
Yoko I want to find a book.
Hani Come in.
Yoko Thank you.
Hani Do drink first.
Yoko I want to be quick. Let’s go!
Hani Okay, let’s!
Language points
Mari
In Dialogue 2, Yoko asks Hani to go with her by saying:

Mari kita ke kedai. Let’s go to the shop.
Mari is a very casual and informal term which can be used to invite
others to join in activities in which you are involved.
Examples
Mari duduk. Come and sit down./Let’s sit down.

Mari minum. Come and have a drink./Let’s drink.
Mari masuk. Come in./Let’s go in.
This must not be used on formal occasions as it is very informal
language only to be used in casual situations.
The ubiquitous lah!
Lah is very peculiar to the Malay language. It is a particle that is

attached, usually to verbs, to soften a request. It is less formal than
‘please’; rather, it performs the function of ‘do’.
82 Unit 6: Jangan!
Examples
Marilah. Do come.
Makanlah. Do eat.
Masuklah. Do come in.
Minumlah. Do drink.
Do not be surprised if you hear eatlah, sitlah! That is ‘Manglish’

(Malay-English)!
Jom
This word, found only in spoken Malay, is originally from the northern
states. However, it is now used by almost everyone throughout the
country. It can be used like this:
Jom! Let’s! (you beckon someone

to go with you)
Jom makan! Let’s eat!
Jom tengok wayang! Let’s go and watch a film!
Jom pergi rumah Ainon! Let’s go to Ainon’s house!
Unit 6: Don’t! 83
Sila, silalah, silakan
Sila is a polite term used to invite a person to do something.
Examples
Sila makan. Please eat./Do eat.

Sila duduk. Please be seated./Please sit down.
Sila masuk. Please come in.
Sila can be used with lah and kan for added stress. These terms
can also be used on their own without the verbs but with gestures;
for example, to request someone at the door to come in.
Exercise 2
Read and act out the following dialogue with friends.
Manan has a guest, Heidi. He greets her at the door.
Manan: Sila masuk, Heidi.

Heidi: Terima kasih.
Manan: Duduklah. Ini Ibu saya, Puan Maria.
Heidi: Apa khabar, Puan Maria?
84 Unit 6: Jangan!
Puan Maria: Khabar baik. Mari minum.

Heidi: Terima kasih.
Puan Maria: Sama-sama.
Culture point
Visiting a Malay house
When entering a Malay house, you will see that shoes are left at the
door. This is almost always the case, but there are exceptions, of course.
Judge each situation and ask when you are not sure. You may see other
guests taking off their shoes at the door or you may see that the host
himself does not wear shoes in the house. Take the cue from there.
Dialogue 3
(CD1; 80)
Diana is writing a report when Kim phones her.
Kim Kamu buat apa Diana?

Diana Tulis laporan ni. John suruh.
Kim John suruh? Itu kerja dia!
Diana Ya, dia suruh saya buat sebab dia sibuk.
Kim Kamu mesti minta dia bayar.
Diana Aah, dia minta tolong.
Kim Dia tak minta tolong, dia suruh.
Kata kamu sibuk.
Diana Mak saya larang saya bohong.
Kim Saya setuju.
Kim What are you doing, Diana?

Diana Writing this report. John asked (me).
Kim John asked (you)? That is his job!
Diana Yes, he asked me to do it because he is busy.
Kim You must ask him to pay.
Diana Aah, he asked for help.
Unit 6: Don’t! 85
Kim He didn’t ask for help, he asked you (to do it).

Say that you are busy.
Diana My mother forbids me to lie.
Kim I agree.
Vocabulary
suruh to ask someone to do something
minta to ask for something
kata to say
larang to forbid
setuju to agree
Language point
Ask vs. ask for
In Dialogue 3, we see that Malay uses two words for ‘ask’. One is
‘to ask for’ and the other is ‘to ask’ as in ‘to instruct’. How does
one know which is which? Look at these sentences:
John: Buat kopi untuk saya.
→ John suruh saya buat kopi.
John asked me to make coffee.
John: Tolong saya kemas bilik ni.
→ John minta saya tolong kemas bilik.
John asked me to help tidy the room.
Anne: Siapa Perdana Menteri Malaysia?
→ Anne tanya saya siapa Perdana Menteri Malaysia.
Anne asked me who is the Prime Minister of Malaysia.
Mary: Tutup pintu!
→ Mary suruh saya tutup pintu.
Mary asked me to close the door.
Mary: Tolong pos surat ini.
Mary minta saya pos surat itu.
Mary requested me to post the letter.
86 Unit 6: Jangan!
Alan: Minta kek tu.

→ Alan minta kek itu.
Alan asked for the cake.
Hani: Jangan buka pintu tu.

→ Hani larang saya buka pintu tu.
Hani forbids me to open the door.
Farah: Jangan telefon Bill.

→ Farah larang saya telefon Bill.
Farah forbids me to phone Bill.
Puteri: Janganlah pergi!

→ Puteri pujuk saya jangan pergi.
Puteri pleaded with me not to go.
Alan: Janganlah marah!

→ Alan pujuk saya jangan marah dia.
Tom: Mari pergi ke kedai.

→ Tom ajak saya pergi ke kedai.
Heidi: Jom makan.

→ Heidi ajak saja makan.
Helen: Sila masuk.

→ Helen jemput saya masuk.
Exercise 3
Say whether these sentences are: pujuk, larang, jemput, ajak, minta
or suruh.
1 Beri sikit biskut tu.

2 Beli kari ayam dengan nasi.
3 Janganlah menangis.
4 Jangan bising.
5 Sila masuk.
6 Mari minum.
7 Sila duduk.
8 Jangan berdiri di situ.
Unit 6: Don’t! 87
Exercise 4
What do you say when you want to:
1 ask someone for a book?
2 invite someone to sit down?
3 forbid someone from running?
4 ask someone to go with you to the restaurant?
5 invite someone to your house?
Culture point
Softening the tone
As you can see, sometimes there’s a very fine line between a request
and a command, a note of prohibition or a plea. Most of the time, it is
in the tone of the voice. A request, no matter how simple, will sound
like a command if it sounds harsh. Thus the use of lah usually softens
the tone.
Dialogue 4
(CD1; 82)
Karim and Jo are planning their day.
Karim Apa rancangan kita hari ni?

Jo Mula-mula kita melawat Tina.
Karim Selepas tu?
Jo Selepas tu, kita pergi ke kedai buku.
Karim Kemudian?
Jo Kemudian kita beli tiket teater.
Karim Bagus dan last sekali?
Jo Last sekali, kita makan dengan Ali.
Karim What’s our programme today?

Jo First we visit Tina.
Karim After that?
Jo After that, we go to the book shop.
Karim And then?
88 Unit 6: Jangan!
Jo And then we buy theatre tickets.

Karim Good. And finally?
Jo Finally we eat with Ali.
Vocabulary
rancangan programme
Language point
Sequences
In Dialogue 4, Jo outlines the programme she has laid out for her and
Karim. She uses mula-mula, selepas itu, kemudian and last sekali.
Selepas itu is usually uttered as lepas tu. This sequence can be
applied to any instructions.
Note that the phrase last sekali is one of many examples of words
borrowed from the English language and turned into Manglish! More
borrowed words will be discussed in Unit 15.
Dialogue 5
(CD1; 84)
Listen to this message left on an answering machine, giving instructions
on how to get to a destination.
Mula-mula naik bas nombor 7 ke Pekan Alur. Kemudian turun
bas di Pekan Alur dan jalan terus ke Jalan Siput. Selepas itu,
masuk ke Taman Kota. Last sekali, awak akan nampak rumah
saya di hujung jalan!
Exercise 5
Rearrange the sentences according to the sequence.
1 kemudian hidang di atas meja.

2 mula-mula masak nasi.
3 last sekali, ajak tetamu makan
4 selepas tu masak kari ayam
Unit 6: Don’t! 89
Exercise 6
Read these jottings from Mary’s notebook, and then answer the questions
that follow.
Jasmin ajak saya sarapan dengan dia pada hari Khamis. Saya
suruh dia tunggu saya di kedai makan pada pukul 9 pagi.
Saya minta Mak saya gerak saya pukul tujuh pagi. Saya
akan naik bas ke kedai itu, Mak larang saya naik basikal.
Selepas makan dengan Jasmin saya mahu pergi ke
perpustakaan. Kemudian saya pergi ke pejabat pos untuk
beli setem dan pos surat. Mak minta saya pos bungkusan
untuk kakak dia di Paris.
Mak jemput kakak dia pulang untuk majlis hari jadinya
bulan depan. Dia pujuk kakak dia pulang kerana sudah lama
tak pulang.
1 Bila Jasmin ajak Mary sarapan dengan dia?

2 Mary suruh Jasmin tunggu di mana?
3 Mary minta Mak dia gerak dia pada pukul berapa?
4 Selepas makan, Mary mahu buat apa?
5 Mak Mary jemput kakak dia pulang untuk apa?
Unit Seven
Bila sampai?
When did you arrive?

• the question word bila?
• days, weeks, months, years, dates
• how to tell the time (malam Ahad, etc.)
• lengths of time: sepanjang, selama, semasa
• tadi, nanti, tiap-tiap, setiap
• the prepositions for time: pada, dalam
• pernah, tak pernah, kadang-kadang, selalu, jarang,
sekali-sekala
• weather: cuaca panas, hujan, ribut, sejuk, etc.
Dialogue 1
Bila sampai? When did you arrive? (CD1; 86)
Rania meets some old friends at a party.
Jamil Hi Rania! Bila sampai?

Rania Pada hari Sabtu. Sudah tiga hari.
Jamil Berapa lama Rania di sini?
Rania Dua minggu saja. Tak lama.
Jamil Kalau gitu, kita boleh pergi ke Pulau Tioman.
Rania Bagus. Saya tak pernah ke Tioman.
Unit 7: When did you arrive? 91
Jamil Kita ajak kawan-kawan lain.

Rania Bila nak pergi?
Jamil Hujung minggu?
Rania Bagus tu!
Vocabulary
bila when
sampai to arrive
lama long (length of time)
hari day
gitu that is so (short form of begitu)
minggu week
tak pernah never
ajak to invite, to ask along
hujung end of
Language points
Bila
Bila is a question tag for time.
Bila sampai? When did you arrive?

Bila kita nak pergi? When are we going?
It is also the adjunct for time.
Bila dia sampai kita makan. When he arrives, we eat.

Bila mengantuk saya tidur. When sleepy, I go to sleep.
Days/weeks/months/years
When talking about days, it is common for the word hari to be

attached to the day.
92 Unit 7: Bila sampai?
hari Ahad Sunday

hari Isnin Monday
hari Selasa Tuesday
hari Rabu Wednesday
hari Khamis Thursday
hari Jumaat Friday
hari Sabtu Saturday
hari ini today
esok tomorrow
lusa day after tomorrow
semalam/kelmarin yesterday
kelmarin dulu day before yesterday
malam ini tonight
malam esok tomorrow night
minggu ini this week
minggu depan next week
minggu lepas/lalu last week
bulan month
bulan Januari January
bulan Februari February
bulan Mac March
bulan April April
bulan Mei May
bulan Jun June
bulan Julai July
bulan Ogos August
bulan September September
bulan Oktober October
bulan November November
bulan Disember December
bulan ini this month
bulan depan next month
bulan lepas last month
tahun year
tahun ini this year
tahun depan next year
tahun lepas last year
Prepositions for time
Pada means ‘at’ or ‘on’, and dalam means ‘in’.
Examples
Dia pergi ke Tioman pada hari Jumaat.

She goes to Tioman on Friday.
Rania sampai di sini pada hari Sabtu.

Rania arrives here on Saturday.
Johan dan Jane kerja pada hujung minggu.

Johan and Jane work on weekends.
Kamal belajar dalam bulan Mac.

Kamal studies in the month of March.
Amy nak makan di restoran pada hari ini.

Amy wants to eat at the restaurant today.
Yaya pergi ke sekolah tahun depan.

Yaya goes to school next year.
Hilman kerja minggu lepas.

Hilman worked last week.
Note: Do not be surprised if you hear people dropping the preposition,

especially in spoken Malay.
Examples
Dia sampai hari Isnin. He arrives Monday.
Also, the preposition pada is NEVER used with:
• esok (unless it is hari esok)

• lusa
• kelmarin/semalam
Examples
Esok dia pergi kerja. Tomorrow he goes to work.

Lusa John balik. John comes home the day after
tomorrow.
Dia belajar semalam. He studied yesterday.
Malam
When malam ‘night’ is used with the days of the week, it can be
problematic because its meaning is quite different from the English.
For example, malam Ahad is actually the night starting on the
Saturday, not the Sunday. So if you are being invited for dinner on
malam Ahad, that means it is on the Saturday night in English.
It is best to confirm the day and dates when you have such an
appointment.
Culture point
It is worth noting that when Muslims make appointments to meet each
other, they sometimes use the time of prayers. There are five prayer
times which are more or less fixed in Malaysia, unlike in the West:
subuh dawn prayer (6.48am–7am)

zuhur noon prayer (1pm–4.30pm)
asar afternoon prayer (4.30pm–7.19pm)
maghrib evening prayer (7.19pm–8.30pm)
isya night prayer (8.30pm onwards)
Examples
Kita jumpa selepas maghrib.

We meet after maghrib. (After maghrib prayers, i.e. when the
prayer is finished, so after 7.19pm)
Dia datang selepas isya.

He came after isya. (After the performance of isya prayer,
i.e. around 8.30pm)
Exercise 1
Here is Rania’s diary for the week she has been in Malaysia. Look at
her activities and answer the questions that follow.
Ahad Isnin Selasa Rabu Khamis Jumaat Sabtu
pagi Jumpa Sarapan berenang Jumpa Main Pergi ke Ke Pulau

Anne di hotel Ali & tenis Singapura Sentosa
Rajan & dengan
Sam Sam
petang makan Ke Melawat Berehat Jumpa Membeli- membeli-

digerai taman muzium di hotel dengan belah belah
Layla
malam Ke Makan Menonton Makan di Makan Menonton Pulang

teater malam filem Restoran malam konsert ke Kuala
dengan Sri dengan Lumpur
Sam Melayu Layla
dan
kawan-
kawan
Vocabulary
sarapan breakfast berehat rest
teater theatre menonton to watch
1 Rania buat apa pada pagi Ahad?

2 Rania makan di mana pada petang Ahad?
3 Bila Rania pergi ke teater?
4 Pada pagi Khamis, Rania main tenis dengan siapa?
5 Bila Rania berehat di hotel?
6 Pada malam Jumaat, Rania buat apa?
7 Bila Rania pergi ke Singapura?
8 Pada petang Sabtu, Rania buat apa?
Dialogue 2
(CD1; 88)
Yoko and Mariam are talking about their holidays.
Yoko Cuti tahun depan, awak pergi ke mana?

Mariam Saya nak pergi ke Australia dalam bulan Jun.
Yoko Oh, bulan Jun tahun depan saya sibuk.
Saya nak belajar bahasa Perancis.
Mariam Bulan depan saya beli tiket ke Australia.

Yoko Saya pergi ke Australia tahun lepas.
Mariam Musim apa di London pada bulan Jun?
Yoko Musim panas. Bagus, tak ada salji.
Mariam Tahun ini nak pergi mana lagi?
Yoko Bulan depan saya melawat kawan di Tokyo.
Mariam Baguslah. Bulan lepas saya membeli-belah di Indonesia.
Vocabulary
musim season
salji snow
Culture point
In Malaysia, there are no distinct seasons; it is either wet or very wet.
The monsoon season runs from September to December. But with
the climate playing havoc around the world, sometimes there are
severe dry spells or flash floods.
cuaca weather
panas hot
sejuk cold
dingin cool
hujan rain
ribut storm
kilat/petir lightning
banjir/bah floods
banjir kilat flash floods
kemarau drought
angin kuat strong wind
hujan renyai-renyai drizzle
musim panas hot season

musim hujan rainy season
musim tengkujuh monsoon season
Language point
Malay vs. Indonesian
Although the Malay language is quite similar to the Indonesian language,

there are a few words which have very different meanings. The words
sejuk and dingin have the opposite meanings in Indonesian. Here
are some other examples:
Malay English Indonesian
sejuk cold dingin

dingin cool sejuk
kerana because karena
memerlukan to need membutuhkan (which is actually
a rude word in Malay!)
kakak older sister older brother
banci census transvestite
bisa poison can (ability to do something)
kapan shroud when

James is listening to a weekly weather report because he is planning
his holiday. Listen to the weather forecast and tick the correct weather
conditions for each state in the chart that follows.
Inilah ramalan cuaca untuk minggu ini.

Di negeri Kedah, Perlis, Pulau Pinang dan Perak panas.
Di Kelantan, Terengganu dan Pahang, hujan turun lebat dan
banjir mungkin berlaku.
Di Melaka ribut petir kuat dan hujan lebat.
Di negeri-negeri Selangor, Negri Sembilan dan Johor, hujan
renyai-renyai.
negeri panas hujan lebat hujan renyai-renyai ribut petir banjir

KEDAH
PERLIS
PERAK
PULAU PINANG
SELANGOR
MELAKA
NEGRI SEMBILAN
JOHOR
PAHANG
TERENGGANU
KELANTAN
Dialogue 3
Pernah pergi ke Pulau Pinang? Have you ever
been to Penang? (CD1; 92)
Jamie is in Kuala Lumpur and is planning to go to Penang or, in Malay,
Pulau Pinang. He asks Amin to go with him.
Jamie Amin, awak pernah pergi ke Pulau Pinang?

Amin Ya, saya selalu ke Pulau Pinang. Kakak saya ada di sana.
Jamie Saya nak pergi minggu depan. Nak ikut?
Amin Boleh juga. Naik apa?
Jamie Naik kereta api.
Amin Kadang-kadang saya naik bas, tapi tak pernah naik kereta api.
Jamie Saya jarang naik bas. Saya lebih suka kereta api.
Amin Sekali-sekala saya pergi dengan kereta.
Jamie Tak apa. Kita cuba kereta api kali ini.
Amin OK. Nanti kita beli tiket.
Language point
Pernah
The best way to explain pernah is by explaining tak pernah first. While
tak pernah is ‘never’, pernah is just the opposite. This is explained
in the following sentences:
Saya tak pernah pergi ke Tokyo.

I have never been to Tokyo.
Dia pernah datang ke rumah saya.
He has come to my house (before).
Jane pernah jumpa Rania.
Jane has met Rania (before).
Peter pernah bekerja di London.
Peter has worked in London (before).
Pernah is a word which tells you that however brief an experience

was, you have done it before, as opposed to tak pernah which means
you’ve NEVER done it.
Some other terms of frequency used in the conversation between
Jamie and Amin are:
selalu always
kadang-kadang sometimes
sekali-sekala once in a while
jarang seldom
Exercise 3
Translate the following sentences into English.
1 Jane selalu melawat ibu dia.
2 Saya tak pernah kerja pada hari Ahad.
3 Sekali-sekala Maria telefon saya.
4 Omar jarang pergi ke sekolah.
5 Kami selalu balik pada waktu tengah hari.
6 Mereka jarang bercakap bahasa Inggeris.
7 Kadang-kadang Laila pergi kerja naik bas.
8 Lim tidak pernah berjalan ke sekolah.
Language points
Nanti
This word has several meanings. In Dialogue 3, it means ‘later’, but
it can also mean ‘to wait’. It is a word that has an infinite frame of
time. It could be in the next five minutes or in the next month!
Nanti saya makan. I will eat later.

Nanti dia datang. He will come later.
Some other useful terms
Tadi
In contrast to nanti, tadi is in the past. Again, it does not have a
definite period of time, although it is safe to say that it could have
happened within the last five minutes or the last few hours.
A: Bila dia sampai? When did she arrive?

B: Tadi. Just now (earlier).
A: Bila awak makan? When did you eat?
B: Tadi. Just now (earlier).
Tiap-tiap/setiap
Meaning ‘each, every’, these words can be attached to days, months,
years and, in fact, anything.
Examples
Saya pergi ke pejabat setiap hari Isnin.

I go to the office every Monday.
Tiap-tiap bulan dia pergi bercuti.

Every month he goes on holiday.
Ikut
In Dialogue 3, Jamie asked Amin to go along with him. The word ikut
means ‘to follow’. Thus Manglish speakers tend to ask someone ‘to
follow’ rather than ‘to go along’ with them.
Dialogue 4
Pada berapa haribulan kita jumpa? On what
date are we meeting? (CD1; 94)
Jane and Joe are looking at dates to invite Rania over.
Jane Rania nak balik pada 10 haribulan Jun.

Joe Oh, kita mesti ajak dia makan.
Jane Betul. Tapi pada berapa haribulan?
Joe Tujuh haribulan bagus, sebab hari Sabtu.
Jane Oh, tak boleh sebab saya kerja sepanjang hari Sabtu.
Joe Lapan haribulan, hari Ahad?
Jane Okay, saya datang waktu pagi untuk tolong awak.
Joe Bagus tu. Semasa saya masak, awak kemas rumah.
Vocabulary
haribulan date (day of month)
mesti must, to have to
sepanjang hari all day long
waktu a period of time
semasa at the time, while
Language point
Haribulan vs. tarikh
Haribulan literally means ‘day of the month’. In written form it appears

as such:
6hb Jun 2009 6th June 2009

enam haribulan Jun dua ribu sembilan
29hb Mac 1986
dua puluh sembilan haribulan Mac seribu sembilan ratus
lapan puluh enam
Tarikh also means ‘date’, but it is not used in the same way as
haribulan. See the difference here:
Tarikh ini tarikh hari jadi saya.
This date is the date of my birthday.
Pada tarikh 10 haribulan Mei dia pergi ke UK.

