Malay Lesson 4 (Prepositions and Directions)
Duration: 30 mins
This first lesson teaches many important aspect of Malay like prepositions, vocabulary list about directions and finally common phrases about how to introduce yourself. 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.
Prepositions
Prepositions are used in almost every sentence. They can be a great tool to link words with each other. For example by simply knowing how to use "to", "with", "from", "after" you can expand your conversation scope. In short, a preposition describes a relationship between words in a sentence, for example: I agree with you.
Below is a list of 27 prepositions 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.
Prepositions List in Malay
| Prepositions | Malay |
|---|---|
| In front of | Di depan |
| Behind | Di belakang |
| Before | Sebelum |
| After | Selepas |
| Inside | Di dalam |
| With | Dengan |
| Without | Tanpa |
| Outside | Di luar |
| On top of | di atas |
| Under | Bawah |
| About (in regards to) | Tentang |
| Against | terhadap |
| And | Dan |
| As (similar to) | sebagai |
| Between | Di antara |
| But | Tetapi |
| For | Untuk |
| From | Dari |
| In | Di/di dalam |
| Instead of | daripada |
| Near | Dekat |
| Of | dari |
| Or | Atau |
| Since | sejak |
| So | Jadi |
| To | Duit tip |
| Until | sehingga |
Now we will try to implement some of the prepositions 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 Prepositions in a Sentence
| English | Malay | |
|---|---|---|
| Can I practice Italian with you? | Boleh saya berlatih bahasa Itali dengan awak? | |
| I speak French but with an accent | Saya boleh bercakap bahasa Perancis tetapi dengan loghat sikit | |
| I was born in Miami | Saya dilahirkan di Miami | |
| I'm from Japan | Saya dari Jepun | |
| The letter is inside the book | Surat itu berada di dalam buku | |
| The pen is under the desk | Pen itu berada di bawah meja | |
| Directions | ||
| Can I help you? | Boleh saya bantu anda? |
Questions?
If you have any questions, please contact me using the Malay contact form on the header above.
Vocabulary List about Directions
Below is a list of 28 words and sentences related to directions that you might need when lost or asking for help. If you can memorize them by heart, you will be able to travel from point A to point B by following directions.
Giving Directions in Malay
| Directions | Malay |
|---|---|
| Can you help me? | Boleh anda bantu saya? |
| Can you show me? | Bolehkah anda tunjukkan kepada saya? |
| Come with me! | Jom ikut saya! |
| Downtown (city center) | Pusat bandar |
| Excuse me! (to ask someone) | Harap maaf! Boleh saya bertanya? |
| Go straight | Jalan terus |
| How can I get to the museum? | Bagaimana hendak ke muzium? |
| How long does it take to get there? | Berapa lamakah perjalanan ke sana? |
| I'm lost | Saya sesat |
| I'm not from here | Saya bukan dari tempat ini. |
| It's far from here | Ianya jauh dari sini |
| It's near here | Ianya dekat sahaja dari sini |
| One moment please! | Tunggu sekejap |
| Turn left | Belok kiri |
| Turn right | Belok kanan |
| Far | Jauh |
| Here | sini |
| Left | Kiri |
| Right | Kanan |
| Near | Berhampiran |
| Straight | Terus ke depan |
| There | Sana |
| To drive | Ke |
| To turn | perlu pusing |
| To walk | Perlu berjalan |
| Traffic light | Lampu isyarat |
| Transportation | Pengangkutan |
Daily Conversation in Malay
Finally, a couple sentences to help you know how to introduce yourself in Malay. For a complete list of commonly used sentences, please visit our Malay Phrases page. Enjoy!
Common Expressions in Malay
| English | Malay |
|---|---|
| Do you speak English? | Bolehkah anda berbahasa Inggeris? |
| Just a little | Sedikit sahaja |
| What's your name? | Apa nama anda? |
| My name is (John Doe) | Nama saya (John Doe) |
| Mr... / Mrs. ... / Miss... | Encik / Puan / Cik |
| Nice to meet you! | Gembira berkenalan dengan anda |
| You're very kind! | Anda sangat baik hati! |
Fun Facts
Language Quote: The language of a society changes slowly but steadily with the result that an educated person will not be able to read or understand words in his language written 500 years ago. Do you feel like you can't talk to your parents? Maybe it's because you belong to the Niger-Congo family. More than 1,400 languages are spoken by different members of this family from Africa..
Congratulations! You finished your 4th lesson in Malay about prepositions, and directions. Are you ready for the next lesson? We recommend Malay Lesson 5. You can also simply click on one of the links below or go back to our Learn Malay homepage.