This 9th lesson teaches an important aspect in Malay which is the interrogative form also called questions. In addition, there is a list of vocabulary terms about misunderstanding and finally some commonly used phrases. 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.
Being able to ask questions is what makes us curious beings, which in turns broadens our knowledge. It is no different when it comes to learning Malay. You will always be asking questions, and the following are some tools to help you in that quest.
The following are the 5 Ws + "how" commonly used adverbs to express the interrogative form. Most likely, whenever a question needs to be asked, one of them should be used. 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.
Questions | Malay |
---|---|
How? | Bagaimana? |
What? | Apa? |
When? | Bila? |
Where? | Dimana? |
Who? | Siapa? |
Why? | kenapa? |
Now we will try to implement the adverbs above into full Malay sentences. That way you will be able to use the word not only by itself but embedded in a structure.
Can I come? | Boleh saya datang? |
Can I help you? | Boleh saya bantu anda? |
Can you help me? | Boleh anda bantu saya? |
Do you know her? | Anda kenal dia? |
Do you speak English? | Bolehkah anda berbahasa Inggeris? |
How difficult is it? | Macam mana susahnya? |
How far is this? | Berapa jauhnya ni? |
How much is this? | Berapakah harganya? |
How would you like to pay? | Anda nak bayar macam mana? |
What is this called? | Ini panggil apa? |
What is your name? | Apa nama awak? |
What time is it? | Pukul berapa tu? |
When can we meet? | Bila kita boleh jumpa? |
Where do you live? | Dimana awak tinggal? |
Who is knocking at the door? | Siapa ketuk pintu tu? |
Why is it expensive? | Kenapa ia mahal? |
If you have any questions, please contact me using the Malay contact form on the header above.
There are times when you will not understand what a person said in Malay, or simply that you want them to repeat a word. The following are 24 expressions used to clear misunderstandings. Very essential to any conversation!
Misunderstanding | Malay |
---|---|
Can you repeat? | Bolehkah anda ulang? |
Can you speak slowly? | Boleh cakap perlahan sikit? |
Did you understand what I said? | Adakah anda faham apa yang saya katakan? |
Don't worry! | Jangan risau |
Excuse me? (i.e. I beg your pardon?) | Harap maaf, bolehkah diulang? |
How do you say "OK" in French? | Macam mana nak kata 'OK' dalam bahasa Perancis? |
I don't know! | Saya tidak tahu! |
I don't understand! | Saya tidak faham |
I need to practice my French | Saya perlu berlatih bahasa Perancis |
Is that right? | Adakah ianya betul? |
Is that wrong? | Salah ke tu? |
Mistake | Kesalahan |
My French is bad | Bahasa Perancis saya tidak bagus |
No problem! | Tiada masalah! |
Quickly | Secara pantas |
Slowly | Secara perlahan-lahan |
Sorry (to apologize) | Minta maaf |
To speak | Untuk bercakap |
What does that word mean in English? | Apa makna perkataan itu dalam bahasa Inggeris? |
What is this? | Apakah ini? |
What should I say? | Apa yang harus saya katakan? |
What? | Apa dia? |
What's that called in French? | Apakah namanya dalam bahasa Perancis? |
Write it down please! | Tolong tuliskan! |
Finally, a list of some common phrases that you might come across from time to time. For a complete list of commonly used sentences, please visit our Malay Phrases page. Enjoy!
English | Malay |
---|---|
This | Ini |
That | Itu |
Here | Nah ini |
There | Tu dia |
In The Morning | Waktu pagi |
In the evening | Lewat petang |
At Night | Waktu malam |
Really! | Betul kah? |
Look! | Tengok! |
Hurry up! | Cepat lah! |
Language Quote: The oldest written language was believed to be written in about 4500 BC.
Congratulations! You finished your 9th lesson in Malay about questions, and misunderstanding. Are you ready for the next lesson? We recommend Malay Lesson 10. You can also simply click on one of the links below or go back to our Learn Malay homepage.