On the date of 10th May, he goes to the UK.
Exercise 4
Say these dates in Malay:
1 10th April 1967 4 9th March 2005

2 18th December 2001 5 30th August 1991
3 25th July 2010 6 18th May 2018
Language point
Jam berapa/pukul berapa? What time?
Jam berapa or pukul berapa is used to enquire about time. Jam

has two meanings – it can mean ‘clock’ or ‘watch’, and it can also
mean ‘hour’. Pukul literally means ‘to strike’ or ‘to hit’. Thus pukul
satu is ‘strike one/one o’clock’.
To ask for the time, you can say:
Jam berapa? What’s the time?
or
Pukul berapa?
Jam dua petang. Two o’clock
Pukul dua petang.
Sekarang jam/pukul berapa? What’s the time now?
Sekarang jam/pukul satu tengah hari. It’s now 1pm.
jam hour
minit minute
saat second
jam satu setengah one thirty
pukul lima suku five and a quarter,
five fifteen
pukul enam lima minit five past six
jam tujuh empat puluh lima minit seven forty-five
pukul tujuh sepuluh minit seven ten
pukul lima tiga puluh lima minit five thirty-five
Practice reading these times: Pukul/jam berapa?
Exercise 5
Study this programme for a three-day tour of places of interest in
Malaysia, and then answer the questions that follow.
Angsana Tours
PROGRAM MELAWAT MELAKA & NEGRI SEMBILAN
21 Mac 2012
8.00 Berkumpul di Hotel Sentosa
9.00 Berlepas ke Negri Sembilan
11.15 Sampai di Seremban
11.45 Melawat Istana Sri Menanti
12.10 Makan tengah hari di Restoran Sri Menanti
2.00 Berlepas ke Port Dickson
6.00 Pulang ke Seremban
8.00 Makan malam
11.00 Bermalam di Hotel Hang Tuah
22 Mac 2012
8.00 Sarapan
9.30 Berlepas ke Melaka
11.45 Sampai di Melaka
12.30 Makan tengah hari
3.15 Melawat Taman Buaya
5.00 Pergi ke Stadthuys
7.00 Melawat A’Formosa
9.15 Pulang ke hotel
23 Mac 2012
8.00 Sarapan
9.10 Berlepas ke Bukit Cina
11.30 Melawat Taman Burung
12.30 Makan tengah hari
3.00 Melawat Istana Kesultanan Melaka
5.00 Berlepas ke Kuala Lumpur
7.00 Sampai di Kuala Lumpur
Vocabulary
berkumpul to gather
berlepas to leave for
bermalam to spend the night
melawat to visit
berapa lama? for how long?
perjalanan journey
1 Berapa lama makan tengah hari di Restoran Sri Menanti?

2 Berapa lama perjalanan ke Melaka?
3 Berapa lama lawatan ke A’ Formosa?
4 Berapa lama lawatan ke Istana Kesultanan Melaka?
5 Berapa lama perjalanan pulang ke Kuala Lumpur?
Exercise 6
Read this passage from Jane’s report about her visit to Kuala Lumpur
and answer the questions that follow.
Saya sampai di Kuala Lumpur pada pukul enam pagi pada

10hb Mei 2010. Maria jemput saya di lapangan terbang
dan kami balik ke rumah dia. Saya tinggal dengan keluarga
Maria selama seminggu. Pada hari Ahad lepas, kami pergi
ke Taman Burung dan KLCC. Saya makan sepanjang hari
sebab semua makanan sedap.
Pada hari Sabtu, saya pergi ke Pulau Pinang dengan
Sania. Kami naik kereta api pada pukul dua setengah petang.
Perjalanan ke Pulau Pinang selama lima jam. Sania tidur
sepanjang perjalanan!
Kami jumpa Danial di Pulau Pinang. Pada malam Selasa,
kami pergi ke majlis hari jadi Danial. Tarikh hari jadinya –
14hb Mei.
Kami pulang ke Kuala Lumpur pada 17hb Mei. Hujan
sepanjang hari.
Vocabulary
jemput to fetch
tidur to sleep
1 Jane sampai di Kuala Lumpur pada jam berapa dan pada

hari apa?
2 Berapa lama Jane tinggal dengan keluarga Maria?
3 Bila Jane pergi ke Pulau Pinang?
4 Sania buat apa sepanjang perjalanan?
5 Bila Jane dan Sania pulang ke Kuala Lumpur?
Unit Eight
Selamat Hari Raya
Happy Eid

• about the various festive seasons and celebrations in
Malaysia
• how to extend your best wishes: Selamat Hari Raya,
Maaf, zahir dan batin
• how to react when you hear good news, bad news or sad
news: tahniah! syabas! salam takziah, kesian!
• words to express feelings: gembira, sedih, seronok, etc.
• characteristics and attributes: malas, rajin, pandai, baik,
sombong, etc.
• the use of the words tak payah, kena, tak kisah
• the different functions and uses of ter
Dialogue 1
(CD2; 1)
Latif is telling Jo about the celebration at the end of a month-long
fast for Muslims in Malaysia.
Latif Hari Raya minggu depan. Kita pergi rumah Ani, ya?
Jo Tapi dia tak jemput saya pun!
Latif Dia buat rumah terbuka.
Jo Rumah terbuka? Kena bawa hadiah?
Latif Tak payah. Ini bukan Krismas.
Jo Oh begitu. Hari itu tak puasa?
Unit 8: Happy Eid 107
Latif Tak. Selepas Ramadan, hari raya.

Jo Awak pun boleh makan banyak!
Latif Ya, saya nak makan banyak-banyak.
Vocabulary
Hari Raya Eid day (a Muslim day of celebration)
rumah terbuka open house
jemput to invite
kena must, to have to
tak payah no need
puasa to fast
Ramadan (a Muslim month)
banyak a lot
banyak-banyak lots
Language points
Raya
Raya is a word that has many meanings. In this context, it is the

day of celebration in the Muslim calendar marking the end of
Ramadan, a month-long fast. It is also called Idul Fitri. There is
another festive day in the Muslim calendar and it is called Hari
Raya Idul Adha. This is when lambs and cows are sacrificed to
feed the poor.
Raya can also be used as a verb, and as such it means ‘going to
celebrate’.
In other contexts, you will also see this word attached to other
nouns to mean ‘big’ or ‘main’.
Examples
pasaraya supermarket
jalanraya main road
bandaraya city (big town)
108 Unit 8: Selamat Hari Raya
Kena
In Dialogue 1, Jo asks Latif if she has to bring presents when visiting

Ani. She says:
Kena bawa hadiah? Must (I) bring a present? or
Do I have to bring a present?
In this context, kena carries the meaning of ‘to have to’ or ‘must’.
Let’s look at some other examples:
Dia kena belajar. He must study.
Jo kena buat kerja. Jo has to do work.
Ibu kena masak di rumah. Mother has to cook at home.
Pam tak kena bayar. Pam didn’t have to pay.
Kena can also mean ‘to get’, ‘to be’.
kena marah to be scolded
kena denda to be fined
kena selsema to get the flu
kena tahan to be stopped or detained
kena penjara to be jailed
Let’s look at some example sentences:
Dia kena marah dengan She got scolded by the mother.
mak dia.
Jan kena denda. Jan was fined.
Danny kena selsema. Danny got the flu.
A third meaning of kena is ‘apt’, ‘suitable’.
Baju tu tak kena dengan kasut kamu.
That dress doesn’t go with your shoes.
Tak kena kalau kita tak pergi.
It wouldn’t be right if (we) didn’t go.
Tak payah
When Jo asks Latif if she should bring presents, he replies:

Tak payah. Ini bukan Krismas.
No need. This is not Christmas.
Here tak payah means ‘no need’, or ‘not necessary’. It can be

synonymous with tak kena.
Let’s look at some other examples:
Tak payah masak sebab kita nak makan di restoran.

There’s no need to cook as we are eating at a restaurant.
Tak payah bayar. Tiket itu percuma.

There’s no need to pay. The ticket is free.
However, when used without tak, payah does not mean the opposite
of ‘no need’. It has a meaning of its own.
Payah means ‘difficult’ and is synonymous with susah.
Payah nak cari pembantu baik.

It’s difficult to find a good helper.
Culture point
Festivals and holidays
Hari Raya is a day of celebration for Muslims, marking the end of

fasting in the holy month of Ramadan. There’s much merriment, with
festive food, and meeting and visiting friends and relatives. On this
day, people ask for each other’s forgiveness. Small children are given
money by their elders, and everyone wears new clothes.
Hari Raya or Eid and the first day of Ramadan are determined by
the sighting of the new moon. And having sighted the new moon, an
announcement is made to declare the next day as Hari Raya.
Muslims start the day with prayers at the local mosque and then visit
graves of relatives who have passed away. Then, either they go home
to prepare for the arrival of friends and relatives or they themselves
go visiting.
Ramadan is the holy month of Ramadan, where Muslims refrain
from eating from sunrise to sunset. Although most Muslims do not
mind being in the company of non-Muslims who are not fasting, it is
usually polite not to eat or drink in front of them.
Rumah terbuka or ‘open house’ is a relatively new phenomenon
in Malaysian culture. Instead of inviting people to their house, or a hall
rented for the festive day, the host will announce that he or she is
having a rumah terbuka on such and such a date. Sometimes, the

only fixed element on the card is the time – work colleagues are
invited from a certain time to a certain time, relatives at a another
time and so on. However, there is really no hard and fast rule. People
take this opportunity to mingle and network. Chinese people celebrate
their Chinese New Year this way and, similarly, the Indian community
during their Deepavali or Festival of Lights.
When Latif tells Jo that there is no need to bring gifts and that this
is not Christmas, it is meant to say that people do not exchange gifts
during these festivals. As in the Chinese community, only children
and unmarried children get money from their elders.
It is also worth noting that, although Christmas is very much a family
affair in the West, in Malaysia Christians invite their friends over.
Ways of extending good wishes to others on their

special days
Selamat Hari Raya Cina or Gong Xi Fa Cai (from Mandarin
Chinese)
Happy (Lunar) New Year
Selamat Hari Deepavali Happy Deepavali

Selamat Hari Natal Merry Christmas
Selamat Hari Jadi Happy Birthday
Selamat pengantin baru (Wish of happiness to newlyweds)
Exercise 1
Use tak payah, payah, kena and tak kena to complete the following
sentences.
1 ________ beli tiket untuk Adil. Dia budak.

2 Ani ________ masak untuk anak-anak dia.
3 Ali sudah besar. Dia ________ puasa.
4 Kita ________ bayar. Masuk percuma.
5 Tulisan dia kecil ________ nak baca.
6 Baju merah tu ________ dengan beg merah.
7 Hisham tak pergi sekolah. Dia ________ selsema.
8 Amir ________ pergi ke sekolah. Sekolah tutup.
9 Kalau ________ jangan buat.
10 Orang itu ________ tahan polis.
Dialogue 2
(CD2; 3)
Jo and Latif are at Ani’s house for the Hari Raya celebration. A lot
of people are there and wishing each other Happy Eid or Selamat
Hari Raya and also asking for forgiveness.
Latif Selamat hari raya, maaf zahir dan batin, Ani.

Ani Selamat hari raya dan maaf zahir dan batin daripada saya juga.
Latif Maaf kalau ada tersilap kata, terkasar bahasa.
Ani Saya juga sama. Jo dan Latif, sila makan.
Jo Terima kasih. Sedapnya kueh ini. Ani buat?
Ani Ya, saya buat semua kueh raya.
Latif Syabas! Sedap!
Ani Taklah!
Vocabulary
zahir physical
batin spiritual
tersilap kata (words mistakenly spoken)
terkasar bahasa (language that’s unintentionally harsh)
syabas! well done!
Language point
The prefix ter
There are many functions of the prefix ter. In Dialogue 2, it is obvious

that it carries the meaning of ‘accidental’ or ‘unintentional’.
Tersilap kata
Silap means ‘to make a mistake’. Tersilap emphasises that the actions
or words uttered are unintentional.
Terkasar bahasa
Kasar means ‘rough’ or ‘harsh’, and terkasar implies that if the
language used is harsh, it is unintentional.
Let us look at other examples where ter is used with verbs to show
that actions are unintentional or accidental.
ter + jatuh to accidentally fall

Dia terjatuh di dalam He accidentally fell in the drain.
longkang.
ter + makan to unintentionally eat
Jan termakan cili. Jan unintentionally ate the chilli.
ter + nampak to see something unintentionally
Jan ternampak orang Jan saw (unintentionally) someone
curi barang. stealing things.
ter + gelak to laugh unintentionally
Bila dia dengar cerita itu, When she heard the story,
dia tergelak. she laughed.
Ter can also mean that something is already done.
Makanan sudah terhidang.

The food is already laid out.
Kasut tersusun di atas rak.

The shoes are already arranged on the rack.
Baju dia tergantung di dalam almari.

Her dress is hanging in the cupboard.
Ter can also be used with a verb to imply an inability to do something.
tak ter + bayar

Kereta tu mahal sangat. Tak terbayar.
The car is very expensive. (We) won’t be able to pay.
tak ter + angkat

Beg tu berat. Tak terangkat.
The bag is heavy. (I’m) not able to lift it.
tak ter + makan

Terlalu banyak makanan tu. Tak termakan.
There’s too much food. (I) can’t eat (finish) it.
Ter + adjective (and sometimes + sekali) is used as a superlative.
ter + besar (sekali)

Kedai ABC kedai terbesar (sekali) di Alor Setar.
The ABC shop is the biggest shop in Alor Setar.
ter + tinggi (sekali)

Dia tangkap gambar bangunan tertinggi (sekali) di Malaysia.
He took pictures of the tallest building in Malaysia.
Exercise 2
Use ter with the verbs or adjectives given in brackets and indicate
whether they are unintentional, accidental, a superlative, the inability to
do something or something that is already done.
Example
Lola ________ (pijak ‘to step on’) kaki saya.

→ Lola terpijak kaki saya. [accidental/unintentional]
1 Aziz ________ (tidur ‘to sleep’) di dalam kelas.

2 Semasa Lili makan, dia ________ (gigit ‘to bite’) cili.
3 Lily ________ (nampak ‘to see’) Jan di dalam kedai.
4 Rumah dia yang ________ (besar ‘big’) di bandar itu.
5 Baju saya ________ (susun ‘to arrange’) di dalam almari.
6 Dia masak banyak. Saya tak ________ (makan ‘to eat’).
7 Anne ________ (beli ‘to buy’) baju yang besar.
8 Saya ________ (dengar ‘to hear’) Suan bercakap.
9 Encik Ahmad orang ________ (kaya ‘rich’) di sini.
10 Makanan sudah ________ (hidang ‘laid out’).
Culture points
Salam
Amongst the Malay community, the act of clasping each other’s hands,
which is called salam, is usually done as a greeting. When done before
one takes one’s leave, it is usually accompanied by the utterance
maaf kalau tersilap kata, terkasar bahasa. This is especially so
amongst very close friends, after a good banter when words are said
carelessly and without much thought and consideration. This is to

say, please forgive me for whatever was said and done.
This salam and asking of forgiveness is normal, especially during
Hari Raya. You forgive and forget.
Accepting compliments
When Latif complimented Ani on her cooking, Ani coyly dismissed it

as: Tak lah! ‘Not at all’.
Malays, and it is safe to say most Asians, are usually coy when
receiving compliments, and they tend to downplay their achievements
or the compliments.
Examples
Baju awak cantik. Your dress is beautiful.

Oh, murah saja. Oh, it’s very cheap.
Awak pandai melukis. You draw well.
Tak juga. Not really.
Dialogue 3
(CD2; 5)
After studying hard to learn Malay, Heidi finally finishes her course.
Johan Syabas, Heidi!

Heidi Terima kasih. Saya belajar selama dua tahun.
Johan Saya tau. Heidi sudah boleh cakap Melayu.
Heidi Saya juga lulus peperiksaaan saya.
Johan Oh, tahniah! Kamu pandai.
Heidi Terima kasih, tapi saya sedih Yoko tak lulus.
Johan Kesian!
Heidi Ya, dia rajin tapi tak lulus.
Johan Mungkin susah bagi dia.
Heidi Ya, mungkin.
Vocabulary
lulus to pass rajin hardworking
pandai clever mungkin maybe
sedih sad susah hard, difficult
kesian pity bagi for
Language point
Expressions and exclamations
In Dialogue 3, Johan congratulates Heidi by saying Syabas! and
Tahniah! Heidi has done well to finish her Malay course and pass
her exams.
You can say syabas! ‘well done!’ on these sorts of occasions:
• Annie painted a beautiful picture

• Jan answered a question correctly
• Yoko sang a Malay song beautifully
And you can say tahniah! on these sorts of occasions:
• Mandy passes her driving test

• John and Sally announce their engagement
• Leila tells you she is getting married
• Sammy has graduated
There will be other occasions where you are required to express

condolence, sadness, etc. For example, on receiving news about
a death:
Bapa saya meninggal. My father died.

Oh, salam takziah daripada saya. My condolences.
When exclaiming, you can simply add nya to the end of the adjective:
cantiknya! how beautiful!

malangnya! how unfortunate!
kesiannya!/sayangnya! how pitiful!/what a pity!
tingginya! how tall!
pandainya! how clever!
You will also hear other expressions which are peculiar only to
Malays. For example, in English we exclaim ‘ouch’ when in pain,
but the Malays will say adoi! Another popular and common
expression to indicate shock is Alamak! This will be dealt with in
Unit 11.
Culture point
Etiquette
When you congratulate a Malay friend, you do so by shaking hands

and not salam the way Malays greet each other.
When there is death of a relative of someone you know, you are
certainly allowed to visit. Dressing must be appropriate, although you
are not expected to dress like a Malay. The rule of thumb is that you
do not want to offend, especially in these circumstances.
When you are giving gifts on special occasions, remember that it
is not advisable to give alcoholic drinks or wine or champagne. Check
chocolates and biscuits if you want to give these as gifts, to make
sure they don’t contain alcohol.
Exercise 3
Choose the most appropriate phrases from those given below. What do
you say when:
1 Danial announces that his wife is pregnant?

2 Heidi says she has lost her favourite pen?
3 Yoko tells you that she has completed her essay?
4 Aidan says he is getting married?
5 Monica says regretfully that she cannot attend your party?
6 Helen shows you a beautiful painting she has done?
7 Jo tells you he could speak ten languages?
8 Mike says his uncle has died?
9 Miki’s pet went missing?
10 A friend tells you he has to leave your party early?
sayangnya! kesian! pandainya! tahniah!

malangnya! syabas! cantiknya! salam takziah
Dialogue 4
(CD2; 7)
Dino is happy after receiving some good news in the post.
Jensen Dino, awak nampak gembira!

Dino Ya, ada berita baik. Saya dapat masuk universiti!
Jensen Wah, tahniah!
Dino Terima kasih! Tapi sedih juga sebab kena duduk jauh
daripada keluarga.
Jensen Eh, awak dah besar. Mak awak mesti bangga anak masuk
universiti.
Dino Ya, dia belum tau. Nanti dia terkejut.
Jensen Johan macam mana? Lulus?
Dino Saya tak tanya sebab dia nampak kecewa.
Jensen Oh, mungkin berita tak baik.
Vocabulary
gembira happy masuk to enter
berita news terkejut surprise
duduk to stay/to live (lit. ‘to sit’) tanya to ask
bangga proud kecewa disappointed
Language points
Expressing emotions
There are many words in Malay to describe the feeling ‘happy’. In

Dialogue 4, Dino’s feeling is described in the word gembira. Gembira
is a state of happiness at that point in time. In English, the word ‘happy’
can cover all kinds of happiness, from being happy to be at a party
to being happy in marriage. But this is not the case in Malay.
rasa gembira
Similar to English, you can sometimes use the phrase ‘to feel happy’
rasa gembira:
Saya rasa gembira dapat pulang.
I feel happy to be able to go home.
Dia gembira sebab jumpa kawan dia.
He is happy because he met his friend.
John gembira dia menang.
John is happy he won.
rasa seronok
Seronok is also a state of happiness, more like enjoyment.
Filem tu seronok tak?
Is the film enjoyable/good?
Saya seronok kawan dengan dia.
I am happy to be friends with her.
Seronok dengar penyanyi tu.
It’s enjoyable to listen to that singer.
bahagia
Bahagia is more of a long-term state of happiness, and is especially

used to describe a happy couple, a happy marriage, etc. You see
these well wishes written for newlyweds:
Semoga bahagia sehingga ke anak cucu.
All the best for you and your future generation.
Bahagia is not used to describe happiness during a particular point
in time such as being happy to receive a present. It is used to describe
happiness over a longer period of time, such as a happy marriage.
sedih – sad
Saya sedih awak nak pulang.
I am sad you are going home.
Jangan sedih. Saya tak marah.
Don’t be sad. I am not angry.
kecewa – disappointed
Dia kecewa tak dapat pergi.
She is disappointed she couldn’t go.
Saya tak kecewa saya tak menang.
I am not disappointed I didn’t win.
bangga – proud
Joe bangga anak dia lulus.
Joe is proud that his son passed.
Semua orang bangga kita menang.
Everyone is proud that we won.
bimbang – worried
Dia rasa bimbang anak dia belum pulang.
She is worried her son is not home yet.
bosan – bored
Liam rasa bosan dalam kelas.
Liam feels bored in class.
marah – angry
Jan marah dia tak dapat makan.
Jan is angry she didn’t get to eat.
besar hati grateful
kecil hati slighted
There are of course many more descriptions of emotions or feelings,

but last but not least is syok!
Syok is a word that describes a feeling of happiness, enjoyment
and liking something or even someone.
Syok tak konsert tu? Is the concert enjoyable/good?
Saya tak syok makan di situ. I don’t like eating there.
Dia syok kita beri dia hadiah. He is happy we gave him
presents.
Duduk
If you were to look up the dictionary, the word duduk means ‘to sit’.
But in spoken Malay duduk or the shortened form duk can mean
several things. Look at these examples:
Dia duduk di London. He lives in London.
Jan duk di hotel. Jan stays at a hotel.
Saya duk di rumah. I stayed at home.
Duk buat apa? What are you doing?
Dia duk makan. She is eating.
The two examples above are almost present continuous.
Exercise 4
Fill the blanks with the appropriate word describing feelings.
1 Hannah rasa ________ nenek dia meninggal.
2 Semua orang ________ negara kita menang.
3 Ibu Johan ________ dia tak lulus.
4 Ibu-bapa Heidi ________ Heidi tak hantar emel.
5 Anne menonton filem seram itu, tapi dia ________
6 Jo ________ dapat jumpa kawan lama.
7 Yoko ________ ibu dia sakit.
8 Sarah harap abang dia dan isteri ________ ke anak cucu.
Vocabulary
sakit to be ill or sick
harap to hope
seram scary
Dialogue 5
(CD2; 9)
Yoko and Heidi are talking about their good friend Jamil who helped
them a lot during their holidays.
Yoko Saya suka Jamil. Dia baik hati.

