Semakin banyak lampu berkedip, semakin bimbang pengurus itu.

The more lights that flicker, the more worried that manager becomes.

Breakdown of Semakin banyak lampu berkedip, semakin bimbang pengurus itu.

• itu: that
• lampu: the lamp
• banyak: many
• bimbang: worried

Questions & Answers about Semakin banyak lampu berkedip, semakin bimbang pengurus itu.

What does the semakin ..., semakin ... pattern mean?

It means the more ..., the more ... in English.

So:

• Semakin banyak lampu berkedip = The more lights blink / The more blinking lights there are
• semakin bimbang pengurus itu = the more worried the manager becomes / is

This is a very common Malay pattern for showing that two things increase together.

Examples:

• Semakin kuat hujan, semakin sukar memandu.
  The heavier the rain, the harder it is to drive.
• Semakin lama saya tunggu, semakin marah saya.
  The longer I wait, the angrier I get.

Why is semakin used twice?

Because Malay matches both sides of the comparison.

In English, we say:

• The more X, the more Y

Malay does the same idea with:

• Semakin X, semakin Y

So both halves are needed to make the full the more ..., the more ... structure.

Why is there no word for becomes in semakin bimbang pengurus itu?