Malay grammar

Every grammar guide of Lingora’s Malay A1 course, with examples you can listen to.

01The Prefix 'se-' and 'satu'The number "one" in Malay appears in two forms: the standalone word satu and the prefix se-. While they both denote singularity, they are used in…
02Pronouns: Politeness & FamiliaritySocial context determines which pronoun to use in Malay. Factors such as age, familiarity, and status dictate the correct choice. Using a formal pronoun…
03Suffixes -ku, -mu and -nyaTo indicate possession, pronouns are placed immediately after the noun they modify. There is no equivalent to the English "of" or the apostrophe "s"…
04The Usage of 'yang'The particle yang functions primarily as a relative pronoun, serving the same purpose as the English words "who," "which," or "that." It acts as a bridge…
05Transitive Verbs with '-kan'The suffix -kan is a versatile tool used to alter the function and meaning of base words. It primarily serves to create transitive verbs (verbs that…
06Transitive Verbs with '-i'The suffix -i is used to transform root words—which can be verbs, nouns, or adjectives—into transitive verbs. A transitive verb is one that must be…
07Verbs: AspectsMalay verbs do not undergo conjugation. They remain in their root form regardless of the subject or the timeframe. To indicate when an action happens or…
08ClassifiersClassifiers, known as penjodoh bilangan, are counter words used alongside numbers to quantify nouns. While English uses specific counters for certain…
09ReduplicationNouns in Malay do not have a specific plural form that must be used in every sentence. The base form of a noun is neutral regarding number; kucing can…
10The Verbal Prefix 'ber-'The prefix ber- is used to form intransitive verbs. Unlike transitive verbs, which require an object to receive the action, intransitive verbs focus on…
11The Verbal Prefix 'me-'The prefix me- is an active voice marker used to transform root words into active verbs. It indicates that the subject of the sentence is performing the…
12Expressing Existence with 'ada'The word ada is a versatile verb that covers concepts which require different verbs in English, specifically "to have," "there is/are," and "to be…
13'adalah' and 'ialah'In Malay, the concept of "to be" (am, is, are) functions differently than in English. The language often uses a "Zero Copula," meaning no verb is…
14Inclusive vs. Exclusive 'we'English uses the single pronoun "we" to refer to any group that includes the speaker. Malay distinguishes between two types of "we" based on whether the…
15Passive Prefix 'di-'The prefix di- is the primary marker for the passive voice in the language. It attaches directly to the front of a verb root, replacing the active prefix…
16Comparatives with 'lebih'To compare qualities between two nouns, place the word lebih directly before an adjective. This functions exactly like the English word "more," but it is…
17The Prefix 'ter-'The prefix ter- is a versatile affix used primarily to form superlatives from adjectives. It functions similarly to the English suffix "-est" (as in…
18Negation: 'tidak' vs. 'bukan'Standard Malay relies on two primary negation words: tidak and bukan. While both translate to "no" or "not" in English, they are not interchangeable. The…
19Suffixes: kah & lahIn Malay, the suffixes -kah and -lah are particles that attach to the end of words to modify the sentence's function, focus, or tone. While they look…
20Demonstratives: 'ini' and 'itu'Ini (this) and itu (that) work both as standalone pronouns and as determiners. As pronouns they start a sentence: Ini buku (This is a book). As…
21Question WordsMalay question words do not change the sentence's word order. Place the question word where the answer would go: Dia tinggal di sini becomes Dia tinggal…
22Locative Prepositions: 'di', 'ke', 'dari'Three core prepositions handle location and direction: di (at/in — static location), ke (to/toward — movement to), and dari (from — origin or source).…
23Adjective PlacementAdjectives come after the noun they describe: rumah baru (new house), beg berat (heavy bag), air sejuk (cold water). This is the reverse of English word…
24Modal VerbsModal verbs go directly before the main verb and never change form. The key modals are boleh (can/may), perlu (need to), mahu (want to), harus (should),…
25Conjunctions: 'dan', 'tetapi', 'atau'The three basic conjunctions work like their English counterparts: dan (and), tetapi (but), and atau (or). They connect words, phrases, or clauses in the…
26Nouns with 'peN-' and 'peN-...-an'Put pe- in front of a word and you get a noun for the person who does something, or who is something. It is the noun partner of me-: the two change shape…
27'per-' and 'per-...-an'The prefix per- is far rarer than me- or ber-. You will mostly meet it in a handful of words of its own, and in nouns that end in -an.
28Nouns and States with 'ke-...-an'Some words take ke- at the front and -an at the end at the same time. The two parts belong together, and ke-...-an has two everyday jobs.
29The Suffix '-an'Adding -an to the end of a word usually makes a noun: the thing an action produces, or the thing it is done with or to. makanan food pakaian clothes
30The Prefix 'ke-': Ordinal NumbersPut ke- in front of a number and it becomes an ordinal: second, third, fourth. dua two - kedua second tiga three - ketiga third empat four - keempat…