Heidi Betul. Semasa saya sampai, dia ajak saya makan.
Yoko Dia juga murah hati.
Heidi Dia belajar setiap hari, setiap malam dia bekerja.
Yoko Sungguh rajin.
Heidi Tapi adik dia sombong. Tak cakap dengan saya.
Yoko Oh, dia bukan sombong, dia malu.
Heidi Betul? Kalau gitu saya nak kawan dengan dia.
Yoko Awak ni nakal, Heidi!
Vocabulary
baik hati kind, kindhearted
murah hati generous
sombong arrogant, proud
malu shy, a shy person
nakal naughty
Language point
Attributes
You will notice that many attributes in Malay contain the word hati,
such as:
baik hati kind, kindhearted
murah hati generous
Hati means ‘liver’, but when we are talking about attributes and feel-
ings, the word hati takes the meaning of ‘heart’. Thus, there are many
references to hati in Malay as we have seen in the section dealing
with feelings earlier.
Let’s look at the attributes Yoko and Heidi talk about. Their oppo-
sites are given in the right-hand column:
baik hati kind busuk hati insidious, ill-intentioned
murah hati generous kedekut mean, tight-fisted
rajin hardworking malas lazy
sombong proud mesra warm, friendly
malu shy (there is no opposite for malu as
tak malu would mean shameless)
nakal naughty baik good
Let’s look at some others:
pandai clever bodoh stupid

jahat bad baik good
cerewet fussy
angkuh arrogant
rendah diri humble angkuh arrogant
berani brave penakut cowardly
kuat strong lemah weak
lawak/lucu funny
Culture point
Understatements
It is fair to say that Malays tend to understate when making a point,

especially when it is in the negative form. For example, instead of
saying that someone is stupid, one is more likely to say they are not
so clever, like this:
Yanti tak begitu pandai.

Johan tak begitu rajin.
Another way of understating a point is by using the word sikit

‘a little bit’.
Dia malas sikit. He is a little bit lazy.

Helen sombong sikit. Helen is a little bit proud.
Martin kedekut sikit. Martin is a little bit mean.
Physical attributes will be dealt with in Unit 9.
Exercise 5
Fill in the blanks with one of these attributes: baik hati, pandai, kedekut,
lucu/menarik, malu, murah hati/baik hati, malas, sombong, garang.
1 Kamil selalu lulus ujian. Dia ________

2 Jane tidak pergi sekolah. Dia ________
3 Heidi suka tolong orang. Dia ________
4 Ambrose tak suka beli barang. Dia ________
5 Leila tak makan sayur, tak makan daging dan tak minum susu.
Dia ________
6 Kanak-kanak suka Ken. Dia ________
7 Helen tidak menyanyi. Dia ________
8 Saya suka dengar cerita Tania. Dia ________
Language point
Tak kisah
Tak kisah is ‘not fussy’. It can describe a person who is easygoing.

It can also mean, ‘Anything, I don’t mind’. But this must not be
misinterpreted as ‘not caring’ or ‘non-committal’. It can be taken as
an answer to the English question, ‘Would you mind. . . . ?’. Let’s look
at these examples:
Belilah apapun saya makan. Tak kisah.

Just buy anything I will eat it. I don’t mind.
Saya tak kisah nak jemput siapapun.

I don’t mind inviting anybody.
A: Kita nak pergi mana? A: Where are we going?

B: Tak kisah. B: I don’t mind.
Exercise 6
Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow.
Pada hari Sabtu lepas, Anis menyambut hari jadinya. Umur

dia 20 tahun.
Dia terima banyak hadiah daripada kawan-kawannya. Dia
juga terima banyak ucapan Selamat Hari Jadi melalui emel
dan sms. Kawan-kawan Anis suka Anis sebab dia seorang
yang baik, rajin dan suka tolong orang lain. Dia tidak sombong.
Anis tak payah rajin belajar sebab dia pandai. Dia selalu
lulus peperiksaan.
Ibu-bapa Anis bangga mendapat anak seperti Anis yang
murah hati dan rendah diri dan tak suka cakap besar.
‘Anis anak yang tak cerewet. Saya masak apa pun dia
makan. Dia tak kisah,’ kata ibu Anis.
Kawan baik Anis, Meera suka belajar dengan Anis sebab
dia suka tolong Meera belajar.
‘Anis tak kedekut dengan apa yang dia tahu. Kalau saya
kena buat kerja sekolah, dia tolong saya. Saya seronok
berkawan dengan dia,’ kata Meera.
Vocabulary
menyambut to celebrate
ucapan wishes
melalui via
peperiksaaan exams
1 Berapa umur Anis?

2 Siapa beri hadiah kepada Anis?
3 Dia terima ucapan Selamat Hari Jadi melalui apa?
4 Mengapa kawan-kawan Anis suka dia?
5 Mengapa ibu-bapa Anis bangga dengan Anis?
6 Siapa kawan baik Anis?
7 Anis tolong Meera buat apa?
8 Adakah Anis kedekut dengan apa yang dia tahu?
Unit Nine
Saya sakit kepala
I have a headache

• ailments, aches and pains: sakit kepala, sakit perut, etc.
• different parts of the body: kepala, perut, dada, etc.
• different physical attributes: tinggi, kurus, gemuk, etc.
• doubling of adjectives: tinggi-lampai, lemah-lembut,
putih-melepak
• how to make adverbs: cepat-cepat, lambat-lambat,
kuat-kuat, dengan baik
• conjunctions: atau, tapi, sambil, etc.
Dialogue 1
(CD2; 11)
Lisa was at a party all night and didn’t have enough sleep. She now
has a headache.
Lisa Awak balik pukul berapa semalam?

Alan Saya balik awal. Awak?
Lisa Saya balik pagi tadi. Tak tidur langsung.
Alan Oh, awak sakit kepala nanti.
Lisa Ya, saya sakit kepala. Ada ubat?
Alan Tak ada. Saya pergi beli di kedai ubat.
Lisa Baiknya!
Alan Saya balik awal sebab saya sakit perut.
Lisa Sakit perut? Awal salah makan?
126 Unit 9: Saya sakit kepala
Alan Saya tak boleh makan pedas.

Lisa Oh, dah makan ubat?
Alan Dah.
Lisa Kalau tak sihat, malam ni tak payah pergi teater.
Vocabulary
awal early
langsung at all
sakit kepala headache
baiknya! how kind!
sakit perut stomach ache
salah makan (literally: ate something wrong), ate something that had
gone bad, was poisonous or was too hot
Language point
The body, aches and pains, and illnesses
For most aches and pains, it is sufficient to use the word sakit, which
means ‘pain’ or ‘ache’ and attach it to the part of the body where
the ache or pain is felt. As in Dialogue 1, Lisa has sakit kepala or a
‘headache’, while Alan has sakit perut ‘stomach ache’.
Before going further, let’s look at parts of the body.
Unit 9: I have a headache 127
Common aches and pains

sakit kepala headache
sakit mata eye ache
sakit telinga ear ache
sakit tekak sore throat
sakit leher neck ache
sakit gigi toothache
sakit dada chest pain
sakit perut stomach ache
sakit tangan pain in the hand
sakit kaki pain in the leg
sakit otak mental illness
sakit otot muscle ache
sakit belakang backache
Other common health conditions

batuk to cough or a cough
pening to feel dizzy or a dizzy spell
selsema common cold
demam fever
ruam rash
bengkak to swell or swelling
luka cut, injury

patah kaki broken leg
terseliuh sprained
cedera injury
bersin to sneeze
pitam to faint
pengsan to pass out
muntah to vomit
penyakit diseases
penyakit barah/kanser cancer
barah payudara breast cancer
barah otak brain cancer
barah baru-paru lung cancer
penyakit jantung heart disease
penyakit kencing manis diabetes
penyakit darah tinggi high blood pressure
Culture point
Illnesses
Illnesses are often talked about quite openly in Malaysian society.

Nothing is taboo and therefore do not be surprised if, while waiting
for the doctor in the waiting room, you are interrogated by fellow
outpatients. They are just concerned.
A one-for-all ointment in a bottle is usually the solution for most
aches and pains. This could come in the form of a balm, used to rub
on the stomach for stomach ache, on the temples for a headache
and on the joints for any muscular pain. Some Malaysian travellers
never leave home without their favourite ointment or balm.
A favourite diagnosis for all kinds of complaints is angin ‘wind’,
which is blamed for all kinds of discomfort from headaches to stomach
aches to colic.
Malaysia offers some of the best medical care in the world. There
are many private hospitals with the most advanced and sophisticated
equipment and facilities, for indeed Malaysia is now promoting medical
tourism. There are also government hospitals for the locals.
Language point
Hospitals and specialists
Hospitals used to be called rumah sakit – literally ‘sick house’ –
but the negative connotation has since seen the preferred use of the
word hospital.
For common illnesses, a visit to a clinic is sufficient, where medi-
cations are dispensed on the spot. These clinics are like the surgeries
in the UK where you see your local general practitioner and then
receive a prescription to get your medication from a pharmacy.
As with the illnesses, aches and pains, simply attach the part of
the body to the word doktor or klinik, to get your specialist doctor
and clinic:
doktor gigi dentist klinik gigi dental clinic
doktor haiwan vet klinik haiwan veterinary clinic
doktor mata optician klinik mata optician
Exercise 1
Fill in the blanks, using the hints in brackets.
1 Muni terpotong jari dia. Jari dia ________ (cut)
2 Semasa Haris main bola, dia jatuh dan kaki dia ________
(sprained)
3 Jan masuk hospital. Dia ________ panas. (fever)
4 Liam jatuh basikal. Tangan dia ________ (broken)
5 Dalam kemalangan kereta, kawan Idrus ________ teruk. (injured)
6 Ibu Helen dapat ________ kanser payudara. (disease)
7 Saya nak pergi klinik gigi sebab ________ gigi. (ache)
8 Semalam saya tak tidur, sekarang saya ________ (dizzy)
9 Dia ________ sebab bilik itu panas. (fainted)
10 John tak boleh bernafas. Dia sakit ________ (chest)
Dialogue 2
(CD2; 13)
Jan was away when someone visited her. Heidi is trying to describe
the visitor to her.
Heidi Kawan awak datang tadi.

Jan Lelaki atau perempuan. Macam mana rupa dia?
Heidi Perempuan.
Jan Muda ke tua?
Heidi Muda.
Jan Awak ingat rupa dia?
Heidi Ingat. Rambut dia panjang, lurus. Muka bulat, mata besar.
Jan Dia tinggi, kan?
Heidi Ya, tinggi lampai.
Jan Oh, Bertha, kawan saya dari Berlin.
Vocabulary
atau or
rupa look, image
muda young
tua old
ingat to remember
rambut hair
panjang long
lurus straight
muka face
bulat round
mata eyes
besar big
tinggi lampai tall and slender
kan or not? (short for bukan?)
Language point
Atau and other conjunctions
In order to establish the identity of the visitor, Jan uses the conjunction
atau with adjectives, physical attributes and nouns:
lelaki atau perempuan male or female

muda atau tua young or old
This conjunction is used pretty much like the English ‘or’.
Other conjunctions
tapi/tetapi – but
Dia datang tapi awak tak ada.
She came but you were not here.
sambil – while
Dia makan sambil berjalan.
She eats while walking.
sebab – because
Dia gembira sebab dia lulus ujian (‘test’).
She is happy because she passed the test.
kalau – if
Kalau hujan, saya tak pergi.
If it rains, I will not go.

Fill in each blank with an appropriate conjunction, such as kalau, sebab,
sambil, tapi, etc.
1 Dia sedih ________ dia tak boleh pergi.

2 Ali belajar ________ bekerja.
3 ________ awak tak pergi, saya juga tak mau pergi.
4 Alia nak beli baju itu ________ tak ada duit.
5 Farah masuk universiti ________ dia lulus.
Language points
Perempuan and lelaki
Perempuan and lelaki refer to gender. These terms can be safely

used for females and males of all ages.
Examples
bayi perempuan/lelaki baby girl/boy

budak perempuan/lelaki girl/boy child
orang perempuan/lelaki woman/man
anak perempuan/lelaki daughter/son
There are, however, other terms to describe a woman.
gadis a teenage girl who is not married yet

wanita an adolescent female, young or old, but never used for
a child
Lelaki does not change for men of any age. You are only required to
state whether the person is a boy, an old man or a young man.
Examples
anak lelaki son

lelaki muda young man
lelaki tua old man
Physical features
Let’s look at some more words to describe physical features.
tinggi tall
pendek short (height/length)
kurus thin
gemuk fat
besar big
kecil small
cantik beautiful
hodoh ugly
comel cute
ketak wavy
botak bald
panjang long
pendek short
kulit putih fair skinned
kulit gelap dark skinned

muda young
tua old
separuh umur middle aged
dewasa adult
Culture point
Budak and some other references
for people
Budak is a term that can be safely used in Malaysia to refer to any

gender child from a baby to a teenager. However, the word budak,
although used in Indonesia, does not have the same meaning there.
Instead it means ‘home help’. A visitor to a Malay family will be all
right if he asks Di mana budak-budak? referring to the children of
the host.
However, if the same question is asked of an Indonesian family,
they would either feel slighted or think you were referring to their team
of helpers.
Kanak-kanak refers to young children in general. However,
anak-anak is used to refer to one’s own children.
Kanak-kanak bermain bola sepak.

The children are playing football.
Anak-anak Hani bermain bola sepak.

Hani’s children are playing football.
While kanak-kanak can be both singular and plural, anak-anak is

plural. Anak is singular.
It is quite common among friends to refer to husbands as laki
(instead of suami) and bini (instead of isteri). These terms of reference
might seem crude to the uninitiated.
Exercise 3
How would you describe these people in Malay?
Example
wanita separuh umur, rambut pendek, lurus, muka bulat
3 4
2
Language point
Descriptions
Sometimes when adjectives are used to describe something, they are

not enough, and another word is added to the adjective, regardless
of whether that word has a meaning or not. Malay is a very rhythmic
language and words are doubled or added just for the sake of making
it sound nice.
Example
Tinggi lampai
→ Budak perempuan tu tinggi lampai.
The girl is tall and slender.
The word lampai does not mean anything itself but is used to inten-
sify tinggi.
Putih melepak
→ Hasnah putih melepak.
Hasnah is white/fair.
Bengkang-bengkok
→ Jalan ke kampong itu bengkang-bengkuk.
The road to the village is winding.
Other adjectives
hitam melegam dark
besar agam big
kurus kering thin
kering kontang dry
manis melecas sweet
riuh rendah noisy
lintang pukang helter-skelter
kecil molek small and cute
cuci calat clean; spick and span
gemuk gedempol fat
Exercise 4
From the list of adjectives in the previous Language point, find the cor-
rect one to fill in each blank.
1. Suzi dan kawan-kawan dia bercakap ________
2. Budak-budak itu lari ________
3. Kek saya buat ________
4. Adik saya tak makan. Dia ________
5. Majlis hari jadi Hakim ________
6. Dia masih muda, tapi ________
7. Bilik Ani kecil dan ________
8. Iza ________ Baju ini terlalu besar untuk dia.
Dialogue 3
(CD2; 16)
Janet and Karen are preparing for Heidi’s surprise birthday party.
Janet is giving instructions on what to do.
Janet Tolong atur kerusi itu elok-elok.

Karen Macam mana nak gantung belon-belon ini?
Janet Oh, gantung tinggi-tinggi dan tulis ucapan di dinding
besar-besar dan terang-terang.
Karen Ya, Halim akan tulis. Dia tulis dengan teliti dan cantik.
Janet Kueh dan kek macam mana?
Karen Mariam buat kek. Yoko bawa kueh.
Janet Mesti sedap-sedap kueh Yoko.
Karen Ya. Dia pandai buat kueh. Dia hias cantik-cantik.
Janet OK. Bila Heidi datang, kita masuk senyap-senyap dan
laung Selamat Hari Jadi, kuat-kuat!
Vocabulary
elok-elok nicely
gantung to hang
belon balloon
dinding wall
terang-terang clearly
dengan teliti with care, properly
hias decorate
senyap-senyap quietly
laung to shout out
kuat-kuat loudly
Language points
Doubling words
Doubling words, nouns or adjectives, is a feature of the Malay lan-

guage. The doubling of a noun usually makes its plural.
buku-buku books
rumah-rumah houses
budak-budak children
However, when describing the actual number of children, for example,

then there is no need to double the noun.
Ada lima budak di dalam bilik.

There are five children in the room.
Budak-budak tu main di padang.

The children played in the field.
Forming adverbs
The doubling of adjectives is one of two ways to form adverbs. From

Dialogue 3, you can see Janet giving instructions for the surprise
party:
atur kerusi itu elok-elok

gantung tinggi-tinggi
tulis ucapan di dinding besar-besar dan terang-terang
masuk senyap-senyap
laung Selamat Hari Jadi kuat-kuat!
cepat-cepat
jalan cepat-cepat to walk quickly
cantik-cantik
tulis cantik-cantik to write beautifully
sedap-sedap
masak sedap-sedap to cook deliciously
rapat-rapat
susun rapat-rapat to arrange closely
baik-baik properly, nicely
kuat-kuat loudly/with strength
Adverbs can also be formed by using dengan + adjective.
cakap dengan baik to speak nicely

baca dengan teliti to read with care/properly
tidur dengan nyenyak to sleep soundly
dengan sopan politely
dengan laju rapidly
dengan segera immediately
Note that while some adjectives can either be repeated or used with
dengan to form an adverb, others can only be used one way and
not the other.
Exercise 5
Turn the adjectives in the brackets into adverbs in the following
sentences.
1 Dia sakit kaki. Dia berjalan ________ (lambat) ke kedai.

2 Bila Alan nampak anjing, dia lari ________ (cepat).
3 Awak kena baca syarat-syarat tu ________ (teliti).
4 Ketuk pintu itu ________ (kuat). Mungkin dia tak dengar.
5 Semalam saya letih dan tidur ________ (nyenyak) sampai ke
pagi.
6 Susun kasut-kasut tu ________ (rapat).
7 Anak dia bercakap ________ (sopan) dengan orang lebih tua.
8 Jangan cakap ________ (kasar) dengan bapa kamu.
Vocabulary
syarat terms ketuk to knock
mungkin maybe/perhaps sampai until
Exercise 6
Read the passage and then answer the questions that follow.
Yumi berjalan lambat-lambat ke klinik. Dia sakit kaki. Dia

jatuh semasa di sekolah.
Di klinik, doktor periksa kaki Yumi dengan teliti. Ada luka
di kaki Yumi. Jururawat cuci luka itu dengan baik dan balut
kaki Yumi. Jururawat itu seorang yang lemah lembut. Dia
bercakap dengan Yumi sambil dia merawat luka itu.
Yumi tak boleh berjalan dengan laju. Doktor juga beri Yumi
ubat tidur. Malam itu dia tidur dengan nyenyak. Heidi melawat
Yumi dan ketuk pintu kuat-kuat, tapi Yumi tak dengar.
Heidi pulang dengan segera. Cepat-cepat dia telefon
kawan-kawan untuk beritahu Heidi sakit. Semua kawan Yumi
pergi ke rumah dia tapi tak dapat jumpa Yumi sebab dia
masih tidur. Yumi bangun esok hari dan pergi ke sekolah.
Kawan-kawan dia menyambut dia dengan gembira. Kaki dia
pun dah mula sembuh.
Vocabulary
periksa to examine bangun to get up
balut to wrap/bandage sembuh to recover/get better
merawat to treat masih still
1 Bagaimana Yumi berjalan ke klinik?

2 Di mana dia jatuh?
3 Bagaimana jururawat cuci luka Yumi?
4 Siapa melawat Yumi?
5 Bagaimana kawan-kawan Yumi menyambut Yumi di sekolah?
Unit Ten
Ada macam-macam
There are all sorts of things

• the doubling of words which changes the original meaning:
macam, macam-macam, agar, agar-agar, masak,
masak-masak, baru, baru-baru ini, tiba, tiba-tiba, etc.
• how to use macam mana?
• words which only have meanings when doubled:
kadang-kadang, pura-pura, masing-masing
• functions of jadi . . .
Dialogue 1
(CD2; 18)
Alan is looking for souvenirs to take home for his friends and relatives.
June suggests the Pasar Seni or Central Market where they can get
almost everything.
Alan Saya perlu beli barang untuk kawan-kawan saya.

June Barang macam mana?
Alan Hadiah, cenderamata, macam-macam!
Saya mau kemeja macam kemeja kamu.
June Kalau begitu, pergi ke Pasar Seni.
Alan Ada apa di sana?
June Ada macam-macam; makanan, pakaian, hiasan.
Alan Hiasan?
June Ya, macam lukisan.
Unit 10: There are all sorts of things 141
Alan Kamu ikut sama?

June Baiklah!
Vocabulary
perlu to need macam-macam all sorts
barang things hiasan decorations
banyak many (for things) macam like, such as
ramai many (for people) ikut to come along
cenderamata souvenirs
Language point
The different uses of macam
We already know that, in Malay, the doubling of words, especially

nouns, makes them plural. And in the last unit, we learnt that the
doubling of adjectives make adverbs. In this unit you will see more
examples and functions of the doubling of words.
In Dialogue 1, we see the different uses of the word macam. When
on its own, the word macam means ‘like’ or ‘such as’. (In a formal con
versation and in written form, it would be seperti and not macam.)
Examples
Saya mau kemeja macam I want a shirt like your shirt.

kemeja kamu.
Dia beli kereta macam She bought a car like my car.
kereta saya.
Dia macam kakak saya. She is like my sister.
Saya suka kasut macam tu. I like shoes like that.
Jangan cakap macam tu. Don’t speak like that.
When doubled, macam-macam means ‘all sorts of’, ‘all kinds of ’.
Examples
Di kedai itu ada macam-macam barang.

At that shop there’re all kinds of things.
142 Unit 10: Ada macam-macam
Jennie beli macam-macam.

Jennie bought all sorts (of things).
When used in a phrase, macam mana? literally means ‘like what?’

