Suis utama itu di bawah meter elektrik.

that

Breakdown of Suis utama itu di bawah meter elektrik.

• di: at
• bawah: under
• meter elektrik: the electricity meter

Questions & Answers about Suis utama itu di bawah meter elektrik.

Why is it suis utama and not utama suis?

In Malay, descriptive words usually come after the noun they describe.

So:

• suis = switch
• utama = main / principal

That makes suis utama = main switch.

This is a very common pattern in Malay:

• rumah besar = big house
• kereta baru = new car

So English often does adjective + noun, but Malay often does noun + adjective.

What is itu doing in the sentence?

Itu is a demonstrative word. It usually means that, but in context it can also help make something definite, a bit like the one we are talking about.

So suis utama itu can mean:

• that main switch
• or, depending on context, the main switch

Malay often places demonstratives like ini and itu after the noun phrase:

• suis ini = this switch
• suis itu = that switch
• suis utama itu = that main switch

Why is itu after the noun phrase instead of before it, like English that main switch?