Malay Lesson 3 (Plural and Languages)
Duration: 30 mins
The 3rd lesson is about the plural in Malay and how to create it from the singular form. In addition, I will include a list of vocabulary about languages, nationalities, and countries. Finally, you will find some common everyday sentences. 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.
Plural
Knowing how to create the plural from the singular word can double the vocabulary you already know. It can make it easy to have a conversation about different topics by simply knowing some grammatical rules. For example how to change the word "book" to "books" or "woman" to "women".
Below is a list of singular words and their plural equivalent. I included examples about nature as well as about humans. 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.
Singular vs. Plural in Malay
| English | Malay |
|---|---|
| Country | negara |
| Countries | Negara |
| Lake | tasik |
| Lakes | Tasik-tasik |
| Language | Bahasa |
| Languages | Bahasa |
| Woman | Wanita |
| Women | Wanita-wanita |
| Man | Lelaki |
| Men | Lelaki-lelaki |
| Boy | Budak lelaki |
| Boys | Budak-budak lelaki |
| Girl | Budak perempuan |
| Girls | Budak-budak perempuan |
Now we will try to implement some of the words above into full Malay sentences. That way you will be able to see how both forms are used when embedded in a structure.
Singular vs. Plural in a Sentence
| English | Malay |
|---|---|
| We speak two languages | Kami berbahasa dalam dua bahasa |
| They speak four languages | Mereka boleh berbahasa dalam empat bahasa |
| I visited one country | Saya telah melawat sebuah negara |
| She visited three countries | Dia telah melawat tiga buah negara |
| She has one sister | Dia ada seorang adik-beradik perempuan |
| He has two sisters | Dia ada dua adik-beradik perempuan |
Questions?
If you have any questions, please contact me using the Malay contact form on the header above.
Vocabulary List about Languages, Nationalities, and Countries
Below is a list of 50 words related to languages, nationalities, and countries. If you can memorize them by heart, you will be able to have a good conversation about how many languages you speak or where you came from.
Languages Nationalities and Countries List in Malay
| English | Malay |
|---|---|
| Arabic (language) | Bahasa Arab |
| Moroccan (nationality) | Bangsa Maghribi |
| Morocco (country) | Maghribi |
| Brazilian (language) | Bahasa Brazil |
| Brazilian (nationality) | Bangsa Brazil |
| Brazil (country) | Brazil |
| Chinese (language) | Bahasa Cina |
| Chinese (nationality) | Bangsa Cina |
| China (country) | China |
| English (language) | Malay |
| British (nationality) | Bangsa Britain |
| Britain (country) | Britain |
| American (nationality) | Bangsa Amerika |
| America (country) | Amerika |
| French (language) | Bahasa Perancis |
| French (nationality) | Bangsa Perancis |
| France (country) | Perancis |
| German (language) | Bahasa Jerman |
| German (nationality) | Bangsa Jerman |
| Germany (country) | Jerman |
| Greek (language) | Bahasa Greek |
| Greek (nationality) | Bangsa Yunani |
| Greece (country) | Greek |
| Hindi (language) | Bahasa India |
| Indian (nationality) | Bangsa India |
| India (country) | India |
| Irish (language) | Bahasa Inggeris (Orang Ireland) |
| Irish (nationality) | Bangsa Ireland |
| Ireland (country) | Ireland |
| Italian (language) | Bahasa Itali |
| Italian (nationality) | Bangsa Itali |
| Italy (country) | Itali |
| Japanese (language) | Bahasa Jepun |
| Japanese (nationality) | Bangsa Jepun |
| Japan (country) | Jepun |
| Korean (language) | Bahasa Korea |
| Korean (nationality) | Bangsa Korea |
| Korea (country) | Korea |
| Persian (language) | Bahasa Parsi |
| Iranian (nationality) | Bangsa Iran |
| Iran (country) | Iran |
| Portuguese (language) | Bahasa Portugis |
| Portuguese (nationality) | Bangsa Portugis |
| Portugal (country) | Portugal |
| Russian (language) | Bahasa Rusia |
| Russian (nationality) | Bangsa Rusia |
| Russia (country) | Rusia |
| Spanish (language) | Bahasa Sepanyol |
| Spanish (nationality) | Bangsa Sepanyol |
| Spain (country) | Sepanyol |
Daily Conversation in Malay
Finally, a list of sentences about languages, nationalities, and countries 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 | |
|---|---|---|
| Languages | ||
| I don't speak Korean | Saya tidak pandai berbahasa Korea | |
| I love the Japanese language | Saya menyukai bahasa Jepun | |
| I speak Italian | Saya boleh berbahasa Itali | |
| I want to learn Spanish | Saya ingin belajar bahasa Sepanyol | |
| My mother tongue is German | Bahasa ibunda saya adalah bahasa Jerman | |
| Spanish is easy to learn | Bahasa Sepanyol senang dipelajari | |
| Origins | ||
| He has a Moroccan rug | Dia mempunyai kain kasar buatan Maghribi | |
| I have an American car | Saya mempunyai kereta buatan Amerika | |
| I love French cheese | Saya gemar makan keju Perancis | |
| I'm Italian | Saya berbangsa Itali | |
| My father is Greek | Bapa saya berbangsa Yunani | |
| My wife is Korean | Isteri saya berbangsa Korea | |
| Countries | ||
| Have you ever been to India? | Pernahkah anda ke India? | |
| I came from Spain | Saya datang dari Sepanyol | |
| I live in America | Saya tinggal di Amerika | |
| I want to go to Germany | Saya ingin pergi ke Jerman | |
| I was born in Italy | Saya dilahirkan di Itali | |
| Japan is a beautiful country | Jepun merupakan sebuah negara yang cantik | |
| Phrases | ||
| Long time no see | Lama tidak berjumpa | |
| I missed you | Saya rindukan kamu | |
| What's new? | Apa perkara terbaru? | |
| Nothing new | Tiada apa-apa yang baru | |
| Make yourself at home! | Berehat agar selesa | |
| Have a good trip | Selamat jalan |
Fun Facts
Language Quote that by simply knowing how to form the plural, you can double the number of nouns in your vocabulary, without having to memorize all the plural form.
Congratulations! You finished your third lesson in Malay about singular, plural, languages, nationalities, and countries. Are you ready for the next lesson? We recommend Malay Lesson 4. You can also simply click on one of the links below or go back to our Learn Malay homepage.