= ‘how?’, or ‘what kind of. . . . ?’, ‘what sort of . . . ?’. Macam mana
can also be used at the end of a question.
Examples
Barang macam mana? What kind of things? or

What sort of things?
Makanan macam mana? What sort of food?
Macam mana nak buka pintu ni? How do I open this door?
Macam mana nak buat kek ni? How do I make this cake?
Note also that when macam mana? is used to mean ‘how’, some-
times the typical reaction or answer is: Macam ni. This is usually
followed by a demonstration of how something is done.
Example
Ali: Macam mana nak guna telefon ni?

Alan: Macam ni, dial nombor, kemudian tekan butang hijau ini.
Culture point
Informal greetings
When friends greet each other, they often use Macam mana? or Apa
macam? to mean ‘How’re things (with you?)’. This is as colloquial as
it gets. Apa khabar? is of course the standard greeting, but it is quite
formal. Apa macam? or Macam mana? is the kind of greeting you
use along with a pat on the back with old friends, but not acquaint-
ances and people you meet on formal occasions.
Exercise 1
Translate these sentences into Malay using macam.
1 I like cars like this.
2 Ray is like my older brother.
3 This bag is like my bag.
4 Helen is not like her sister. Helen is tall.
5 Don’t speak like that.
6 Alan is like a younger brother to Jan.
7 She is spending like she is rich.
8 John talks like he knows everything.
9 It looks like he is not well.
10 Martin is like a sad person.
Exercise 2
Use macam mana in the following questions.
1 nak pergi ke pasar?
2 nak buat kek pisang?
3 nak menyanyi lagu ni?
4 nak pasang komputer ni?
5 nak masak kari ayam?
Dialogue 2
(CD2; 20)
Nellie and Yoko are discussing their holidays.
Nellie Sungguh cantik Bali. Seronok bercuti di sana.

Yoko Eh, bila kamu pergi ke Bali?
Nellie Baru-baru ni. Kami baru saja pulang.
Yoko Oh, seronoknya! Saya baru balik dari Berlin.
Nellie Berlin terlalu mahal.
Yoko Saya tau. Saya fikir masak-masak sebelum beli tiket.
Saya pilih Berlin sebab ada ramai kawan di sana.
Nellie Bali pun semakin mahal. Ramai pelancong.
Yoko Di Berlin kami sewa flet, sebab boleh masak.
Makan di luar mahal.
Nellie Kami pun macam tu juga. Masak di rumah sewa.
Vocabulary
flet flat/apartment
semakin increasingly
rumah sewa rented house
Language point
Words that change their meaning
when doubled
Dialogue 2 demonstrates another function of doubling words. When

doubled, words change their meaning somewhat. See how the follow
ing words change in meaning.
baru – new
Saya beli baju baru. I bought a new dress.
Dia ada kereta baru. He has a new car.
baru – just
Saya baru habis makan. I have just finished eating.
Maniam baru pulang. Maniam has just come home.
John baru telefon saya. John has just phoned me.
Anne baru sampai. Anne has just arrived.
baru saja
Note: The word saja is added for emphasis, so it literally means

‘only just’.
Anne baru saja sampai. Anne has only just arrived.

Bila Anne sampai? When did Anne arrive?
Baru saja. Only just (arrived).
baru-baru ini – recently

Jan belajar bahasa Melayu baru-baru ini.
Jan learnt Malay recently.
Baru-baru ni, dia beli rumah.

Recently he bought a house.
Lenny telefon saya baru-baru ni.

Lenny phoned me recently.
masak – to cook
masak-masak to think or consider something deeply
Fikir masak-masak sebelum ambil kerja tu.

Think thoroughly before taking on that job.
Dia tak fikir masak-masak sebelum berhenti kerja.
He didn’t think thoroughly before resigning.
agar – so that
Saya berdoa agar kau berjaya.
I pray that you will succeed.
Saya harap agar dia sembuh.
I hope he recovers.
agar-agar – jelly
Saya suka makan agar-agar buah.
I like eating fruit jelly.
rupa – face, image, looks
Rupa dia macam bintang filem.
She looks like a film star.
Dia ada rupa, ada duit.
He has looks, has money.
Hani tak ada rupa Mak dia.
Hani doesn’t have her mother’s looks.
rupa-rupanya – apparently
Dia tak datang ke majlis saya. Rupa-rupanya dia sakit.
He didn’t come to my party. Apparently he was ill.
Rupa-rupanya, itu kakak dia.

Apparently, that’s his older sister.
mula – to start
Saya mula belajar bahasa Melayu tahun ini.
I started learning Malay this year.
Jangan mula sebelum saya sampai.

Don’t start before I arrive.
Mula tulis sekarang.

Start writing now.
mula-mula – first of all, firstly

Mula-mula, belok kiri.
First of all, turn left.
Mula-mula, saya pergi ke kedai.

First, I went to the shop.
Mula-mula saya tak nampak dia.

At first I didn’t see him.
tiba – to arrive
Note: The word sampai is more colloquial.
Dia tiba esok. He arrives tomorrow.

Bila Alan tiba? When did Alan arrive?
Anne tiba di Jakarta hari ini. Anne arrives in Jakarta today.
tiba-tiba – suddenly
Tiba-tiba dia jatuh. Suddenly he fell.
Tiba-tiba dia sakit kepala. Suddenly she has a headache.
Tiba-tiba budak tu menangis. Suddenly the child cried.
sama – the same

Raju pakai baju yang sama setiap hari.
Raju wears the same clothes everyday.
Tarikh lahir saya sama dengan tarikh lahir Joan.

My date of birth is the same as Joan’s.
Lenny sama universiti dengan Tan.

Lenny is at the same university as Tan.
sama-sama – you’re welcome, together with
A: Terima kasih. A: Thank you

B: Sama-sama. B: You’re welcome
Danny pergi sama-sama Leslie ke Bali.

Lenny went together with Leslie to Bali.
Mari kita sama-sama tunggu dia di sini.

Let’s all wait for her together here.
gula – sugar
Saya tak mahu gula dalam kopi saya.
I don’t want sugar in my coffee.
gula-gula – sweets
Jangan makan terlalu banyak gula-gula!
Don’t eat too many sweets!
kira – to count
Tolong kira semua ini.
Please count all these.
Saya tak kira berapa orang yang datang.

I didn’t count how many people came.
kira-kira – about
Kira-kira sepuluh orang mati.
About ten people died.
Dia ada kira-kira dua puluh lima kucing.

She has about 25 cats.
oleh – by
Ikan dimakan oleh kucing.
The fish was eaten by the cat.
oleh-oleh – souvenirs
Sebelum pulang dia beli banyak oleh-oleh.
Before he went home, he bought many souvenirs.
Dialogue 3
(CD2; 22)
James is talking to Mona about a friend they have not seen for a long
time.
James Sungguh lama saya tak jumpa Eddie.

Mona Ya, saya juga.
James Saya jumpa dia kira-kira enam bulan dulu.
Mona Kadang-kadang dia telefon saya.
James Saya harap dia sihat. Saya kenal dia sejak kanak-kanak lagi.
Mona Oh saya baru saja kenal dia.
James Baru-baru ni, saya jumpa ibu dia.
Mona Oh ya, kamu sekolah sama-sama, bukan?
James Ya, sejak sekolah rendah.
Vocabulary
sekolah rendah primary school
sejak since
Language point
Words that only have meaning when doubled
In previous examples, we have seen how the meaning of a word

changes when it is doubled. But in Dialogue 3, the words only have
meanings when they are doubled. When single they do not mean
anything.
For example, kadang-kadang means ‘sometimes’ but there is no
such word as kadang.
It is the same with kanak-kanak, which means ‘child’ or ‘children’.
On its own, the word kanak does not exist.
masing-masing – to each his own
Baca buku masing-masing.
Read your own book.
Masing-masing ada rumah sendiri.

Each one had his/her own house.
sia-sia – a waste of effort/time

Sia-sia saja kamu pergi ke rumah dia, dia tak ada.
Such a waste of time, you went to his house and he wasn’t there.
Sia-sia saya beli hadiah untuk dia sebab dia tak suka.
What a waste buying the present for her, because she didn’t
like it.
pura-pura – to pretend
Dia pura-pura tidur.
He pretends to sleep.
Jangan pura-pura tak tahu.

Don’t pretend you don’t know.
It is worth noting that with some words that are doubled, there is now
a tendency to add a prefix instead. This is only applicable to some
doubled words, not all. Here are some examples:
kadang-kadang → kekadang
Kekadang dia kerja di Kuala Lumpur.
Sometimes he works in Kuala Lumpur.
tiba-tiba → tetiba
Tetiba dia menangis.
Suddenly she cried.
sangat-sangat → sesangat
Hiroko sesangat cantik.
Hiroko is very beautiful.
Exercise 3
Use tiba-tiba, tiba, baru, baru-baru, mula, mula-mula, kadang-kadang,
gula, gula-gula, sama, sama-sama, pura-pura, masing-masing, agar-
agar, agar, etc. in the following sentences.
1 Aleya tak suka minum teh dengan ________ tapi dia suka makan
________
2 ________ ini, Yoko terima emel daripada Heidi. Heidi ________
sampai di Tokyo.
3 Semua pelancong ada pasport ________

4 ________ seratus lima puluh orang pergi ke majlis itu.
5 Dia ________ sakit sebab tak mahu pergi sekolah.
6 ________ dia jatuh dan pengsang.
7 Ellie sudah ________ belajar bahasa Jepun di sekolah.
8 Manuel suka makan ________ buah.
9 Saya ________ ada sepuluh orang di dalam bilik itu.
10 Mari kita pergi ________ ke taman.
Dialogue 4
(CD2; 24)
Yoko and Heidi are getting ready to go to a show but their plans have
gone wrong.
Yoko Heidi, kamu dah siap?

Heidi Ya, siap. Saya cuma nak cari tiket untuk konsert ni.
Yoko Kamu simpan di mana?
Heidi Saya tak ingat. Dalam dompet pun tak ada.
Yoko Cuba tengok di dalam laci.
Heidi Saya dah tengok. Tak ada.
Yoko Jadi, macam mana sekarang?
Heidi Mungkin hilanglah.
Yoko Jadi, apa kita buat sekarang?
Heidi Kita tak jadi pergilah. Kita tengok TV saja!
Vocabulary
siap to be ready
cuma only
simpan to keep
ingat to remember
dompet wallet
cuba to try
laci drawers
jadi so, to happen
Language point
Jadi
Dialogue 4 illustrates two uses of this word, but it also has some
other meanings.
Jadi – so (introduces the consequence or result of an action

or activity)
Jadi, apa kita buat sekarang?
So, what do we do now?
Saya sakit, jadi saya tak pergi ke pejabat.

I am ill, so I didn’t go to the office.
Hani penat, jadi dia nak berehat.

Hani is tired, so she wants to rest.
Jadi – (used as a time-filler; like ‘well’ in English, when one

needs time to think before continuing a sentence or answering
a question)
Jadi, saya nak ke rumah kawan saya esok.
Well, I want to go to my friend’s house tomorrow.
Jadi – to be, to become

Bila dia besar, dia nak jadi doktor.
When he grows up, he wants to be a doctor.
Mary jadi marah bila dia kalah.

Mary became angry when she lost.
Sam jadi hero dalam filem itu.

Sam was the hero in that film.
Jadi – to materialise, to happen

Dia jadi datang ke rumah saya esok.
He will come to my house tomorrow.
Andy tak jadi pergi ke Bangkok.

Andy is not going to Bangkok.
Jadi tak? Is it going to happen?

Tak jadi. It’s not happening.
Exercise 4
Answer the following questions using the word jadi and the words in
brackets to guide you.
1 Apa dia nak jadi bila dia lulus? (peguam)

2 Karen jadi apa di restoran tu? (pelayan)
3 Onn jadi pergi ke Singapura esok? (tak)
4 Maniam jadi masak untuk kita malam ni? (ya)
5 Dalam cerita tu, Jane jadi apa? (ibu Tom)
Exercise 5
Read this short excerpt and try to understand the different functions
of jadi.
Lola dan Ellie baru tamat belajar di universiti. Lola mahu

jadi jurutera dan Ellie mahu jadi macam bapa dia, seorang
doktor. Mereka tak jadi belajar di luar negara sebab mereka
mahu bekerja dahulu.
Lola sudah dapat kerja di Kuala Lumpur, jadi dia akan
pindah ke Kuala Lumpur bulan depan.
Jadi, dia akan sewa rumah dan tinggal bersama kawan-
kawan. Bapa Ellie mahu Ellie bekerja dengan dia di klinik
dia di Ampang. Jadi, Ellie akan bekerja dengan bapa dia.
Dia akan jadi penolong bapa dia di klinik itu.
Vocabulary
tamat to end
luar negara overseas, foreign country
dahulu first
pindah to move
sewa to rent
Note: The word dahulu (more commonly uttered as dulu) means ‘first’
as in ‘to do something first’.
Examples
Saya nak balik dulu.

I want to go home first.
Awak pergi dulu, nanti saya pergi.

You go first, I will go later.
Tunggulah. Saya nak mandi dulu.

Wait. I want to have a bath first.
Unit Eleven
Amboi, tinggi sungguh
menara ni!
Wow, this tower is so tall!

• some exclamations peculiar to Malays: amboi, nah, adoi,
alamak, kan, etc.
• some phrases of Islamic nature, derived from Arabic
words: Alhamdulillah, Insyaallah, etc.
• about melatah
• the use of saja, pun and patut
Dialogue 1
(CD2; 26)
Lily and Heidi are looking at tourist sites in Kuala Lumpur.
Lily Amboi, tinggi sungguh Menara Petronas ni! Mari kita naik!
Heidi Takutlah. Tinggi sangat.
Lily Apa nak takut? Kita naik lif sampai tingkat atas.
Heidi Wah, awak berani naik sampai ke atas?
Lily Ya, bukan kita naik tangga.
Heidi Saya lebih suka tunggu di bawah. Awak pergilah.
Lily Okaylah. Nah, tolong jaga beg saya.
Heidi Alamak, beratlah beg awak!
Unit 11: Wow, this tower is so tall! 155
Vocabulary
menara tower berani brave
takut to be scared tangga stairs
lif lift jaga to look after
Language point
Exclamations with amboi, nah and alamak
Different people in different countries have different ways of expressing

themselves. Malays have their own set of expressions that are peculiar
to them. The different ethnic groups in Malaysia have their own expres-
sions when voicing pain, anger and admiration.
amboi!, wah! – wow!
These expressions are usually said when in admiration or in awe of
something.
Examples
Amboi, sungguh tinggi Menara Petronas ni!
Wow, these Petronas Towers are so tall!
Wah, kamu berani naik sampai ke atas?
Wow, are you brave enough to go up to the top?
In these expressions from Dialogue 1, Lily is in awe of the towers, while

Heidi is in awe of Lily’s enthusiasm to go up to the top of the towers.
Let’s look at some other examples.
Amboi, cantiknya baju ni! Wow, such a beautiful dress!
Amboi, pandai sungguh Wow, this child is so clever!
budak ni!
Amboi, rajinnya anak saya! Wow, my child is so hardworking!
Wah, dah besar anak awak! Wow, your child has grown!
Wah, sedap masakan awak! Wow, your cooking is delicious!
Wah, dia dapat sembilan A! Wow, she got 9 As!
Spoken in a less flattering tone, however, these can express sarcasm,

usually intended to deliver a totally opposite meaning.
156 Unit 11: Amboi, tinggi sungguh menara ni!
Examples
Amboi, pandailah tu!
Wow, that’s clever! (meaning: that’s really silly!)
Amboi, tak boleh kurang harga?
Wow, can’t you reduce the price?
Amboi, makan tak jemput kita pun!
Wow, you are eating without inviting us!
alamak! – oh my God!/oh dear!
Examples
Alamak, beratlah beg awak! Oh my God, your bag is heavy!
Alamak, saya takutlah! Oh my God, I’m scared!
Alamak, saya terlupa bayar! Oh dear, I forgot to pay!
Alamak, saya tertidur! Oh my God, I fell asleep!
Alamak, dia jatuh! Oh dear, he fell!
nah – here
When Heidi hands over her bag to Lily, she says:
Nah, tolong jaga beg saya. Here, please look after my bag.
Nah is uttered when handing over something to someone.
Examples
Nah, ini duit kamu. Here, this is your money.
Nah, hadiah untuk adik. Here, a present for little
brother/sister.
Nah, kek saya buat tadi. Here, the cake I made earlier.
Exercise 1
Fill the blanks with either amboi, nah or alamak.
1 ________ ini buku saya pinjam dulu.
2 ________ lama awak bercuti!
3 ________ saya terlupa bawa buku!
4 ________ baju saya koyak!
5 ________ ambil hadiah ini.
6 ________ ramai sungguh anak awak!
7 ________ ini daripada saya.
8 ________ besar sungguh rumah awak!
Vocabulary
koyak to tear, torn
Dialogue 2
(CD2; 28)
Asiah and Lily are walking up the stairs of a shopping complex. Heidi
trips and falls over.
asiah Adoi!
Lily Heidi, alamak! Kamu jatuh!
asiah Aha! Saya rasa kaki saya terseliuh. Adoi!
Lily Mari saya tolong. Duduk di sini.
asiah Aaah, Alhamdulillah. Syukur, tak patah.
Lily Ya, masih boleh jalan, kan?
asiah Ya, kalau saya rehat sekejap, tak sakit sangat.
Lily Duduk di sini sekejap. Saya urut.
asiah Oh, terima kasih, Lily. Syukur kamu pandai urut.
Vocabulary
adoi! ouch! terseliuh sprained
alhamdulillah thank God kan? right?
syukur to be thankful urut to massage
Language point
Some more exclamations
Adoi is uttered not only when one is in pain but also when expressing
despair. It is the spoken or colloquial version of aduh! Aduh is the
written form. As with many words in colloquial Malay, the spoken and
written forms often differ, sometimes influenced by the pronunciation
in regional areas.
Kan is the abbreviated form of bukan (‘no’, ‘not’). It is used in the
same way as ‘right?’ in English, like a tag question. Or, when it is
used liberally in a sentence, it is almost like ‘yeah’. However, when
the stress is on kan, at the end of a question, it merely asks for
confirmation of certain information.
Examples
Dia pergi sekolah, kan?

He went to school, right?
Musa dah kahwin, kan?

Musa is already married, right?
Selepas tu, kan, dia meninggal dunia.

After that, yeah, he passed away.
Culture point
Islamic phrases
Malays who are Muslims greet each other in a different way. They
also use many other phrases, which are actually Arabic and Islamic
in nature. But these phrases are very much in the Malay vocabulary.
Non-Muslims are not expected to say them. For example, when greet-
ing another Muslim, they will say Assalamualaikum, which means
‘peace be upon you’ and the reply is Waalaikumsalam ‘peace be
upon you too’.
When asking after someone’s health, a Malay Muslim will reply

Alhamdulillah ‘thanks be to God’. In Dialogue 2, Heidi says Alham
dulillah because she is thankful that her leg is not broken.
Syukur derives from the Arabic word syukr, which means ‘gratifi-
cation’, ‘thank God’.
When Malay Muslims say something in praise or admiration, it is
often followed by Masyaallah ‘as God has willed’. This is in recognition
that all good things come from God and are blessings.
When a Malay Muslim is invited to go somewhere or to do some-
thing, the reply will almost always be Insyaallah! ‘God willing!’
Exercise 2
What do you think the responses to the following questions and state-
ments would be? Choose your answers from: insyaallah, alhamdulillah,
waalaikumsalam, masyaallah.
1 Apa khabar?
2 Boleh dia masuk universiti?
3 Negara tu sungguh cantik!
4 Assalamualaikum, apa khabar?
5 Saya dah kenyang.
6 Datanglah ke rumah saya malam ini.
7 Isteri saya dah sehat.
8 Bila dia dapat kerja, boleh beli kereta.
Culture point
Melatah
While we are on the subject of expressions, it would be interesting for

students of the Malay language to know that some people from the
Malay community are prone to what is known as melatah, especially
when one is startled and surprised. This condition does not just happen
to older people but also to young ones. It can best be described as
a mild form of Tourette’s syndrome or Eskimo hysteria. Once startled,
he or she will spew out words or phrases that in any normal situation
he or she would never say. A person who just stumbles or trips on
something will blurt out expressions such as Oh, Mak! ‘Oh, Mother!’,
Oh, pocot! (which means nothing at all) or anything else that comes
to mind. The extreme would be a stream of swear words or vulgarities,
which could become worse when further provoked.
Dialogue 3
(CD2; 30)
Trond and Malek are at a fruit stall looking at local fruits to buy.
Trond Saya nak makan buah-buahan tempatan.

Malek Di sini ada banyak. Buah apa kamu mau.
Trond Saya dengar durian sedap.
Malek Betul tapi bau busuk.
Trond Saya tau. Boleh bau dari sini.
Malek Kamu nak berapa? Ada dua saja.
Trond Saya mau sebiji saja. Saya nak rasa.
Malek Saya pun. Saya tak pernah makan durian.
Trond Eh, mengapa tak makan? Tak suka?
Malek Bukan tak suka. Saja.
Vocabulary
tempatan local saja only
bau smell, to smell pun also, too
busuk smelly rasa to taste
Language points
Doubling words to mean ‘variety’
Throughout the course you have come across many words in Malay
that are repeated to represent the plural, or doubled to change their
meanings or to create adverbs. In this unit, we see words, usually
nouns, that are repeated and change form slightly to mean ‘variety’.
Buah means ‘fruit’ in general, but you can add the name of the
fruit to be more specific – buah durian ‘durian fruit’, buah rambutan
‘rambutan fruit’, etc. Buah-buahan means ‘a variety of fruits’.
Examples
sayur-sayuran a variety of vegetables

tanam-tanaman a variety of plants
tumbuh-tumbuhan a variety of growth (as in plants,
shrubs, etc.)
Saja
You will notice that there are two spellings for saja, which has several
meanings. It is also spelt sahaja.
Note: There are many Malay words that have different spellings
but the same meanings. Another couple of examples are baru and
baharu, which both mean ‘new’, and pasaraya and pasar raya, which
both mean ‘supermarket’.
Saja is used in Dialogue 3 to mean ‘only’.
Examples
Saya ada RM2 saja. I have only RM2.

