Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Saya sudah belajar, malah saya masih lupa jadwal rapat. - I have already studied, yet I still forget the meeting schedule.

In Saya sudah belajar, it tells us that the action of studying is completed before now. It’s similar to English “I have already studied” or “I’ve studied”.

Indonesian doesn’t have verb conjugations like English, so words like sudah help show time/aspect (completed action), not exact tense.

What does malah mean here, and what nuance does it add?

Malah means roughly “instead / actually / even (contrary to expectations)”.

In the sentence:

Saya sudah belajar, malah saya masih lupa jadwal rapat.
→ I’ve already studied, yet I still forget the meeting schedule (unexpectedly).

Malah signals a contrast or ironic result:
You would expect that studying would help you remember, but instead, you still forget.

Compared to tapi (but), malah is more about “surprisingly / contrary to what you’d think” than just simple contrast.

How does malah compare to tapi or padahal? Could I replace it?

You can replace malah, but the nuance changes:

tapi = “but” (neutral contrast)
- Saya sudah belajar, tapi saya masih lupa jadwal rapat.
  → I’ve already studied, but I still forget the meeting schedule.
  The contrast is there, but not necessarily ironic.
padahal = “even though / whereas / when in fact”
- Saya sudah belajar, padahal saya masih lupa jadwal rapat.
  → I’ve studied, yet (even so) I still forget the schedule.
  Often used when you’re pointing out the contradiction more explicitly.
malah = “instead / actually (contrary to what you’d expect)”
- Highlights the unexpectedness or irony of the second clause.

So yes, you can say tapi or padahal, but malah is stronger in expressing:
“I did the right thing already, but the result is ironically still bad.”

What does masih mean in masih lupa, and why use it with a verb like lupa?

Masih means “still”.

masih lupa = “still forget / still can’t remember”

Using masih emphasizes that the state continues up to now, despite something that should change it (here: studying).

Pattern:

masih + adjective / stative verb
- masih lupa – still forget
- masih ingat – still remember
- masih capek – still tired
- masih sakit – still sick

So Saya sudah belajar, malah saya masih lupa jadwal rapat is literally:
“I have already studied, (but) I still am in the state of forgetting the meeting schedule.”

Why is the subject saya repeated? Can I drop the second saya?

Yes, you can drop the second saya. Indonesian often omits repeated subjects when the meaning is clear:

Saya sudah belajar, malah saya masih lupa jadwal rapat.
Saya sudah belajar, malah masih lupa jadwal rapat. ✅ (also natural)

Repeating saya is not wrong; it can slightly emphasize that I am the one who still forgets, but most of the time, Indonesians would be fine without the repetition.

Is the comma before malah normal, or should there be a conjunction like tapi instead?

The comma here is normal and natural:

Saya sudah belajar, malah saya masih lupa jadwal rapat.

In Indonesian, it’s common to link two clauses with a comma plus a linking word like malah, tapi, namun, lalu, etc. You don’t need an extra conjunction like tapi here; malah itself is functioning as the connector.

You could also say:

Saya sudah belajar. Malah saya masih lupa jadwal rapat.
(Two separate sentences — this sounds a bit more emphatic.)

Can malah be moved to another position in the sentence?

Yes, malah is somewhat flexible, but the most natural spots are:

At the start of the second clause (as in your sentence):
- Saya sudah belajar, malah saya masih lupa jadwal rapat.
Before the word or phrase being emphasized:
- Saya sudah belajar, saya malah masih lupa jadwal rapat.
- Saya sudah belajar, saya masih malah lupa jadwal rapat. ❌ (this sounds wrong)

The most natural options here are:

Saya sudah belajar, malah saya masih lupa jadwal rapat.
Saya sudah belajar, saya malah masih lupa jadwal rapat.

Both are fine; the second one puts slightly more emphasis on “I actually still forget”.

What is the structure of jadwal rapat? Why not rapat jadwal?

Indonesian noun phrases usually follow this pattern:

Head noun + modifier

In jadwal rapat:

jadwal = schedule (head noun)
rapat = meeting (modifier; literally “meeting schedule”)

So jadwal rapat means “the schedule of the meeting / the meeting schedule”.

Rapat jadwal would be interpreted as “a meeting about the schedule”, which is a different meaning.

In English we’d say “I studied” or “I’ve studied.” Does sudah mean past tense?

Sudah does not mark tense the way English verbs do; it marks aspect (completion).

Saya belajar.
→ I study / I studied / I am studying (depending on context)
Saya sudah belajar.
→ I have (already) studied.
→ I already studied.

So sudah indicates the action is completed, without specifying exactly when (no precise past tense like “yesterday,” “two hours ago” etc., unless you add a time word).

To add clearer time, you combine it with time expressions:

Saya sudah belajar tadi pagi. – I studied this morning.
Saya sudah belajar kemarin. – I studied yesterday.

Does this sentence sound formal, informal, or neutral? Would it be okay in everyday speech?

The sentence is neutral and perfectly fine in everyday speech:

Saya sudah belajar, malah saya masih lupa jadwal rapat.

A few small variations:

Slightly more casual (spoken):
- Aku udah belajar, malah aku masih lupa jadwal rapat.
  - aku instead of saya
  - udah instead of sudah
Slightly more formal:
- Saya sudah belajar, namun saya masih lupa jadwal rapat.
  (namun is a bit more formal than malah/tapi)

But as given, your sentence is natural in most contexts—spoken or written.