Malay Lesson 2 (Adjectives and Food)
Duration: 30 mins
This second lesson teaches many important aspect in Malay like adjectives, vocabulary list about food and finally common phrases about greeting. 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.
Adjectives
Knowing adjectives in Malay is a powerful skill. It can make it easy to have a conversation about different topics by simply knowing some key words such as "good", "bad", "right", "wrong" etc. Adjectives are words used to describe or modify another person or thing in the sentence for example: I am happy. Malay is easy.
Below is a list of 20 adjectives that 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.
Adjectives List in Malay
| Adjectives | Malay |
|---|---|
| Tall | tinggi |
| Short | pendek |
| Big | besar |
| Wide | lebar |
| Long | panjang |
| Small | kecil |
| Thick | tebal |
| Thin | nipis |
| New | baru |
| Old (opposite of new) | Lama |
| Cheap | Murah |
| Expensive | mahal |
| Young | muda |
| Old (opposite of young) | Tua |
| Wrong | salah |
| Right (correct) | betul |
| Good | Baik |
| Bad | Teruk |
| Difficult | sukar |
| Easy | senang |
Now we will try to implement some of the words above into full Malay sentences. That way you will be able to use the word not only by itself but embedded in a structure.
Malay Adjectives in a Sentence
| English | Malay |
|---|---|
| Am I right or wrong? | Adakah saya betul atau salah? |
| Is he younger or older than you? | Dia muda atau tua dari kamu? |
| Is the test easy or difficult? | Ujian itu senang atau susah? |
| Is this book new or old? | Buku ini lama atau baru? |
| This is so expensive | Mahal sangat ni |
Questions?
If you have any questions, please contact me using the Malay contact form on the header above.
Vocabulary List about Food
Below is a list of 50 words related to food such as fruits, vegetables and edible items. If you can memorize them by heart, you will be able to buy many food necessities from the supermarket or off the menu in a restaurant without a problem.
Food List in Malay
| Food | Malay |
|---|---|
| Breakfast | Sarapan |
| Lunch | Makan tengahari |
| Dinner | Makan malam |
| Meal | makanan |
| Apples | Epal |
| Avocados | avokado |
| Bananas | Pisang |
| Beans | Kekacang |
| Bread | Roti |
| Butter | Mentega |
| Carrots | Lobak merah |
| Cheese | Keju |
| Chicken | Ayam |
| Coffee | Kopi |
| Corn | Jagung |
| Cucumbers | Timun |
| Eggs | Telur |
| Figs | buah tin |
| Fish | Ikan |
| Food | makanan |
| Fruit | Buah-buahan |
| Garlic | Bawang putih |
| Grapes | Anggur |
| Ice cream | ais krim |
| Lemons | lemon |
| Lettuce | Daun salad |
| Meat | Daging |
| Milk | Susu |
| Olives | Buah zaitun |
| Onions | Bawang |
| Orange juice | Jus oren |
| Oranges | Oren |
| Peaches | Pic |
| Pears | Pear |
| Peppers | Lada hitam |
| Pineapples | Nanas |
| Pizza | Pizza |
| Potatoes | Ubi kentang |
| Pumpkin | Labu |
| Salad | Ulam |
| Salt | garam |
| Sandwich | sandwic |
| Soda (like Coke) | Soda |
| Strawberries | Straberi |
| Sugar | gula |
| Tea | Teh |
| Tomatoes | Tomato |
| Vegetables | Sayur-sayuran |
| Water | Air |
| Watermelon | Tembikai |
Daily Conversation in Malay
Finally, a list of sentences using the vocabulary used in this lesson plus some bonus phrases. For a complete list of commonly used sentences, please visit our Malay Phrases page. Enjoy!
Common Expressions in Malay
| English | Malay |
|---|---|
| Are you thirsty? | Kamu haus ke? |
| I'm hungry | Saya lapar |
| Do you have a bottle of water? | Kamu ada sebotol air? |
| Breakfast is ready | Sarapan sudah sedia |
| What kind of food do you like? | Apa jenis makanan yang kamu suka? |
| I like cheese | Saya suka keju |
| Bananas taste sweet | Pisang rasanya manis |
| I don't like cucumber | Saya tidak suka timun |
| I like bananas | Saya suka pisang |
| Lemons taste sour | Lemon rasanya masam |
| This fruit is delicious | Buah ini sedap |
| Vegetables are healthy | Sayuran adalah menyihatkan |
| Hi! | Hai |
| Good morning! | Selamat pagi! |
| Good afternoon! | Selamat tengah hari! |
| Good evening! | Selamat petang! |
| Welcome! | Selamat datang! |
| How are you? (informal) | Anda apa khabar? |
| How are you? (formal) | Apa khabar? |
| What's up? (colloquial) | Apa macam? |
| I'm fine, thank you! | Baik, terima kasih. |
| And you? (informal) | Anda pula bagaimana? |
| And you? (formal) | Anda pula? |
| Good | Baik |
Fun Facts
Language Quote that a palindrome is a word, phrase, number, or other sequence of characters which reads the same backward or forward. Allowances may be made for adjustments to capital letters, punctuation, and word dividers.
Congratulations! You finished your second lesson in Malay about adjectives, and food. Are you ready for the next lesson? We recommend Malay Lesson 3. You can also simply click on one of the links below or go back to our Learn Malay homepage.