Mary tengok saja, Mary only looked, she didn’t buy.
dia tak beli.
The other usage of saja is quite complicated to explain as it very much

depends on context. In Dialogue 3, when asked by Trond why he doesn’t
eat durian, Malik replies, ‘Saja’, which means ‘no obvious reason’
here. In another context it could mean ‘just’ or even ‘purposely’.
Ani: Halim, apa hal awak pergi ke Manila?

Ani: Halim, why did you go to Manila?
Halim: Saja.
Halim: For no reason.
Dia saja nak tunjuk pandai.

He is just trying to show that he is clever.
Kami saja nak cuba makanan Thai.
We just want to try Thai food.
Jane tak buat kerja, dia cakap saja.

Jane didn’t do any work, she just talked.
Pun
Pun can have many meanings too, depending on the context. It can
mean ‘also’, ‘too’ or ‘even’. When in written form, pun is either attached
to a word or it can stand on its own.
Examples
Saya tak tidur pun. I didn’t even sleep.
Dia tak tahu pun saya dah balik. She didn’t even know
I had gone home.
Manjeet tak masak pun. Manjeet didn’t even cook.
Mary pun pergi dengan Ali. Mary also went with Ali.
Ben pun tak faham. Ben also doesn’t
understand.
Kalau dia pergi, saya pun pergi. If she goes, I also go.
Another usage of pun is more difficult to explain as it is used for

emphasis. Dialogue 4 uses pun in this manner.
Dialogue 4
(CD2; 32)
Ali can’t remember Jo’s address.
Ali Ann, di mana alamat Jo?

Ann Di dalam buku di atas meja.
Ali Di atas meja? Tak ada pun!
Ann Cuba tengok di dalam laci.
Ali Di dalam laci pun tak ada.
Ann Awak tak ingat alamat dia?
Ali Tak ingat.
Ann Saya pun.
Vocabulary
alamat address laci drawer
cuba to try tak ingat cannot remember
Exercise 3
Fill in the blanks with pun or saja.
1 Saya tak tahu ________ dia anak awak.

2 Danial nak tengok gambar tu ________
3 Alan kata dia ________ nak pergi teater.
4 Lama saya cari rumah awak. Tak jumpa ________
5 Saya ________ nak telefon awak sebab sudah lama tak
bercakap.
6 Layla ________ nak makan satay di restoran tu. Tapi dia ada
RM5 ________
7 Harga baju tu RM50 ________ tapi itu ________ saya tak boleh
beli.
8 Kana ________ yang pergi rumah Josie.
9 Bila dia dapat berita bapa dia meninggal, dia ________
pulang.
10 Saya tahu Dodi ________ tak mahu jawab telefon. Dia marah
saya.
Dialogue 5
(CD2; 34)
Helen and Yoko are at a shopping centre. They have witnessed an
argument between a guard and a customer.
Helen Awak nampak cara pengawal tu cakap dengan orang tu?

Yoko Nampak. Dia tak patut cakap macam tu.
Helen Betul. Orang tu orang tua.
Yoko Lagipun, pengawal tu yang salah.
Helen Ya, dia patut minta maaf.
Yoko Dia kasar dengan orang tu.
Helen Kita patut buat aduan.
Yoko Sepatutnya, pengawal tu yang tolong orang tua tu.
Helen Betul tu.
Vocabulary
pengawal guard
lagipun moreover
aduan complaint
Language points
Patut
Patut means ‘should’, which almost has a moral connotation to it.
Examples
Dia patut minta maaf. He should apologise.

Susan patut bayar. Susan should pay.
Joseph tak patut cakap Joseph shouldn’t talk like that.
macam tu.
Maniam patut tolong mak dia. Maniam should help his mother.
Patutlah
Once in a while you will hear patutlah spoken in a manner that con-
veys the message ‘that explains it!’
Examples
Amin: Joe dah pindah ke Singapura.

Joe has moved to Singapore
Andy: Oh, patutlah! Saya dah lama tak nampak dia.
Oh, that explains it! I have not seen him for some time.
Jan: Simon di hospital. Dia sakit.
Simon is in hospital. He is ill.
Laura: Patutlah dia tak jawab telefon.
That explains why he didn’t answer the phone.
Exercise 4
Write patut or tak patut in the bracket at the end of the sentence.
1 Jane makan semua makanan di atas meja. Orang lain tak

makan. ( ________ )
2 Hadi basuh bajunya sendiri. Ibu dia sakit. ( ________ )
3 Russel ambil buku Laila. Dia tak beritahu Laila. ( ________ )
4 Norin tak bayar selepas makan di kedai. ( ________ )
5 Sita ganti telefon bimbit Sarah yang dia hilang ( ________ )
Vocabulary
ganti to replace
hilang to lose; lost
Exercise 5
Read the following conversation.
Andy: Amboi, lamanya awak tak telefon saya!

Sam: Oh, saya di Australia.
Andy: Patutlah! Saya telefon banyak kali.
Sam: Saya pergi sebulan saja.
Andy: Saja pergi?
Sam: Ada kerja sikit. Selepas kerja saya pun bercuti.
Andy: Awak patut beritahu saya. Saya pun nak pergi.
Sam: Alamak , saya terlupa!
Andy: Tak patut awak lupa saya. Saya pun cuti juga.
Sam: Nah, ini cenderamata dari Australia.
Andy: Terima kasih. Ini saja?
Unit Twelve
Tak apa!
Never mind!

• the use of tak apa – the cultural implications – the tidak
apa attitude
• the implications of takut, kut
• duduk
• pasal? apa hal?
• sikit
• cuma, hanya
Dialogue 1
(CD2; 36)
Johan and Jamil are planning to go on a week’s break to Langkawi.
Johan Saya tak sabar nak pergi ke Langkawi.

Jamil Dua minggu lagi kita pergilah.
Johan Awak dah tempah tiket kapalterbang?
Jamil Tak apa. Masih awal.
Johan Dua minggu saja lagi. Takut tiket habis.
Jamil Tak apa. Masih banyak masa.
Johan Jamil, dua minggu lagi cuti sekolah.
Semua orang nak bercuti.
Jamil Oh ya, saya lupa.
Johan Kalau kita tak tempah hotel, tak ada tempat duduk.
Jamil Tak apa. Kita boleh duduk di rumah kawan saya.
Unit 12: Never mind! 167
Vocabulary
sabar to be patient
tak sabar impatient, can’t wait
tempat duduk accommodation
duduk to stay
takut worried, afraid
Language points
Tak apa
Tak apa literally means ‘it’s all right’, ‘never mind’ or ‘it doesn’t matter’.
Duduk
Duduk, as you know, means ‘to sit’. However, it can also mean ‘to
stay’ or ‘to live’. People might ask you:
Duduk di mana? Where do you live/stay?

Examples
Saya duduk di Kuala Lumpur. I live/stay in Kuala Lumpur.

Mandy duduk di rumah Mandy stays at her mother’s
ibu dia. house.
Thus tempat duduk can either mean ‘accommodation’ or ‘place to

reside’ or ‘seat (at a restaurant or cinema)’.
Examples
Dia tak ada tempat duduk. Jadi, dia berdiri.

He didn’t have a seat, so he stood.
Jimmy tempah tempat duduk di Pulau Redang.

Jimmy booked accommodation at Redang Island.
Tempat duduk Alia cantik.

Alia’s accommodation is beautiful.
168 Unit 12: Tak apa!
Takut
Takut, in the context of Dialogue 1, conveys the meaning of ‘worry’

rather than ‘afraid’. Johan says, ‘Takut tiket habis.’ He is worried
that the tickets will be sold out.
Here are some more examples.
Nadia bangun awal. Dia takut lambat ke pejabat.

Nadia woke up early. She was worried she’d be late for work.
Kamil takut terlepas bas.

Kamil is worried in case he misses the bus.
And here are some examples where takut means ‘afraid’.
Jamie takut hantu. Jamie is afraid of ghosts.

Leela takut guru tu. Leela is afraid of that teacher.
Kut
Kut is usually used at the end of a sentence to denote ‘perhaps’,

‘maybe’.
Examples
Jim tak pergi. Dia sakit kut.
Jim didn’t go. Perhaps he is ill.
Anak Lola menangis. Dia lapar kut.

Lola’s baby is crying. Maybe she is hungry.
Harris lambat. Dia sesat kut.

Harris is late. Maybe he lost his way.
Culture point
The tak apa or tidak apa attitude
The tak apa or tidak apa attitude is a sensitive subject. It is almost

an attitude akin to ‘I couldn’t care less’, or ‘I can’t be bothered’. The
reason why certain work remarks undone has been attributed to this
attitude. A tak apa attitude is certainly frowned upon in this day and
age when people want to move forward at a fast pace. However, there
are still people who lag behind with this tak apa attitude in the belief
that things will come to those who wait!
Exercise 1
Translate these sentences into English.
1 Tak apa. Esok saya tempah tiket kereta api.

2 Jane duduk di Pulau Pinang di rumah kawan dia.
3 Patrick takut tak ada makanan di rumah. Dia makan di kedai.
4 Tamalia cuti kut. Dia tak ada di pejabat.
5 Kami duk cari tempat duduk di Bali.
6 Tak ada lagi tempat duduk di dalam bas.
7 Adi tak mahu makan banyak, takut gemuk.
8 Telefon dia tak ada bateri, kut. Dia tak jawab.
9 Tak apalah, saya bayar bulan depan.
10 Alia duduk tengok TV.
Dialogue 2
(CD2; 38)
Suria is concerned about her friend Mandy whom she has not seen
for some time, so she gives her a call.
Suria Mandy? Hello!

Mandy Hello, Suria. Apa hal?
Suria Tak ada apa. Saya teringat Mandy sebab lama tak jumpa.
Mandy Oh, saya baik. Cuma ada hal sikit.
Suria Apa pasal? Awak sakit?
Mandy Saya tak sakit. Saya sibuk sikit.
Suria Apa pasal sibuk?
Mandy Saya ada kelas malam, belajar bahasa.
Suria Oh bagus!
Mandy Peperiksaan saya bulan depan.
Suria Awak mesti lulus!
Mandy Saya tau. Saya cuma ada seminggu untuk belajar.
Vocabulary
cuma only, except that
hal issue, things, matters
kelas malam evening classes
Language points
Apa hal
Apa hal can be variously translated as ‘what’s the matter?’ or ‘what’s

up?’. It can also be used as a greeting, especially among friends.
Apa hal is also interchangeable with apa pasal? to mean ‘why?’
The formal mengapa ‘why?’, is hardly used in spoken Malay. It is
only used in writing and in formal conversations.
Examples
Apa hal tak datang semalam? Why didn’t you come last
night?
Apa pasal dia menangis? Why is she crying?
Apa hal? Lama tak jumpa. What’s up? It’s been a long
time since we met.
Cuma and hanya
We have seen many other words, such as saja and pun, that mean
‘only’. Cuma in some contexts also means ‘only’. In some circum-
stances cuma and saja can be used together.
Examples
Saya cuma ada seorang anak.

I only have one child.
Cuma dua orang saja lulus.

Only two people passed.
Dia tak nakal, cuma dia suka menangis.

He is not naughty, except he likes to cry.
Cuma satu kerusi saja yang tinggal.

There’s only one chair left.
Saya faham cuma saya tak boleh jawab.
I understand except I cannot answer.
Hanya is another word that means ‘only’ and sometimes it is also

used with saja. It can also mean ‘merely’.
Examples
Saya hanya ada RM20 saja.
I only have RM20.
Mandy hanya seorang pelajar.
Mandy is merely a student.
Patricia hanya duduk diam saja.
Patricia merely sat quietly.
Hanya seorang saja boleh duduk.
Only one person can sit down.

1 You are at a corner shop. Tell the shopkeeper you would like
to buy:
a) only two bottles of milk
b) one egg only
c) one (bottle of ) shampoo only
d) two apples only
2 You are in a hotel. Tell the hotel receptionist you need:
a) one single room only
b) breakfast only
c) two nights’ stay only
3 Tell a friend who is coming to stay with you to bring:
a) only one suitcase
b) only RM500
c) only one camera
4 After being mugged, tell the police officer at the station that:
a) you only have RM10 in your pocket
b) you are fine except that you need to go back to your hotel
c) you are only a tourist staying in the country for only one week
Vocabulary
telur egg bilik bujang single room
syampu shampoo beg baju suitcase
epal apple kamera camera
Culture point
Sikit
Note that Mandy says Saya sibuk sikit ‘I am a bit busy’. Malays are
known to understate situations. Even when seriously ill they will say
Saya sakit sikit ‘I am a little unwell’.
Sikit or sedikit means ‘a little’ or ‘a little bit’. This is used to play
down the seriousness of a situation. Sometimes it functions as a
comparison.
Examples
Dia susah sikit. She is a bit difficult.
Hashim malas sikit. Hashim is a bit lazy.
Rumah saya kecil sikit. My house is a bit small.
Hashim berani sikit. Hashim is a bit bolder.
Anne tinggi sikit daripada Jo. Anne is a bit taller than Jo.
To request a little bit more of something, say:
Tambah sikit lagi. Add a bit more.
Bagi banyak sikit. Give (me) a bit more.
Bagi lebih cili sikit. Give (me) a little bit more chilli.

Using sikit, how would you say the following in Malay?
1 Say your son is a bit older than Sue.
2 Ask for a bit more rice.
3 Say that the exam was a bit difficult.
4 Say that the bag is a bit heavy.
5 Ask for a little bit more time.
6 Say you are a little unwell.
7 Say your car is a bit expensive.

8 Ask for a bit more sugar.
9 Say you will be a bit late.
10 Ask for a bit more money.
Exercise 4
Read the following email and answer the questions that follow.
Amir,
Apa hal kamu tak jawab sms saya? Saya risau sikit sebab
cuti kita ke Bangkok minggu depan.
Kalau kamu tak mau pergi tak apa, cuma beritau saya.
Saya ada lima hari cuti saja. Tak boleh pergi lama. Apa pasal
Raju tak ikut kita? Dia pun tak jawab sms saya. Dia cuma
beritau kakak saya dia tak mau pergi. Saya tak boleh pergi ke
rumah dia. Rumah dia jauh sikit dan saya ada hal di sekolah
hari ni. Saya nak tanya sikit, kamu boleh tolong saya telefon
Raju? Tanya dia pasal apa dia tak mau pergi. Kalau kamu
dan Raju tak mau pergi , saya pun tak mau pergi.
Lenny
1 Mengapa Lenny tulis emel kepada Amir?

2 Lenny mahu bercuti dengan Amir di mana?
3 Raju beritahu siapa dia tak mahu pergi?
4 Mengapa Lenny tak boleh pergi ke rumah Raju?
5 Mengapa Lenny mahu Amir telefon Raju?
Exercise 5
Reply to Lenny’s email in Exercise 4, giving the following details:
1 Say you are a bit busy.

2 Say you have phoned Raju and his mother is a bit unwell and he
cannot go on that holiday to Bangkok.
3 Tell him, never mind, you will still go with him to Bangkok.
4 Tell him that you only have three days’ holiday.
5 Tell him you will only go for two days.
Unit Thirteen
Entahlah!
I don’t know!

• entahlah!, an ‘I don’t know’ substitute
• different ways of saying ‘maybe’: entah-entah, mungkin,
boleh jadi, barangkali
• mana, used to mean ‘where?’ and ‘how?’: mana dia?
• ikutlah! ‘it’s up to you!’
Dialogue 1
(CD2; 42)
Layla is searching for her flight tickets. She asks Yoko if she has
seen them.
Layla Yoko, di mana tiket kapalterbang saya?

Yoko Entahlah!
Layla Saya ingat kamu simpan.
Yoko Tak, saya bagi kamu semasa di pejabat MAS tadi.
Layla Tak adalah.
Yoko Kalau saya simpan, mana dia?
Layla Entah. Mana saya tahu?
Yoko Di dalam beg, kut?
Layla Entahlah, saya dah cari, tak ada.
Yoko Entah-entah tertinggal di pejabat MAS!
Layla Aha, boleh jadi jugak!
Unit 13: I don’t know! 175
Vocabulary
entah don’t know
entah-entah maybe
Language point
Entah/entahlah!
Entah or entahlah (sometimes pronounced as tah!) is actually tak

tau ‘don’t know’, but depending on the tone, it can sound dismissive.
Entah is never a formal or written word. Again, this is not a word that
one would use when speaking in a formal situation. Entah or entahlah
can also denote a sense of despair.
Here are some examples of how entah or entahlah can be used.
Entahlah bila dia nak balik.

I don’t know when she is coming home.
Siapa entah datang tadi.

I don’t know who it was that came earlier.
Entah berapa dia bayar untuk baju tu.

I don’t know how much she paid for that dress.
Entahlah. Saya pun tak tahu.

I don’t know. I don’t know either.
Entah betul entah tidak cerita dia tu.

I don’t know whether his story is true or not.
Note that in most of the above examples, although they sound more
like questions, they do not really require answers. They are more like
thoughts spoken out loud.
Exercise 1
Try responding to the following questions using entah or entahlah.
Remember, the tone used conveys your attitude to the question
asked.
176 Unit 13: Entahlah!
1 Mana saya letak duit saya?

2 Bila Joanne nak balik?
3 Apa nama orang yang telefon saya tadi?
4 Bila kita nak kaya?
5 Mana hilang kunci kereta saya?
6 Apa nak makan malam ni?
7 Siapa yang datang tengah malam ni?
8 Siapa nak bayar untuk semua ni?
9 Baju siapa yang bersepah ni?
10 Abu keluar dengan siapa?
Vocabulary
bersepah messy
Language point
Different ways of saying ‘maybe’
When repeated, entah-entah means ‘maybe’ or ‘perhaps’. There are

several words that convey the same meaning: mungkin, boleh jadi
and barangkali, which literally mean ‘could be’, ‘maybe’ or ‘perhaps’.
See how these words can be interchangeable in the following
sentences:
Mungkin . . . . . . dia tak boleh datang hari ni.

Boleh jadi . . . Maybe/perhaps he couldn’t come today.
Entah-entah . . . . . . Amran bayar untuk saya.
Barangkali . . . Maybe/perhaps Amran paid for me.
. . . Jessie tak makan daging.
Maybe/perhaps Jessie doesn’t eat meat.
. . . Yoko sesat jalan.
Maybe/perhaps Yoko lost her way.
. . . Geeta tak tahu kita di sini.
Maybe/perhaps Geeta doesn’t know we are here.
. . . Sam terlupa hari ini ada mesyuarat.
Maybe/perhaps Sam forgot there’s a meeting today.
Vocabulary
sesat to lose one’s way
mesyuarat meeting
Examples
Andi: Murni mungkin lambat.

Ben: Ya, mungkin.
Andi: Boleh jadi komputer dia rosak.
Ben: Boleh jadi.
Ben: Mungkin Juandi tak suka makan ikan.
Andi: Mungkin juga.
Andi: Boleh jadi dia malu nak jumpa kita
Ben: Boleh jadi juga.
Exercise 2
Fill in the blanks with either mungkin, boleh jadi, barangkali or
entah-entah.
1 Budak tu selalu menangis. ________ dia sakit.

2 Sudah lama saya tak jumpa dia. ________ dia sudah balik
Amerika.
3 ________ esok hujan. Kalau hujan, ________ saya tak pergi.
4 ________ Julie ikut kakak dia ke Jakarta.
5 ________ Danial tak suka makan sayur.
6 Malam ini ________ ada filem baru.
7 Kedai tu ________ jual filem.
8 ________ bateri telefon saya habis.
Language point
Mana dia?
Mana dia? literally means ‘where is he/she?’ However, mana dia?

can also mean di mana? or ‘where is it?’. In spoken Malay, ia (see
Unit 1), referring to things or animals, is hardly ever used. It is used
mostly in writing. So, ‘where is it?’ does not translate as mana ia?
Mana dia is used to ask about the whereabouts of people and things
and animals. In fact, in spoken Malay, dia is frequently used to refer
to animals as well.
Examples
Mana dia buku saya?

Where is my book?
Mana dia kek yang kamu buat?

Where is the cake that you made?
Mana dia kedai yang jual baju tu?

Where is the shop that sold that dress?
Mana dia Mak budak ni?

Where is the mother of this child?
Mana dia pejabat pelancong?

Where is the tourist office?
Exercise 3
Read the lyrics of this famous rhyme.
Di mana dia, anak kambing saya?

Anak kambing saya main di tepi sawah
Di mana dia, buah hati saya?
Buah hati saya yang pakai baju merah
Di mana dia anak kambing saya?
Anak kambing saya yang suka minum susu
Yang mana dia, buah hati saya?
Buah hati saya yang pakai baju biru
Kalau nak tahu anak kambing saya
Anak kambing saya duduk di dalam bilik
Kalau nak tahu buah hati saya
Buah hati saya yang tinggi dan cantik
Di mana dia anak kambing saya?
Anak kambing saya yang suka makan ketam
Yang mana dia buah hati saya?
Buah hati saya yang pakai seluar hitam.
Vocabulary
sawah paddy field
buah hati sweetheart
ketam crab
Where is it, my little baby goat?

My little baby goat is playing by the paddy field
Where is she, my sweetheart?
My sweetheart is the one wearing the red dress
My little baby goat is the one who likes to drink milk
My sweetheart is the one wearing the blue dress
If you want to know my little baby goat
My little baby goat is sitting in the room
If you want to know my sweetheart
My sweetheart is the one who is tall and beautiful
My little baby goat likes to eat crabs
My sweetheart is the one wearing black trousers.
Exercise 4
Using mana dia, ask the whereabouts of your belongings as shown in
the pictures.
1 2 3
8
7
6
10
Dialogue 2
(CD2; 44)
kamal is puzzled why his computer keeps crashing. He discusses
the problem with his friend Sean.
kaMaL Saya hairan apa pasal komputer saya selalu rosak.

SEaN Boleh jadi dah lama.
kaMaL Tak begitu lama. Baru dua tahun.
SEaN Mana boleh rosak cepat sangat?
kaMaL Saya pun tak tau.
SEaN Mari saya tengok.
Kamal Macam mana nak tukar bateri dia?

Sean Bawa ke kedailah.
Kamal Mungkin saya bawa esok.
Sean Bawa hari ni lah.
Kamal Mana boleh? Mana ada kedai buka hari ni?
Vocabulary
hairan to be amazed
Language points
Macam mana, mana dia and mana ada
In spoken Malay, the word for ‘how’ – bagaimana – is hardly used.

