Malay Lesson 13 (Present Tense & Survival)
Duration: 30 mins
This 13th lesson deals with the present tense in Malay. In addition I included a vocabulary list about survival and emergencies. I will try to give examples using both vocabulary and grammar. That way it will be easy for you to see the words when they are separate and when they are in a sentence. Going through the whole page should take about 30 min. Make sure to read the pronunciation and hear the audio as well. If you have any question about this course, please email me directly at Malay Classes.
Present
The present is one of the 3 tenses (past, present, and future) we will be discussing in the next 3 lessons. So it is recommended not to skip any of them because they are all related.
Below is a list of 15 sentences conjugated into the present tense. I focused on the examples you might come across or use very often. The table contains 3 columns (English, Malay, and Audio). Make sure you repeat each word after hearing it by either clicking on the audio button or by reading the pronunciation. That should help with memorization as well as improving your pronunciation.
Present Tense in Malay
| Present | Malay |
|---|---|
| I see you | Saya jumpa awak |
| I write with a pen | Saya tulis dengan pen |
| You love apples | Awak suka epal |
| You give money | Awak beri duit |
| You play tennis | Awak main tenis |
| He reads a book | Dia baca sebuah buku |
| He understands me | Dia memahami saya |
| She has a cat | Dia ada kucing |
| She knows my friend | Dia kenal kawan saya |
| We want to learn | Kami hendak belajar |
| We think Spanish is easy | Kami ingat Bahasa Sepanyol senang |
| You (plural) work here | Awak kerja disini |
| You (plural) speak French | Awak berbahasa Perancis |
| They drive a car | Mereka memandu kereta |
| They smile | Mereka senyum |
Questions?
If you have any questions, please contact me using the Malay contact form on the header above.
Survival Expressions
Below is a list of 28 words related to survival expressions such as emergencies, and calling for help. If you can memorize them by heart, you will be able to communicate better when in distress or when providing help to someone else who is in need.
Survival Expressions in Malay
| Accident | Kemalangan |
| Allergy | Alergi |
| Ambulance | Ambulans |
| Asthma | Asma |
| Danger | Bahaya |
| Doctor | Doktor |
| Headache | Sakit kepala |
| Heart attack | Serangan sakit Jantung |
| Help me | Tolong saya |
| Hospital | Hospital |
| Medicines | Ubat-ubatan |
| Pharmacy | Farmasi |
| Poison | Racun |
| Police | Polis |
| Stomach ache | Sakit perut |
| Stroke | Strok |
Daily Conversation in Malay
Finally, here are some common sentences to strengthen your conversation skills. For a complete list of commonly used sentences, please visit our Malay Phrases page. Enjoy!
Common Expressions in Malay
| Are you okay? | Bagaimana keadaan anda? |
| Call a doctor! | Dapatkan doktor segera! |
| Call the ambulance! | Panggil ambulans! |
| Call the police! | Panggilkan polis segera! |
| Calm down! | Harap bertenang! |
| Fire! | Api! |
| I feel sick | Saya berasa tidak sihat |
| It hurts here | Saya berasa sakit di tempat ini |
| It's urgent! | Ianya penting! |
| Stop! | Berhenti! |
| Thief! | Pencuri! |
| Where is the closest pharmacy? | Di manakah farmasi terdekat? |
| You look beautiful! (to a woman) | Awak cantik |
| You have a beautiful name | Nama awak cantik |
| This is my wife | Ini isteri saya |
| This is my husband | Ini suami saya |
Fun Facts
Language Quote: ❝To have another language is to possess a second soul.❞ ‒Charlemagne
Congratulations! You finished your 13th lesson in Malay about the present tense, and survival expressions. Are you ready for the next lesson? We recommend Malay Lesson 14. You can also simply click on one of the links below or go back to our Learn Malay homepage.