Language/Malay-individual-language/Grammar/How-to-Use-Be

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Malay (individual language) Grammar - How to Use "Be"

Hi Malay (individual language) learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn how to use the verb "be" in Malay (individual language) grammar. By the end of the lesson, you will be able to use "be" in various contexts and forms. Don't hesitate to ask any questions and practice with native speakers on Polyglot Club.

Basic Usage[edit | edit source]

The verb "be" in Malay (individual language) does not exist in the same inflectional forms as in English. Instead, Malay (individual language) uses a copula to link the subject and its predicate. The copula in Malay (individual language) is "adalah".

Here are a few examples to illustrate the basic usage of "adalah":

Malay (individual language) Pronunciation English
Saya adalah guru. sa-ya a-da-lah gu-ru I am a teacher.
Dia adalah pelajar. di-a a-da-lah pe-la-jar He/she is a student.
Mereka adalah kawan baik. me-re-ka a-da-lah ka-wan baik They are good friends.

In Malay (individual language), "adalah" is not always necessary to express "be". You can simply use the predicate without "adalah":

Malay (individual language) Pronunciation English
Saya guru. sa-ya gu-ru I am a teacher.
Dia pelajar. di-a pe-la-jar He/she is a student.
Mereka kawan baik. me-re-ka ka-wan baik They are good friends.

Note that using "adalah" gives more emphasis on the predicate, making it a strong and assertive sentence.

Verb "Be" in Different Tenses[edit | edit source]

Just like in English, Malay (individual language) has different tenses to express the verb "be". Here are the different forms of "adalah" in Malay (individual language):

Malay (individual language) Pronunciation English
Adalah a-da-lah Present tense
Telah menjadi te-lah me-nja-di Past tense
Akan menjadi a-kan me-nja-di Future tense

Here are a few examples to illustrate the different tenses:

Present Tense[edit | edit source]

Malay (individual language) Pronunciation English
Saya adalah di sini. sa-ya a-da-lah di si-ni I am here.
Dia adalah seorang pelajar. di-a a-da-lah se-o-rang pe-la-jar He/she is a student.
Mereka adalah orang yang bijak. me-re-ka a-da-lah o-rang yang bi-jak They are wise people.

Past Tense[edit | edit source]

Malay (individual language) Pronunciation English
Saya telah menjadi guru selama 10 tahun. sa-ya te-lah me-nja-di gu-ru se-la-ma 10 tahun I have been a teacher for 10 years.
Dia telah menjadi pelajar yang terbaik. di-a te-lah me-nja-di pe-la-jar yang ter-baih He/she has been the best student.
Mereka telah menjadi teman baik saya. me-re-ka te-lah me-nja-di te-man baik sa-ya They have been my good friends.

Future Tense[edit | edit source]

Malay (individual language) Pronunciation English
Saya akan menjadi doktor satu hari nanti. sa-ya a-kan me-nja-di dok-tor sa-tu ha-ri nan-ti I will become a doctor someday.
Dia akan menjadi usahawan yang berjaya. di-a a-kan me-nja-di u-sa-ha-wan yang ber-ja-ya He/she will become a successful entrepreneur.
Mereka akan menjadi pemimpin yang baik suatu hari nanti. me-re-ka a-kan me-nja-di pem-im-pin yang baik sua-tu ha-ri nan-ti They will become good leaders someday.

Verb "Be" in Negative Sentences[edit | edit source]

To create negative sentences using the verb "be", we can use the word "bukan", which means "not". Here is an example:

Malay (individual language) Pronunciation English
Saya bukan guru. sa-ya bu-kan gu-ru I am not a teacher.
Dia bukan pelajar. di-a bu-kan pe-la-jar He/she is not a student.
Mereka bukan kawan baik saya. me-re-ka bu-kan ka-wan baik sa-ya They are not my good friends.

Dialogue to Practice[edit | edit source]

Amanda and Jennifer are talking about their careers:

  • Amanda: Saya seorang penulis. (I am a writer.)
  • Jennifer: Sungguh? Saya dulu juga seorang penulis. (Really? I used to be a writer too.)
  • Amanda: Jennifer, adakah kamu seorang penulis terkenal? (Jennifer, are you a famous writer?)
  • Jennifer: Tidak, saya bukan penulis terkenal, tetapi saya sudah memenangi beberapa hadiah penulisan. (No, I am not a famous writer, but I have won some writing awards.)
  • Amanda: Itu hebat sekali! Saya ingin menjadi seperti kamu. (That's amazing! I want to be like you.)

Practice this dialogue with your Malay (individual language) speaking partner to improve your usage of "be" in various forms and contexts.


➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

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