The colloquial version is macam mana, loosely translated as ‘like
where’.
Examples
Macam mana boleh jadi macam ni?
How could it turn out like this?
Macam mana nak buka tin ni?
How do you open this tin?
Kalau dia tak lulus macam mana?
If he doesn’t pass, how? (i.e. what will happen?)
Mana dia means ‘where’.
Examples
Mana dia Mak budak ni?
Where is the mother of this child?
Mana dia pejabat pelancong?
Where is the tourist office?
Mana ada literally means ‘where got?’, or ‘where is there . . . ?’ Used

defensively, it can also mean ‘It’s not true!’
Examples
Mana ada orang kerja masa ni?
Where do you get people working at this time?
Atan: Kamu balik lewat semalam?

Atan: You came back late last night?
Sean: Mana ada!

Sean: That’s not true!
Exercise 5
Use macam mana, mana dia and mana ada in the situations below.
Use the words in brackets to guide you.
1 You want to know how to use the cooker. (guna dapur)

2 You want to know where your brush is. (berus)
3 You want to find someone who can help you. (orang boleh
tolong)
4 You want to find a shop that’s open till midnight. (kedai yang buka
sampai tengah malam)
5 You want to know how to reply to a certain letter. (jawab surat)
6 You want to find a shop that sells kebabs. (kedai yang jual
kebab)
7 You want to know the whereabouts of a map you bought. (peta
yang saya beli)
8 You want to know how to use a coffee-making machine. (guna
mesin kopi)
Dialogue 3
(CD2; 46)
Heidi and Yoko are planning a birthday surprise for their friend
Ranjit.
Heidi Kita nak buat di dewan atau di restoran?

Yoko Ikutlah. Saya tak kisah.
Heidi OK, kalau gitu, di dewanlah.
Yoko Siapa nak masak?
Heidi Oh, ya. Mana nak cari orang untuk masak?

Yoko Mak saya boleh masak.
Heidi Makanan apa kita nak hidang?
Yoko Ikut suka awaklah. Saya ikut saja.
Heidi OK, kita buat makanan ringan saja.
Yoko Tak kisah, asalkan ada makanan.
Heidi Kita boleh mula jemput kawan-kawan!
Vocabulary
dewan hall
ikutlah it’s up to you
hidang to serve
asalkan as long as
Language point
Ikut/Ikutlah
Ikut or ikutlah is an endorsement or an agreement with what is being

suggested or proposed. Ikut actually means ‘to follow’, ‘to go along’
and in this case ‘to go along with a suggestion’. Ikut suka can mean
‘to do as one wishes’.
Examples
Saya nak ikut awak ke kedai.

I want to go along with you to the shop.
Ikutlah apa awak nak makan.

It is up to you what you want to eat.
Dia buat ikut suka hati dia saja.

He does things as he wishes.
Dialogue 4
(CD2; 48)
Listen to this conversation between Amran and his friend Atul. They
are deciding what to do during the weekend.
Amran Kamu masih mau pergi ke Cameron Highlands?

Atul Entahlah, saya belum tau lagi.
Amran Kalau nak pergi kena beli tiket bas cepat.
Atul Tak apa. Kita bawa kereta saja.
Amran Kamu tau jalan ke sana?
Atul Tak apa, kita ikut jalan baru.
Amran Macam mana kita nak dapat kereta?
Atul Kita sewalah.
Amran Mana dia lesen awak?
Atul Saya tak ada lesen, awaklah bawa kereta.
Amran Saya lebih suka naik bas.
Atul Ikutlah, asalkan kita sampai Cameron Highlands.
Exercise 6
Answer the following questions:
1 Amran dan Atul mau pergi ke mana?

2 Atul nak pergi dengan apa?
3 Macam mana mereka nak dapat kereta?
4 Atul ada lesen keretakah?
5 Amran lebih suka pergi dengan apa?
Unit Fourteen
Helo, boleh saya bantu?
Hello, can I help?

• how to make simple phone conversations
• how to ask relevant questions: dia pergi mana?, bila dia
balik?, boleh tinggal pesanan?
• apa salahnya!
• pula (pulak)
• the use of the prefix and suffix ke . . . an, as in kesihatan,
kementerian
• the use of the prefix and suffix pe . . . an, as in
pengalaman
Dialogue 1
(CD2; 50)
Hannah is telephoning a box office to ask about the availability of

tickets.
186 Unit 14: Helo, boleh saya bantu?
Hannah Helo.
Pekerja Helo, boleh saya bantu?
Hannah Ya, saya nak tau, tiket untuk Hang Jebat ada?
Pekerja Untuk bila?
Hannah Untuk malam esok.
Pekerja Masih ada banyak. Untuk berapa orang?
Hannah Untuk lima orang.
Pekerja Mau beli sekarang?
Hannah Tak. Nanti saya datang ke sana untuk beli. Terima kasih.
Pekerja Sama-sama.
Culture point
Telephone greetings
Greetings on the telephone are the same as in person. However, if a

Muslim makes a phone call, there is a likelihood that he or she will use
Assalamualaikum in addition to Helo, and if the person receiving
the call is also Muslim, he or she will reply Wa’alaikum salam. If you
are non-Muslim, you are not required to say this. These borrowed
words from Arabic were dealt with in Unit 11.
Exercise 1
Imagine you are telephoning a hotel to ask about the availability of rooms.
Answer the following questions using the prompts given in brackets to
help you.
1 Untuk bila? (next month, 28th)

2 Untuk berapa orang? (four)
3 Untuk berapa hari? (a week)
4 Mau sarapan? (yes, as well as dinner)
5 Mau tempah sekarang? (yes)
Unit 14: Hello, can I help? 187
Dialogue 2
(CD2; 52)
Jane is ringing a number back after receiving a missed call.
Jane Helo, saya Jane.

Sarah Ya, mau cakap dengan siapa?
Jane Ada orang telefon saya dari nombor ini.
Sarah Oh, apa nama orang itu?
Jane Saya tak tahu. Ini rumah atau pejabat?
Sarah Pejabat pelancongan.
Jane Oh, saya tau. Boleh jadi kawan saya, Tommy Loh?
Sarah Tommy tak ada. Dia keluar.
Jane Boleh saya tinggal pesan?
Sarah Boleh, apa salahnya!
Jane Tolong beritahu dia saya balik malam esok.
Sarah Itu saja?
Jane Ya, minta dia telefon saya balik. Terima kasih.
Sarah Sama-sama.
Vocabulary
pesan message
Language points
Pesan
Pesan is used to convey ‘message’. You can say mesej; however, pesan
can also be used to mean ‘to leave a message of advice’, ‘to remind’.
Examples
Mak pesan Amir untuk rajin belajar.

Mother advises Amir to study hard.
Helen pesan Nur untuk makan ubat.

Helen advises Nur to eat (take) her medicine.
Useful telephone phrases
In a telephone conversation, it is worth knowing the following phrases:
Boleh tahu siapa bercakap? May I know who is speaking?

Puan/cik nak cakap dengan Who do you want to speak to?
siapa?
Nak tinggal pesan? Do you want to leave
a message?
Boleh saya tinggal mesej? Can I leave a message?
Boleh cakap perlahan sedikit? Can you speak a little slower?
Bila boleh saya telefon balik? When can I call back?
Apa sambungan dia? What’s his/her extension?
Talian dia sibuk. His/her line is busy.
Apa salahnya!
Note that in Dialogue 2, when Jane asks whether she can leave
a message for her friend, Sarah says: Apa salahnya! Although
this sounds like a question, it is not. It literally means: ‘What is
wrong?’, but the meaning it conveys is totally the opposite: ‘There’s
nothing wrong (with leaving a message!)’, and so it can mean
‘of course!’.
Here are some more examples.
Boleh saya duduk? Can I sit down?

Boleh, apa salahnya! Of course you can!
Saya saya tanya? Can I ask?
Boleh, apa salahnya! Of course you can!
Exercise 2
On the left is a list of situations. Match them with the corresponding
questions on the right.
1 Maaf, dia sibuk bercakap. Bila saya boleh telefon balik?

2 Sambungan dia 2098. Boleh saya tau siapa bercakap?
3 Saya Joan. Boleh saya tahu sambungan dia?
4 Maaf, Encik salah nombor. Boleh saya cakap dengan Amir?
5 Telefon balik dalam masa Dia ada talian langsung?

sepuluh minit.
6 Ya, nombor dia 76947369. Ini nombor Hamzah?
Dialogue 3
(CD2; 54)
Hashim is speaking on the phone to his friend Sam. They are talking
about their other friends.
Hashim Hello Sam, kamu sibuk?

Sam Tak.
Hashim Kamu tau Alan dapat belajar di Tokyo?
Sam Wah, bagus!
Hashim Tony pula dapat belajar di Melbourne.
Sam Ya, saya tau. Jane pula macam mana?
Hashim Jane belum dapat surat lagi.
Sam Harap dia dapat tempat di Melbourne juga.
Hashim Ya, kamu pula macam mana?
Sam Saya minta Melbourne, tapi dapat Sydney.
Hashim Tahniah. Nanti kita cakap lagi. Bye.
Sam Bye.
Language point
Pula
Pula is one word that is very difficult to explain. It has no particular

meaning but serves to show that one is changing subject or topic,
as in the case of Dialogue 3. Hashim and Sam were speaking about
several friends and whenever they mentioned another name, they used
pula. Note that pula is pronounced pulak, as in juga – jugak.
The best way to imagine one function of pula is to visualise a
group of students sitting around a teacher. When the teacher asks
for someone to come forward to read, all the children put up their
hands and say ‘Saya pula, saya pula’.
Examples
Joan bekerja di bank. Tom pula bekerja di kilang dan John
pula bekerja di pejabat pos.
Joan works in a bank. Tom works in a factory while John works
at the post office.
Sam suka makan nasi, Jane pula tak suka makan roti.
Sam likes to eat rice whereas Jane likes to eat bread.
Here are some examples of situations where pula can mean ‘turn’,
as in ‘my turn’.
Mula-mula Tom menyanyi, kemudian Alan pula menyanyi.

First Tom sang, then it was Alan’s turn to sing.
Bila Leslie habis menari, Joan pula menari.

When Leslie finished dancing, it was Joan’s turn to dance.
Exercise 3
Where do you place pula(k) in the following sentences?
1 Kim baca sajak. Lim baca cerita.
2 Heidi belajar sains. Susan belajar sejarah.
3 Jan bercakap bahasa Perancis. Yoko bercakap bahasa Jepun.
4 Selepas Tom bercakap, Yeo bercakap.
5 Saya marah Jan. Heidi yang sedih.
6 Lee main gitar. Jane main piano.
7 Bila baik sakit gigit, dia sakit kepala.
8 Selepas pergi ke Singapura, dia pergi ke Bali.
9 Saya suruh Jane baca, tapi Jon yang baca.
10 Pat dapat hadiah buku, Alan dapat wang.
Dialogue 4
(CD2; 56)
Jade is contemplating doing work experience in the field of education.
She discusses this with a friend.
Jade Saya ingin mengajar di sekolah rendah di sini.

May Tulislah kepada kementerian pendidikan.
Jade Saya rasa saya ada cukup pengalaman untuk mengajar di sini.
May Kementerian pendidikan mungkin mau orang seperti
awak.
Jade Saya ada kelayakan mengajar kanak-kanak.
May Betul.
Jade Saya pernah bekerja dengan Kesatuan Kanak-kanak kurang
upaya.
May Itu sangat berguna.
Vocabulary
sekolah rendah primary school kelayakan qualification
pengalaman experience kesatuan society
kementerian ministry kurang upaya less abled
pendidikan education berguna useful
Language point
Abstract nouns and the prefix and suffix
ke . . . an and pe . . . an
Abstract nouns can be formed using nouns, verbs and adjectives

with the prefix and suffix ke . . . an. With some abstract nouns, the
meanings are not far off that of the base word. Some, however, have
quite different meanings.
ke + noun + an
ke + menteri ‘minister’ + an = kementerian ‘ministry’
Dia menjadi menteri dalam kementerian kewangan.
He became a minister in the ministry of finance.
ke + ahli ‘member’ + an = keahlian ‘membership’

Untuk menjadi ahli kelab itu, saya mesti isi borang
keahlian.
To be a member of the club, I must fill in the
membership form.
ke + juara ‘champion’ + an = kejuaraan ‘championship’

Siew Lee ialah juara badminton sekolah kami. Kejuaraan ini
ialah yang pertama bagi Siew Lee.
Siew Lee is our school’s badminton champion. This championship
is the first for Siew Lee.
ke + verb + an
ke + naik ‘to go up’ + an = kenaikan ‘increase’
Harga barang sudah naik. Orang ramai marah dengan
kenaikan harga.
The price of goods has gone up. The public is angry with
the price increase.
ke + duduk ‘to sit’ + an = kedudukan ‘position’

Murphy duduk di tempat saya.
Murphy sat in my place.
Kedudukan ahli politik itu tidak stabil.

The position of the politician is not stable.
ke + tiba ‘to arrive’ + an = ketibaan ‘arrival’

Menteri akan tiba pada pukul satu. Guru besar akan sambut
ketibaannya.
The minister will arrive at one o’clock. The headmaster will
receive him on arrival.
ke + adjective + an
ke + sihat ‘healthy/well’ + an = kesihatan ‘health’
Saya selalu sihat. Saya jaga kesihatan saya.
I am always healthy. I look after my health.
ke + miskin ‘poor’ + an = kemiskinan ‘poverty’

Di negara itu ada ramai orang miskin. Mereka hidup dalam
kemiskinan.
There are many poor people in that country. They live in
poverty.
ke + sedih ‘sad’ + an = kesedihan ‘sadness’

Raju selalu sedih. Hidup dia penuh kesedihan.
Raju is always sad. His life is full of sadness.
Similarly, the prefix and suffix pe . . . an can be used with the same
function, but the prefix pe has many variations, such as pem,
pen, peny and peng, depending on the first letter of the word it is
added to.
pe + noun + an
pe + rumah ‘house’ + an = perumahan ‘housing/residential’
Saya tinggal di kawasan perumahan.
I live in a residential area.
pe + muka ‘face’ + an = permukaan ‘surface’

Ikan itu timbul di permukaan air.
The fish appeared on the surface of the water.
pe + verb + an
pe + jalan ‘to walk’ + an = perjalanan ‘journey’
Dia tidur sepanjang perjalanan.
He slept throughout the journey.
pe + urus ‘to manage’ = pengurusan ‘management’

Lola menjaga pengurusan syarikatnya.
Lola looks after the management of her company.
Exercise 4
Use the words in brackets with the correct prefix and suffix, ke . . . an
or pe . . . an, to complete the sentences. The affixes can be used with
adjectives or nouns or verbs to make abstract nouns.
1 Saya bimbang tentang ________ (sihat) abang saya.

2 Dia tinggal di kawasan ________ (rumah) itu.
3 Dia tak ada ________ (layak) bekerja di sini.
4 Di negara ini tak ada ________ (miskin).
5 Saya kagum dengan ________ (cantik) dia.
6 Kamil bawa banyak makanan untuk ________ (jalan) jauh.
7 7 Dari jauh ________ (dengar) budak itu menangis.
8 Dia ada ________ (rakyat) Malaysia.
Vocabulary
kagum to be in awe
rakyat citizen

Read this email from Sam to his friend Abdul, and then answer the
questions that follow.
Abdul, saya baru dapat surat Kementerian Pertahanan.

Saya dapat kerja di situ. Mula-mula saya tidak fikir saya
ada kelayakan. Tapi bapa saya pula mau saya bekerja di
situ. Saya tak ada pengalaman tapi saya rasa saya boleh
buat kerja tu. Lama-lama saya akan dapat kepakaran. Bapa
saudara saya jugak dalam Kementerian Pertahanan. Dia
pesan saya untuk bekerja dengan rajin. Jangan lupa balas
emel ini.
1 Sam dapat kerja di mana?

2 Siapa mau Sam bekerja di situ?
3 Siapa bekerja di Kementerian Pertahanan juga?
4 Apa bapa saudara Sam pesan kepada dia?
Unit Fifteen
Tiket dibeli minggu lepas
The tickets were bought last week

• the passive form in a conversation: dibeli, dimakan, dimasak
• the use of di . . . kan, di . . . i
• the use of me . . . kan, me . . . i, pe . . . an
• some simple common idioms: jatuh hati, ringan tangan, etc.
• some common slang, and more Manglish and borrowed words
Dialogue 1
(CD2; 60)
Luqman and Susan have bought tickets to a concert. They are look-
ing forward to seeing their favourite singer.
Luqman Saya tak sabar nak ke konsert tu.

Susan Saya pun. Tiket dibeli minggu lepas.
Luqman Ya, tapi tiket belum sampai!
Susan Saya masih tunggu tiket.
Susan Saya pun. Kamu bagi alamat yang betul ka?
Luqman Alamat ditulis dengan terang dan betul.
Susan Saya harap tak hilang.
Luqman Selalunya kalau hilang, duit diberi balik.
Susan Saya tak mau duit balik, saya mau tengok konsert tu!
Luqman Betul, jugak.
Susan Baik kita telefon penganjur.
Luqman OK.
196 Unit 15: Tiket dibeli minggu lepas
Vocabulary
alamat address diberi balik returned
hilang missing penganjur organiser
Language point
The passive
In spoken Malay, unlike spoken Indonesian, the passive form of the

verb is rarely used. However, it is useful to know how the passive
forms are used, as they are usually used in the written form.
There are several forms: di + verb, di + verb + i, di + verb + kan.
In some cases, passive verbs are followed by oleh ‘by’.
The passive verb: di + verb

Di is always attached to the verb in the passive form, as opposed
to di written separately when used as a preposition meaning ‘at
(a place)’.
Examples
diberi was given

di kedai at a shop
Tiket dibeli minggu lepas. The tickets were bought last week.
Alamat ditulis dengan The address was written clearly.
terang.
Ikan dimakan kucing. The fish was eaten by the cat.
Kari dimasak oleh mak. The curry was cooked by mother.
Laporan ditulis oleh The report was written by the director.
pengarah.
Unit 15: The tickets were bought last week 197
Exercise 1
Change these active sentences into the passive voice using the
prefix di–.
1 Emak beli hadiah.

2 Susan buat kek.
3 Kakak basuh baju.
4 Saya tulis surat itu.
5 Jane cuci pinggan.
6 Tommy sapu sampah.
7 Alan tanam pokok bunga.
8 Hashim bawa Ali ke kedai.
9 Abang gantung baju.
10 Bapa potong rumput.
The passive verb: di + verb + i

Adam dimarahi ibu. Adam was scolded by mother.
Kata-kata dia dicurigai. His words were doubted.
Alia diampuni bapa dia. Alia was forgiven by her father.
Ali disyaki mencuri. Ali was suspected of stealing.
Exercise 2
Form the passive voice from these words using di + verb + i, and then
use the dictionary to find their meanings.
1 kahwin
2 sedar
3 basah
4 kenal
5 lupa
6 siram
7 jumpa
8 temu
Reading 1
Read this newspaper report about flooding.
Kampong dibanjiri air
Alor Setar (Jumaat) Beratus-ratus buah rumah di kawasan

Alor Gajah dimasuki air apabila hujan lebat turun selama
tiga hari. Tiga buah sekolah yang dilengkapkan dengan dapur
dan tempat tidur disiapkan untuk mangsa banjir. Menurut
laporan seratus orang telah dimasukkan ke dalam hospital
kerana cedera semasa cuba keluar dari rumah mereka. Banyak
buah bot yang dilengkapi jaket keselamatan telah pergi ke
kawasan-kawasan kampong untuk menyelamat penduduk-
penduduk kampong. Kebanyakan tempat tidak ada bekalan
elektrik dan setiap malam bilik-bilik mereka diterangi cahaya
lilin sahaja. Mangsa-mangsa banjir diterangkan tentang
usaha untuk membantu mereka oleh kerajaan tempatan.
Vocabulary
beratus-ratus hundreds penduduk residents
kawasan area bekalan supply
disiapkan to be provided with elektrik electricity
cedera injured cahaya light
keselamatan safety lilin candle
menyelamat to save usaha efforts
Language points
The passive verb: di + verb + kan
In the newspaper report, you will have seen the third form of the
passive verb: di + verb + kan. Some verbs with di + verb + i and
di + verb + kan differ in meaning, while others have similar meanings.

However, not all passive verbs can be used this way.
Examples
rumah dimasuki air
(lit.) house entered by water
Orang dimasukkan ke dalam hospital.
People were admitted to hospital.
Bot dilengkapi jaket keselamatan.
The boat was equipped with safety jackets.
Sekolah dilengkapkan dengan dapur.
The school was equipped with stoves.
Bilik mereka diterangi cahaya lilin.
Their rooms were lit by candlelight.
Mangsa banjir diterangkan tentang usaha untuk membantu

mereka.
The flood victims were given explanations (lit. were explained)
about the efforts to help them.
As you can see from the first two examples, the meanings of dimasuki
and dimasukkan differ. One describes the house being entered
by water, while the other describes people being admitted to
hospital.
Here are some more examples of this passive verb.
Rumah dia dimasuki pencuri.

His house was broken into (entered) by a thief.
Wang itu dimasukkan ke dalam bank.

The money was deposited in the bank.
Other passive verbs with meanings that change

diterangi was lit by
diterangkan to be explained
diingati being remembered
diingatkan to be reminded
dihadapi being faced with
dihadapkan to be put before
Some passive words, such as dilengkapi and dilengkapkan, do not

change in meaning. In the newspaper report, they both mean ‘to be
equipped with’.
Here are some other passive verbs with different prefixes and
suffixes but with the same meaning:
dimulai/dimulakan was started

dianugerahi/dianugerahkan was awarded

Choose the right form of the passive verb to use in the blanks.
1 Air itu ________ ke dalam botol. (dimasuki/dimasukkan)

2 Bilik saya ________ pencuri. (dimasuki/dimasukkan)
3 Orang itu ________ kesusahan. (dihadapi/dihadapkan)
4 Pencuri itu ________ ke mahkamah. (dihadapi/dihadapkan)
5 Untuk keselamatan pelajar, mereka ________ cara memandu.
(diterangi/diterangkan)
6 Malam itu ________ cahaya bulan. (diterangi/diterangkan)
Reading 2
Read the following two passages to understand the functions of
me + verb + i and me + verb + kan.
Reza datang ke Malaysia untuk menjalani rawatan rawatan di

hospital. Doktor yang menjalankan rawatan ke atas Reza ialah
Dr Prakesh. Dr Prakesh memasukkan tiub ke dalam badan Reza.
Ubat memasuki badan Reza menerusi tiub itu. Dr Prakesh telah
meneruskan rawatan itu selama seminggu sehingga Reza sembuh.
Jehan mendekati orang tua itu dengan tenang. Dia tahu orang
tua itu tidak kenal Alan, anaknya yang tidak ditemui selama sepuluh
tahun. Jehan suruh Alan bersalam dengan bapanya. Mula-mula
orang tua itu terkejut, tetapi apabila dia tahu Alan anaknya, dia
memeluk Alan. Jehan gembira kerana dapat menemukan semula
orang tua itu dengan anaknya. Dia berjaya mendekatkan hubungan
mereka semula. Jehan menemui Alan semasa mereka bekerja di
London.
Vocabulary
rawatan treatment bersalam to shake hands
tiub tube terkejut to be surprised
sembuh to recover memeluk to hug/embrace
dengan tenang calmly hubungan relationship
Language points
Me + verb + i and me + verb + kan
As with the passive verbs, the suffixes i and kan can change the
meaning of verbs with a me prefix.
Examples
menjalani rawatan to undergo treatment
menjalankan rawatan to carry out treatment
memasukkan to insert
memasuki to enter
menerusi by way of
meneruskan to continue
mendekati to approach
mendekatkan to bring closer
menemui to meet
menemukan to enable a meeting to take place
From the examples above, you can see that the meanings change
from the root word when the word uses prefixes and suffixes:
jalan to walk
menjalani to undergo
menjalankan to carry out
perjalanan a journey
terus straight on
meneruskan to continue
menerusi by way of
dekat near
mendekati to approach
mendekatkan to make closer
pendekatan an approach
temu (bertemu) to meet
menemui to meet
menemukan to get two parties to meet up
pertemuan a meeting
Exercise 4
Fill in the blanks using the verbs in brackets but with the correct prefixes
and suffixes.
Dalam ________ (temu) antara kedua-dua orang pemimpin itu,

mereka bersetuju untuk mengambil ________ (dekat) yang akan
memberi manfaat kepada kedua-dua buah negara. Mereka
berbincang selama dua jam dan ________ (terus) perbincangan
mereka selepas makan tengah hari. Mereka akan ________ (jalan)
program kerjasama ________ (terus) beberapa agensi kerajaan.
Dialogue 2
(CD2; 63)
Luqman realises that he was not invited to Jo’s birthday party. He
talks to Alan about it.
Luqman Saya tak tahu Jo buat majlis hari jadi.

Alan Ya, saya pergi.
Luqman Pasal apa dia tak panggil saya?
Alan Mungkin dia lupa.
Luqman Dia tak akan lupa, saya kawan baik dia.
Alan Alahai, janganlah ambil hati!
Luqman Saya sedihlah.
Alan Saya faham.
Luqman Pasal dia tak ingat saya?
Alan Entahlah!
Vocabulary
ambil hati to be slighted
Language point
Idioms
As mentioned in Unit 8, although hati means ‘liver’, in emotional

terms it is considered the ‘heart’. Thus many idioms are connected
to the ‘heart’.
Here are a few of those idioms.
jatuh hati to fall in love

besar hati to be grateful
buah hati sweetheart
murah hati generous
And here are some other idioms.
ringan tulang to be helpful

hidung tinggi arrogant
besar kepala big-headed
berat tangan lazy
cepat tangan someone who likes to steal
lapang dada to feel relieved
mulut murai chatterbox
Exercise 5
Try using idioms in the following sentences.
1 Saya suka dia. Dia ________

2 Amir kena buang kerja. Dia ________
3 Jasbir beri duit kepada saya. Dia ________
4 Leela memang ________ Dia tak cakap dengan semua orang.
5 Jaga-jaga barang awak. Budak tu ________
6 Saya rasa ________ Saya dah lulus
7 Bila dah dapat kerja, jangan ________
8 Mary tu ________ Jangan beritau dia apa-apa.
Culture points
Idioms
Idioms are very important in the Malay language. Idioms certainly

make the language more colourful and beautiful. As you can see from
the above descriptions, many of these idioms derive from parts of
the body to describe people’s attributes.
As in English, the Malay language is also rich in similes and
metaphors, mostly derived from observation of the surroundings.
Malays are known to allude to something rather than speak directly.
One of the most common ways of alluding to a situation is by using
a two-line rhyme, or what is known in Malay as pantun dua kerat.
One need only say the first line and the person for whom the message
is intended will know what is meant. For example:
Sudah gaharu cendana pula.

You already have incense, why sandalwood?
Sudah tahu bertanya pula.

You already know, why bother to ask?
or
Terima kasih daun keladi. Thank you yam leaves.
Kalau boleh mau lagi. If possible, I want more.
There are many such examples which can make a conversation very
interesting.
Manglish
As with any other language, the Malay language is enriched, or some

would say adulterated, by words borrowed from other languages and
even ‘Malaysianised’. Manglish is a language of its own: Malay and
English all rolled into one, for example, adding lah to English verbs:
eatlah, sitlah, go lah, cannotlah!
Sometimes English words are used, but they are turned into Malay
words. Some of these words are self-explanatory, but others have
veered dangerously from their original meaning.
Examples
gostan to go astern (to reverse)

kona corner, to turn round a corner
posmen postman
best! just what it means!, best, excellent!
(Filem tu best! The film is excellent!)
Releklah! Chill out!
Terror is pronounced as tera, and is not at all what it implies. It is usu

ally meant as a compliment, as in: You ni teralah! ‘You are clever!’
Borrowed words
The Malay language has borrowed words from many different sources,
such as Arabic, Sanskrit, Dutch, Tamil, Chinese, and even Spanish
and French. And certainly with the influx of Indonesian labourers there
are many Indonesian words now in the Malay language.
Here are some borrowed words:
aksi action
almari cupboard (from Portuguese armário)
bahasa language (from Sanskrit bha-sha- )
bangku stool (from Portuguese banco)
bendera flag (from Portuguese bandeira)
boneka doll (from Portuguese boneca)
buat to do (from Sanskrit wuat)
cawan cup (from Mandarin cháwǎn)
garpu fork (from Portuguese garfo)
gereja church (from Portuguese igreja)
keju cheese (from Portuguese queijo)
kongsi to share (from Hokkien kong-si)
mentega butter (from Portuguese manteiga)
miskin poor (from Arabic mishkin)
Slang!
If you try to avoid using slang, it will prove to be a losing battle, espe
cially in the spoken Malay language. Slang words and abbreviated
and butchered words started in short messaging services (SMS) and

were popular in chatrooms, but have now crept into emails, formal
letters and school essays.
Some knowledge of slang will help you understand what people
are saying although you need not use it.
Filem tu best giler (gila). The film is excellent! (lit. ‘The film
is madly best!’)
Awek tu cun. The lass is beautiful.
DVD tu ori. The DVD is original.
Key to exercises
Unit 1
Exercise 1
1 Ini James. Dia abang John. 2 Mereka orang Inggeris. 3 Itu Andre
dan Anna. Mereka orang Perancis. 4 Yoko orang Jepun. Dia bercakap
bahasa Jepun. 5 Ingrid dan Johan suka negara Jerman. 6 Gopal
bekerja di negara Belanda.
Exercise 2
1 Selamat jalan. 2 Selamat pagi. 3 Selamat datang. 4 Selamat tinggal.
5 Selamat malam.
Exercise 3
1 saya 2 kami 3 kita 4 mereka/dia orang 5 anda
Exercise 4
1 mak cik 2 encik 3 cik 4 puan 5 pak cik
Exercise 5
1 Dina 2 Asiah 3 Ana 4 Fatimah 5 Ana and Abu
Exercise 6
1 Ramlah 2 Bahasa Jerman 3 Alan 4 Orang Singapura 5 bahasa
Melayu dan bahasa Inggeris
208 Key to exercises
Unit 2
Exercise 1
1 Maaf, saya tak faham. 2 Maaf, boleh ulang? 3 Maaf, boleh cakap
lambat sikit. 4 Maaf, boleh tolong eja nama? 5 Maaf, boleh ulang?
6 Maafkan saya. 7 Maaf, saya terlambat. 8 Maaf, saya tak tau.
Exercise 2
All answers given are applicable.
Exercise 3
1 a) Saya suka makan kari, saya mahu makan kari, saya boleh makan kari.
b) Saya suka bercakap bahasa Melayu, saya mahu bercakap bahasa
Melayu, saya boleh bercakap bahasa Melayu. c) Saya suka main
badminton, saya mahu main badminton, saya boleh main badminton.
2 a) Saya tak suka berenang, saya tak mahu berenang, saya tak boleh
berenang. b) Saya tak suka bercakap bahasa Jerman, saya tak mahu
bercakap bahasa Jerman, saya tak boleh bercakap bahasa Jerman.
c) Saya tak suka masak, saya tak mahu masak, saya tak boleh masak.
Exercise 4
Ali – melukis; Susan – berenang; Emily – menonton; Antoinne – masak;
Sally – menari; Ely – menyanyi; Andy dan Jo – makan; Fran – berlari
Exercise 5
1 mengangkat 2 berlepas 3 menyanyi 4 berlari 5 menyapu 6 membuka
7 menulis 8 berjalan
Exercise 6
1 Guru 2 Pengurus 3 Pelatih 4 Pelukis 5 Penjaga kebun 6 Jururawat
7 Pemandu bas 8 Tukang masak 9 Penari 10 Pelajar
Unit 3
Exercise 1
1 di dalam almari 2 di dalam balang 3 di pejabat 4 di bawah kerusi
5 di atas pokok
Exercise 2
1 Ada kucing di bawah meja. 2 Ada kunci di atas buku. 3 Ada pen
di atas kerusi. 4 Ada kerusi di atas meja.
Exercise 4
1 nipis 2 besar 3 cantik 4 pandai 5 sedap
Exercise 5
1 a) Boleh tunjuk jalan dari hotel ke sekolah? b) Boleh tunjuk jalan
dari sekolah ke pejabat pos? c) Boleh tunjuk jalan dari sekolah ke
kolam renang? d) Boleh tunjuk jalan dari pejabat pos ke bank? 2 a)
Jalan terus di Jalan Besar, belok kanan ke Jalan Ros. b) Dari Jalan
padang Jalan Padang. Kolam renang di Jalan Padang. c) Dari Jalan
Bunga, jalan terus ke simpang jalan, belok kiri ke Jalan Ros. d) Dari
Jalan Besar, jalan ke kanan ke simpang jalan. Jalan terus ke Jalan
Bunga. Hotel i Jalan Bunga.
Exercise 6
1 Di Jalan Itik. 2 Di Jalan Ros di sebelah Pejabat Pos. 3 Di Jalan Itik,
dekat stesen bas. 4 Di Jalan Besar di depan pasar. 5 Di Jalan Padang
di depan kolam renang.
Exercise 7
1 membeli setem 2 membeli daging 3 bermain bola 4 berenang
5 belajar
Exercise 8
1 Ahmad naik bas ke stesen kereta api. 2 Ahmad naik kereta api ke
Bandar Seri Melur. 3 Ahmad pergi ke Taman Anggur dengan bas.
4 Rumah Raju di depan pasaraya. 5 Rumah yang besar dan cantik.
Unit 4
Exercise 1
1 nyanyian 2 layanan 3 ajaran 4 kiriman 5 pinjaman
Exercise 2
1 e. 2 a., b. 3 d. 4 a.
Exercise 3
1 pedas, 2 masin, 3 pahit, 4 masam, 5 manis
Exercise 4
1 sedang 2 sudah 3 masih 4 sedang 5 sudah 6 telah 7 akan 8 akan
Exercise 5
1 Nisa masak nasi, kari kambing, ayam goreng, sambal udang dan
sup sayur. 2 Dia jemput Ali, Chong, Sami, Suan dan Ray ke rumah
dia. 3 Ali tak makan ayam. 4 Suan bawa kek untuk Nisa. 5 tak sihat/
tak ada selera
Unit 5
Exercise 1
1 dua puluh empat 2 lima puluh satu 3 seratus tiga puluh tuhuh
4 dua ribu, empat ratus enam puluh dua 5 tujuh ribu, sembilan ratus
lapan puluh enam
Exercise 2
kosong satu dua, tujuh enam lima, lapan kosong dua; kosong satu
enam, empat sembilan satu, kosong kosong tiga; kosong tiga, sembilan
sembilan dua, tujuh lima dua tiga; kosong empat, tiga tujuh satu, lapan
tujuh enam empat; kosong satu tujuh, enam empat dua, lima empat
kosong
Exercise 3
1 Anak kedua Lillian belajar dalam tahun pertama di universiti. 2 Anton
beli keempat-empat buku itu daripada saya. 3 Jean ada lima anak. Anak
ketiga dia perempuan. 4 Kereta pertama saya ialah Proton. 5 Joshua
pelajar kesepuluh mendapat hadiah dari sekolah.
Exercise 4
1 kedai bunga 2 kedai roti 3 kedai alat tulis 4 kedai pakaian/baju
5 kedai emas 6 kedai ubat
Exercise 5
1 seratus lima puluh ringgit 2 dua puluh lima ringgit sembilan puluh
sembilan sen 3 empat puluh lima ribu, enam ratus tujuh puluh ringgit
4 tiga ratus enam puluh lima ringgit, sembilan puluh sembilan sen
5 sembilan puluh tujuh ringgit dua puluh lima sen
Exercise 6
1 ikan; 2 kerusi; 3 durian; 4 pensil; 4 kasut
Exercise 7
beg kulit besar payung plastik. kemeja berjalur, seluar pendek berpetak,
beg tangan kecil.
Exercise 8
Went to the shopping centre. Bought a shirt, a pair of shoes, a postcard.
Ali bought a book, a map and a pen. The shoes are black. Beautiful
but too big. Went to change size. The shirt is blue with stripes, white
collar. Nice. Postcard is for mother. Ali’s book is expensive. Could not
bargain. At the night market can bargain. Altogether spent RM152.20.
Still have RM732.00 for food and buying things.
Unit 6
Exercise 1
1 Jangan bising! 2 Jangan merokok! 3 Jangan masuk! 4 Jangan buka!
5 Jangan tidur!
Exercise 3
1 minta 2 suruh 3 pujuk 4 larang 5 jemput 6 ajak 7 jemput 8 larang
Exercise 4
1 minta buku itu 2 sila duduk 3 jangan lari 4 mari kita pergi ke restoran
5 sila datang ke rumah saya
Exercise 5
1 mula-mula masak nasi 2 kemudian hidang di atas meja 3 selepas
tu masak kari ayam 4 last sekali, ajak tetamu makan
Exercise 6
1 Pada hari Khamis. 2 Di kedai makan. 3 Pada pukul tujuh. 4 Pergi
ke perpustakaan. 5 Mak Mary jemput kakak dia untuk pulang untuk
majlis hari jadinya.
Unit 7
Exercise 1
1 Rania jumpa Anne pada pagi Ahad. 2 Di gerai. 3 Pada malam Isnin.
4 Dengan Sam. 5 Pada petang rabu. 6 Makan malam dengan Layla
dan kawan-kawan. 7 Pada pagi Jumaat. 8 Dia membeli-belah.
Exercise 2
Negeri panas hujan hujan ribut banjir
lebat renyai-renyai petir
KEDAH x
PERLIS x
PERAK x
PULAU PINANG x
SELANGOR x
MELAKA x x
NEGRI SEMBILAN x
JOHOR x
PAHANG x x
TERENGGANU x x
KELANTAN x x
Exercise 3
1 Jane always visits her mother. (melawat) 2 I never work on Sunday.
(bekerja) 3 Once in a while Maria phones me. (telefon) 4 Omar seldom
goes to school. (pergi) 5 We always come home at noon. (balik) 6 They
seldom speak English. (bercakap) 7 Sometimes Laila goes to work
by bus. (pergi kerja) 8 Lim never walks to school. (berjalan)
Exercise 4
1 sepuluh haribulan April sembilan belas enam puluh tujuh 2 lapan
belas haribulan Disember dua ribu satu 3 dua puluh lima haribulan
Julai dua ribu sepuluh 4 sembilan haribulan Mac dua ribu lima 5 tiga
puluh haribulan Ogos sembilan belas sembilan puluh satu 6 lapan
belas haribulan Mei dua ribu lapan belas
Exercise 5
1 sejam lima puluh minit 2 dua jam lima belas minit 3 dua am lima
belas minit 4 dua jam 5 dua jam
Exercise 6
1 Pada pukul enam pagi pada 10hb Mei 2010 2 Jane tinggal dengan
keluarga Maria selama seminggu 3 Pada hari Sabtu 4 Sania tidur
sepanjang perjalanan 5 Jane dan Sania pulang ke Kuala Lumpur pada
17hb Mei
Unit 8
Exercise 1
1 Tak kena tak payah 2 kena 3 kena 4 tak payah 5 payah 6 kena
7 kena 8 tak payah 9 payah 10 kena
Exercise 2
1 tertidur (unintentional) 2 tergigit (accidental/unintentional) 3 ternampak
(unintentional) 4 terbesar (superlative) 5 tersusun (something already
done) 6 termakan (inability to do something) 7 terbeli (unintentional)
8 terdengar (unintentional) 9 terkaya (superlative) 10 terhidang (some-
thing already done)
Exercise 3
1 tahniah! 2 sayangnya! 3 syabas! 4 tahniah! 5 sayangnya 6 cantiknya
7 pandainya 8 salam takziah 9 kesian! 10 sayangnya
Exercise 4
1 sedih 2 bangga 3 kecewa 4 bimbang 5 takut 6 gembira 7 sedih
8 bahagia
Exercise 5
1 pandai 2 malas 3 baik hati 4 kedekut 5 cerewet 6 murah hati/baik
hati 7 malu 8 lucu/menarik
Exercise 6
1 dua puluh tahun 2 kawan-kawannya 3 emel dan sms 4 dia baik,
suka tolong orang lain, tidak sombong 5 dia murah hati, rendah diri,
tak cerewet, 6 Meera 7 tolong Meera belajar 8 tidak
Unit 9
Exercise 1
1 luka 2 terseliuh 3 demam 4 patah 5 tercedera 6 penyakit 7 sakit
8 pening 9 pitam 10 dada
Exercise 2
1 sebab 2 sambil 3 kalau 4 tapi 5 kalau/sebab
Exercise 3
1 gadis gemuk dan pendek, berambut panjang dan keriting; 2 bayi
perempuan, gemuk; 3 lelaki tua, berambut pendek, gemuk dan tinggi,
bermuka panjang dan mulut besar; 4 remaja perempuan berambut
panjang dan ketak, bermuka kecil, tinggi dan kurus
Exercise 4
1 riuh rendah 2 lintang pukang 3 manis melecas 4 kurus kering 5 riuh
rendah 6 besar agam 7 cuci calat 8 kecil molek
Exercise 5
1 lambat-lambat 2 cepat-cepat/dengan cepat 3 dengan teliti 4 kuat-kuat
5 dengan nyenyak 6 rapat-rapat 7 dengan sopan 8 dengan kasar
Exercise 6
1 lambat-lambat 2 di sekolah 3 dengan baik 4 Heidi 5 dengan gembira
Unit 10
Exercise 1
1 Saya suka kereta macam ni. 2 Ray macam abang saya. 3 Beg ini
macam beg saya. 4 Helen tak macam kakak dia. Helen tinggi. 5 Jangan
cakap macam tu. 6 Alan macam adik Jan. 7 Dia belanja macam dia
kaya. 8 John cakap macam dia tau semua. 9 Nampak macam dia tak
sihat. 10 Martin macam orang sedih.
Exercise 2
1 Macam mana nak pergi ke pasar? 2 Macam mana nak buat kek
pisang? 3 Macam mana nak menyanyi lagu ni? 4 Macam mana nak
pasang komputer ni? 5 Macam mana nak masak kari ayam?
Exercise 3
1 gula/gula-gula 2 Baru-baru/baru 3 masing-masing 4 Kira-kira
5 pura-pura 6 Tiba-tiba 7 mula 8 agar-agar 9 kira 10 sama-sama
Exercise 4
1 jadi peguam 2 jadi pelayan 3 tak jadi 4 ya, Manam jadi masak untuk
kita malam ni 5 jadi ibu Tom
Unit 11
Exercise 1
1 Nah, ini buku saya pinjam dulu. 2 Amboi lama awak bercuti! 3 Alamak,
saya terlupa bawa buku! 4 Alamak, baju saya koyak! 5 Nah, ambil
hadiah ini. 6 Amboi, ramai sungguh anak awak! 7 Nah, ini daripada
saya. 8 Amboi, besar sungguh rumah awak!
Exercise 2
1 alhamdulillah 2 insyaallah 3 masyaallah 4 waalaikum salam, aham-
dulillah 5 alhamdulillah 6 insyaallah 7 alhamdulillah 8 insyaallah
Exercise 3
1 pun 2 saja 3 pun 4 pun 5 saja 6 pun, saja 7 saja, pun 8 saja 9 pun
10 saja
Exercise 4
1 tak patut 2 patut 3 tak patut 4 tak patut 5 patut
Unit 12
Exercise 1
1 Never mind. Tomorrow I will book the train tickets. 2 Jane stayed
in Penang at her friend’s house. 3 Patrick feared there was no food
at home. He ate at the shop. 4 Tamalia may be on leave. She is not at
the office. 5 We are looking for accommodation in Bali. 6 There are
no more seats on the bus. 7 Adi doesn’t want to eat a lot. He is scared
he will be fat. 8 Perhaps his phone battery is flat. He didn’t answer.
9 Never mind, I will pay next month. 10 Alia is watching TV.
Exercise 2
1 a) dua botol susu saja; b) sebiji telur saja; c) satu syampu saja; d)
dua epal saja; 2 a) satu bilik bujang saja; b) sarapan saja; c) saya
tinggal di hotel dua malam saja; 3 a) satu beg saja; b) RM500 saja;
c) satu kamera saja; 4 a) ada RM10 saja dalam poket; b) saya baik,
cuma saya nak balik ke hotel; c) saya hanya pelancong di negara ini
untuk seminggu saja
Exercise 3
1 Anak lelaki saya tua sikit daripada Sue. 2 Minta nasi sikit lagi.
3 Peperiksaan tu susah sikit. 4 Beg itu berat sikit. 5 Minta lebih masa
sikit. 6 Saya tak sihat sikit. 7 Kereta saya mahal sikit. 8 Minta gula
sikit lagi. 9 Saya lambat sikit. 10 Minta sikit lagi duit.
Exercise 4
1 sebab Amir tak jawab SMS dia 2 di Bangkok 3 kakak Lenny 4 rumah
Raju jauh sikit 5 untuk tanya dia pasal apa dia tak mau pergi.
Exercise 5
1 Saya sibuk sikit. 2 Saya sudah telefon Raju dan ibu dia tak sihat
sikit dan Raju tak boleh pergi bercuti di Bangkok. 3 Tak apa, saya
akan masih pergi dengan kamu ke Bangkok. 4 Saya cuma ada tiga
hari cuti saja. 5 Saya akan pergi dua hari saja.
Unit 13
Exercise 2
1 Budak tu selalu menangis. Barangkali/mungkin, boleh jadi/entah-entah
dia sakit. 2 Sudah lama saya tak jumpa dia. Barangkali/mungkin,
boleh jadi/entah-entah dia sudah balik Amerika. 3 Barangkali/
mungkin, boleh jadi/entah-entah esok hujan. Kalau hujan, Barangkali/
mungkin, boleh jadi/entah-entah saya tak pergi. 4 Barangkali/mungkin,
boleh jadi/entah-entah Julie ikut kakak dia ke Jakarta. 5 Barangkali/
mungkin, boleh jadi/entah-entah Danial tak suka makan sayur. 6 Malam
ini barangkali/mungkin, boleh jadi ada filem baru. 7 Kedai tu barangkali/
mungkin, boleh jadi jual filem. 8 Barangkali/mungkin, boleh jadi/entah-
entah bateri telefon saya habis.
Exercise 4
1 Mana dia pen saya? 2 Mana dia kasut saya? 3 Mana dia jam saya?
4 Mana dia buku saya? 5 Mana dia kereta saya? 6 Mana dia telefon
saya? 7 Mana dia beg saya? 8 Mana dia teh saya? 9 Mana dia kamera
saya? 10 Mana dia payung saya?
Exercise 5
1 Macam mana nak guna dapur ni? 2 Mana dia berus saya? 3 Mana
ada orang boleh tolong? 4 Mana ada kedai yang buka sampai tengah
malam? 5 Macam mana nak jawab surat ni? 6 Mana ada kedai yang
jual kebab? 7 Mana dia peta yang saya beli? 8 Macam mana nak
guna mesin kopi ni?
Exercise 6
1 Amran dan Atul mau pergi ke Cameron Highlands. 2 Atul nak pergi
dengan kereta. 3 Mereka akan sewa kereta. 4 Tidak. 5 Amran lebih
suka pergi dengan bas.
Unit 14
Exercise 1
1 Untuk 28 haribulan depan. 2 Untuk empat orang. 3 Untuk seminggu.
4 Ya, dan juga makan malam. 5 Ya, saya mau tempah sekarang.
Exercise 2
1 Maaf, dia sibuk bercakap. Boleh saya cakap dengan Amir?
2 Sambungan dia 2098. Boleh saya tahu sambungan dia? 3 Saya
Joan. Boleh saya tau siapa bercakap? 4 Maaf, Encik salah nombor.
Ini nombor Hamzah? 5 Telefon balik dalam masa sepuluh minit.
Bila saya boleh telefon balik? 6 Ya, nombor dia 76947369. Dia ada
talian langsung?
Exercise 3
1 Kim baca sajak. Lim (pula) baca cerita. 2 Heidi belajar sains. Susan
(pula) belajar sejarah. 3 Jan bercakap bahasa Perancis. Yoko (pula)
bercakap bahasa Jepun. 4 Selepas Tom bercakap, Yeo bercakap
(pula). 5 Saya marah Jan. Heidi (pula) yang sedih. 6 Lee main gitar.
Jane (pula) main piano. 7 Bila baik sakit gigi, dia sakit kepala (pula).
8 Selepas pergi ke Singapura, dia pergi ke Bali (pula). 9 Saya suruh
Jane baca, tapi Jon (pula) yang baca. 10 Pat dapat hadiah buku, Alan
(pula) dapat wang.
Exercise 4
1 kesihatan 2 perumahan 3 kelayakan 4 kemiskinan 5 kecantikan
6 perjalanan 7 kedengaran 8 kerakyatan
Exercise 5
1 di Kementerian Pertahanan 2 bapa dia 3 bapa saudara dia 4 bek-
erja dengan rajin
Unit 15
Exercise 1
1 Hadiah dibeli oleh emak. 2 Kek dibuat oleh Susan. 3 Baju dibasuh
kakak. 4 Surat itu ditulis oleh saya. 5 Pinggan di cuci oleh Jane.
6 Sampah di sapu Tommy. 7 Pokok bunga di tanam oleh Alan. 8 Ali
dibawa Hashim ke kedai. 9 Baju digantung oleh Abang. 10 Rumput
dipotong bapa.
Exercise 2
1 dikahwini 2 disedari 3 dibasahi 4 dikenali 5 dilupai 6 disirami
7 dijumpai 8 ditemui
Exercise 3
1 dimasukkan 2 dimasuki 3 dihadapi 4 dihadapkan 5 diterangkan
6 diterangi
Exercise 4
pertemuan pendekatan meneruskan menjalankan menerusi
Exercise 5
1 baik hati 2 berat tulang 3 murah hati 4 hidung tinggi 5 cepat tangan
6 lapang dada 7 berat tangan 8 mulut murai
Malay–English glossary
A atau or
abang older brother awak you (informal)
ada to have, there awal early
is/are
adik younger sibling B
adik lelaki younger brother bagi for; to give
adik perempuan younger sister baik good
adoi! (expression) ouch! baik hati kind, kind-hearted
aduan complaint baiklah all right
ajak to invite, to ask baiknya! how kind!
along baju clothes
ajar to teach balang jar
aku I (informal) balut to wrap/to bandage
alamak (expression) Oh my bandar town
God!, Oh dear! bangga proud
alamat address bangun to get up
Alhamdulillah thank God bangunan building
almari cupboard banjir/bah floods
ambil (mengambil) to take banyak many, a lot
amboi! (expression) wow! banyak-banyak lots
anak child bapa/ayah father
anak-anak children bapa saudara uncle
anak lelaki son barang things
anak perempuan daughter barangkali maybe
anak saudara niece/nephew baru new
anda you (formal) basuh to wash
angin wind batin spiritual
angin kuat strong wind batuk cough
apa what bau smell, to smell
apa khabar? how are you? bawa to bring, to carry
(literally: bawa kereta (lit.) to drive car
What news?) bekalan supply
apa lagi what else bekerja to work
Assalamualaikum Peace be upon you belajar to study
belanja to treat cedera injury, injured

beli (membeli) to buy cenderamata souvenirs
belok to turn comel cute
belon balloon cuba to try
bengkak swollen, to swell cucu grandchild
berani brave cucu lelaki grandson
berat weight, heavy cucu perempuan granddaughter
beratus-ratus hundreds cukup enough
bercakap to speak cuma only, except that
berguna useful
berita news D
berjalan to walk dahaga thirsty
berjalur with stripes dahulu, dulu first, ago
berkolar collar dalam in
berkumpul to gather dan and
berlari to run dari from (a place)
berlatih to practise datuk grandfather
berlepas to leave for dekat near
bermalam to spend the night demam fever
bersalam to shake hands dengan with
bersepah messy dengan teliti with care, properly
bersih clean dengan tenang calmly
bersin sneeze dengar to hear
besar big depan in front of
bila when dewasa adult
binatang animal di in/at
biru blue dia he/she, him/her,
bising to make a noise his/hers
blaus blouse diberi balik returned
bola sepak football di dalam inside
boleh can dinding wall
boleh jadi maybe dingin cool
botak bald di mana (at) where
buah fruit di sana there
buah hati sweetheart disiapkan to be provided with
buku book di sini here
bulan month, moon dompet wallet
bulat round duduk to sit, to stay/to live
busuk smelly (lit – to sit)
C E
cahaya light eja to spell
cantik beautiful elektrik electricity
cantiknya! how beautiful! elok nice
cari (mencari) to find elok-elok nicely
222 Malay–English glossary
emak mother ibu mother

emak saudara aunty ibu-bapa parents
empat four ikut to come along
enam six ingat to remember
engkau you (informal) Inggeris English
entah don’t know ini this
entah-entah maybe isteri wife
esok tomorrow itu that
itu saja that’s all
F
fikir think J
flet flat/apartment jadi to happen, to
become; so
G jaga to care for, to look
ganti to replace after, to wake up
gantung to hang jalan to walk; road, way
gembira happy jalan terus to walk/go
gemuk fat straight on
gerai stalls jemput to invite/to fetch
gitu (short form that is so jom let’s, come
of begitu) (colloquial)
gula sugar juga also
jus oren orange juice
H
hantar to send, to post K
harga price kacang nuts
hari day kadang-kadang sometimes
haribulan date (day of month) kain cloth, material
hari ini today kakak (kak) elder sister
Hari raya Eid day (Muslim day kalau if
of celebration) kalau begitu if that is so
hias to decorate kami we, our, us
hiasan decorations (excluding person
hijau green spoken to)
hilang to lose; lost kamu you
hitam black kan? (short for or not?
hodoh ugly bukan?)
hoki hockey kanan right
hubungan relationship kari curry
hujan rain kasar rough/harsh
hujan renya-renyai drizzle kasut shoes
hujung end of kata to say
kau you (informal)
I kawan friend
ia it, its kawasan area
ke to (a place) kiri left

(preposition) kirim to send, to convey
kecewa disappointed kita we, our, us
kecil small (including person
kedai shop spoken to)
kedai bunga florist (flower shop) kolam pool
kedekut mean, stingy kolam renang swimming pool
kedua second kopi coffee
kedua-dua both kotor dirty
keempat fourth koyak to tear, torn
keenam sixth kuat strong
kek cake kuat-kuat loudly
kelas class kulit leather, skin
kelas malam evening classes kulit gelap dark skin
kelayakan qualification kulit putih fair skin
kelima fifth kuning yellow
kelmarin dulu day before kurang less
yesterday kurang upaya less-abled
keluar to go out kurus thin
kena must, to have to,
to be inflicted L
with, to be laci drawers
imposed with, lagi more
apt, suitable lagipun moreover
kenyang to be full lama long (as in length
ke mana (to) where of time)
kemarau drought langsung at all, direct
kemeja shirt lapar hungry
kementerian ministry larang to forbid
kesatuan society laung to shout out
keselamatan safety laut sea
kesian pity layan to entertain
kesiannya!/ how pitiful/what lebih more
sayangnya! a pity! lebih baik better
ketak wavy lebih murah cheaper
ketam crab letak to put, to place
ketat tight lif lift
ketiga third lilin candle
ketiga-tiga all three lima five
ketujuh seventh luar negara overseas, foreign
ketuk to knock country
khabar news luka cut
khabar baik I am fine (literally: lulus to pass
Good news) lusa day after tomorrow
kilat/petir lightning lurus straight
M minta to ask for

maaf sorry, excuse me something
macam like, such as muda young
macam-macam all sorts muka face
mahal expensive mula to start
mahu to want mula-mula first of all
main to play mungkin maybe, perhaps
majlis party muntah to vomit,
makan to eat to throw up
makanan food murah hati generous
malam night musim season
malam esok tomorrow night muzik music
malam ini tonight muzium museum
malangnya! how unfortunate!
malas lazy N
malu shy nakal naughty
mangkuk bowl nama name
manis sweet nampak to see
marah to be angry, to tell nenek (nek) grandmother
off nyanyi, menyanyi to sing
mari let’s
masakan cooking (N) O
masam sour orang people, person
masin salty orang sakit patient
masuk to enter
mata eyes P
melalui via padan fit
melawat to visit pahit bitter
memandu (pandu) drive pakai (memakai) to wear
memeluk, peluk to hug/embrace paket parcel
menara tower panas hot (temperature)
mengapa why pandai clever
menyambut to celebrate pandainya! how clever!
menyelamat to save panjang long
merah red pasalapa? why?
merawat to treat pasar market
merbahaya dangerous pasar malam night market
mereka they, them, their, pasaraya supermarket
theirs patah kaki broken leg
mesti must, to have to pedas spicy
mesyuarat meeting pegang to touch, to hold
minggu week pejabat office
minggu depan next week pelajar student
minggu ini this week pendek short (as in height
minggu lepas last week and length)
pendidikan education rumah terbuka open house

penduduk residents rupa look, image
pengalaman experience
penganjur organiser S
pengawal guard sabar to be patient
pengsan to pass out saiz size
pening dizzy saja only
penyakit disease sakit to be in pain, to be
peperiksaan exams ill
pergi to go sakit kepala headache
periksa to examine sakit perut stomach ache
perlu to need salah makan ate something
pertama first wrong
pesan message salji snow
peta map sampai to arrive, until
pindah to move sama-sama you’re welcome,
pinjam to borrow same to you
pitam faint santan coconut milk
plastik plastic satu one
pokok tree, plant sawah paddy field
pos kad postcard saya I
puasa to fast sayang to love
puluh ten sayangnya! (expression) what
pun also even a pity!
pusat membeli- shopping centre sayur vegetables
belah se one (usually used
putih white with classifiers)
sebab because
R sebab apa? why? (literally:
rajin hardworking because why?)
Ramadan Muslim month sedap delicious
ramai many (for people) sederhana medium
rambut hair sedih sad
rancangan programme sejak since
rasa to taste, to feel sejuk cold
ratus hundred sekali-sekala once in a while
rawatan treatment sekarang now
restoran restaurant sekolah school
ribut storm sekolah rendah primary school
roti bread selalu always
ruam rash selamat safe
rugi to lose (not making Selamat datang Welcome (literally:
profit) safe arrival)
rumah house selepas itu after that
rumah sewa rented house selsema common cold
seluar trousers taman park garden

semakin increasingly tamat to end
semalam/kelmarin yesterday tambah to add/to help
semasa at the time while, yourself with a
during second helping
sembuh to recover/to get tangan hand (although what
better is often meant is
semua all ‘fingers’, jari)
senyap quiet tangga stairs
senyap-senyap quietly tanya to ask
separuh umur middle-aged tapi, tetapi but
sepupu cousin tawar tasteless,
sesat to lose one’s way to bargain
setuju to agree teh tea
sewa to rent teh tarek a typical Malaysian
siap to be ready, to be tea drink that
completed is very sweet
siapa who (literally: pulled
silap mistaken, mistook tea)
simpan to keep tempat place
simpang jalan junction tempatan local
sombong arrogant, proud tempat duduk accommodation
stesen station tentu sekali certainly
stesen bas bus station terang-terang clearly
suami husband terima kasih thank you (literally:
sudah/dah already receive (with)
sudu spoon love)
suka to like terkasar bahasa language that’s
suruh to ask someone to unintentionally
do something harsh
susah hard, difficult terkejut surprise; to be
susu milk surprised
syarat terms terlambat late (unintentionally)
syukur to be thankful terseliuh sprained
tersilap kata words mistakenly
T spoken
tahu, tau to know terus straight on
tak (short for tidak) no, not tidak no, not
tak apa never mind tidur to sleep
tak payah no need, don’t tiket ticket
bother timbang weighing scale, to
tak pernah never weigh
takut to be scared, to be tinggi high/tall, slender
afraid, to be tingginya! how tall!
worried tingkat level
tiub tube W
tolong please/to help Wa’alaikumussalam And peace be
tua old upon you too
tunjuk to show waktu a period of time
warna colour
U
ubat medicine Y
ubat gigi toothpaste ya yes
ucapan wishes yang which/that
ulang to repeat yang mana which one
ungu purple
urut to massage Z
usaha efforts zahir physical
Index
abstract nouns, with ke . . . consonants xii

an and pe . . . an 191 countries, languages and
ada (‘to have’, ‘there is/are’) 38 nationalities
adjectives 135 currency 6
for food 57
for people 132 days/weeks/months/years 91
comparative using ter . . . 113 di mana (‘where’) 37
adverbs mana dia (‘where’) 177
by doubling adjectives 137 directions: asking and giving 44
dengan + adjective 138 phrases when giving
adverbs of frequency 99–100 directions 45
apa (‘what’) 39 ‘don’t’ 79
attributes 121 doubling words
to form plural 137
bagaimana, macam mana to form adverbs 137
(‘how’) 181 with change of meaning 144
baiklah (‘all right’) 19 duduk as a continuous tense 62
bila (‘when’) 91 (‘to sit’) 62
body, aches and pains, and (‘to live/to stay’) 120
illnesses 126
borrowed words 205 entah, entahlah (‘don’t know’)
buat apa? (‘to do what?’ ‘what 175
for?’) 23 exclamations 155
expressing emotions 118
classifiers 71 expressions and exclamations 115
colours 74
compound nouns 6 family, a Malay 11
conjunctions 130 festivals and holidays 109
Index 229
food 53 Malaysian society 10

lauk (‘dishes eaten with Manglish 204
rice’) 54 mari (‘let’s’) 82
teh tarek (‘pulled tea’) 56 materials 75
describing food 57 mengapa/sebab apa/pasal
apa (‘why’) 77
gender 132 apa hal (‘why’) 170
getting about in Malaysia 48 modes of transport 49
good wishes: on special mungkin, boleh jadi (‘maybe’) 176
occasions 110
greetings nouns
apa khabar (‘how are you’) 4 ke+adjective+an 192
informal 143 pe+noun+an 193
selamat (‘safe’) 8 pe+verb+an 193
numbers
haribulan vs. tarikh (‘day of the cardinal 66
month vs. date’) 101 ordinal 68
helpful phrases 17–18
hospitals and specialists 29 occupations 30
only 170
ialah (‘to be’) 14
idioms 203 passive verb 196–8
ikutlah (‘it’s up to you’) 183 patterns 75
intonation ix personal and possessive
introducing people 16 pronouns 3
Islamic phrases 158 physical features 132
prepositions 37, 40, 41, 93
jadi, the many meanings pronunciation ix
of (‘so’, ‘to become’, pula (used when changing
‘to happen’) 151 subject or taking turns) 189
jom (‘let’s’) 82 pun (‘also’, ‘too’, ‘even’) 162
kena (‘must’, ‘to get’, ‘apt’) 108 raya (‘a celebration’, ‘big or
main’) 107
lah (a particle attached to requesting a favour/turning
verbs) 83 down a request politely 19
maaf, maafkan saya (‘sorry’, salam 113

‘excuse me’, ‘pardon me’) 18 seasons 97
230 Index
siapa (‘who’) 12 useful eating phrases 60

shopping and bargaining 69
shops 66 verbs 21
sikit (‘a bit’) 172 ber+verb 25
sizes 75 me+verb 25
slang 205 ber+noun 74
superlatives 113 me+verb+i 201
me+verb+kan 201
tak? (‘no’, ‘not’) tag question, 24 vowels x
tak apa (it’s all right, never
mind) 167 word stress viii
tak kisah (‘don’t mind’) 123
tak payah (‘no need’) 108 ya, tak/tidak and bukan (‘yes’,
tak pernah (‘never’) 98 ‘no’ and ‘not’) 9
tenses 61 yang + adjective (‘that is’ or
time 102 ‘which is’) 42
prayer times for Muslim 94
titled people 14

Malay The Complete Course For Beginners

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Malay The Complete Course For Beginners

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Colloquial

Colloquial Malay is easy to use and completely up to date!

• Interactive – lots of exercises for regular practice

Whether you’re a business traveller, or about to take up a daring

The following languages are available in the Colloquial series:

Afrikaans German Romanian

Colloquial 2s series: The Next Step in Language Learning

Chinese German Russian

ISBN: 978-0-415-57252-1 (pack)

Typeset in Avant Garde and Helvetica

Malay transcription and pronunciation vii

15 Tiket dibeli minggu lepas 195

Key to exercises 207

The Malay language, Bahasa Melayu, is an Austronesian language,

the reduplication of words, sentence structure, spelling and pronun-

tetapi (but) tapi

Kamu hendak pergi ke mana? (Where do you want to go?)

John mencuci muka. (John washes his face)

do not end with k but are actually pronounced as if there were a k.

nasi: pronounced as nasi(k)

Dia beli kereta baru. He bought a new car.

Apa dia kata? What did he say?

Vowels (CD1; 2–5)

When a occurs in the final position, it is pronounced like the ‘a’ in

When combined with i or u, a produces the diphthongs ai as in ‘bye’

In words such as bela, it is most important to have the correct

bela to breed or to bring up bela to defend

itu that bilik (pronounced as bilek) room

soto a kind of soup botol bottle

When combined with /i/, o produces the diphthong /oi/: (CD1; 9)

amboi (an exclamation)

susu milk sudu spoon

subuh (suboh) dawn musuh (musoh) enemy

There are 24 consonants in the Malay alphabet. To help you understand

aspirated: followed by a puff of air. In English, there is a differ-

t and d (CD1; 12–14)

p and b (CD1; 15–17)

k and g (CD1; 18)

The g in Malay is the counterpart of k and it is voiced and pronounced

Here are some examples of k in the final position as a glottal stop.

c and j (CD1; 20–21)

Initial and medial positions

In the middle position and flanked by two different vowels, the h is

written spoken meaning

tahu tau to know

Initial and medial positions

ganggu to disturb tangga stairs

nyanyi to sing nyamuk mosquito

initial position syllable cluster final position

rasa to taste drama drama sabar to be patient

wajib obligatory wajah face

initial middle final

khuatir to worry akhlak moral behaviour tarikh date

dasyat terrible syurga heaven

m, n, l, s, f, v, y and z are all similar to their English counterparts.

m makan to eat mandi to bathe

In this unit you will learn:

Salleh Apa khabar? Saya Salleh.

Salleh How are you? I am Salleh.

Note that personal pronouns and possessive pronouns share the

saya, aku I, me, my, mine

Note that the third-person plural mereka ‘they’ is hardly used in

orang tu that person