Meter elektrik itu berada di luar premis.

Itu is a demonstrative that comes after the noun in Malay.

So meter elektrik itu means:

• that electric meter
• or, depending on context, the electric meter

This is a very common pattern in Malay:

• rumah itu = that house / the house
• kereta itu = that car / the car

Malay often uses itu not only for literal that, but also to mark something as already known in the conversation.

In Malay, noun combinations usually put the main noun first and the describing noun second.

So:

• meter elektrik = literally meter electric = electricity meter / electric meter

The main thing is meter, and elektrik tells you what kind of meter it is.

This is normal Malay word order for many compound nouns:

• bilik tidur = bedroom
• kad kredit = credit card
• stesen minyak = petrol station

So English often goes modifier + noun, but Malay often goes noun + modifier.

Berada here means to be located, to be situated, or to be present in a place.

So berada di luar premis means something like:

• is located outside the premises
• is outside the premises

Compared with plain ada, berada sounds a bit more formal or deliberate. It is especially common in writing, notices, reports, and official language.

Yes. Meter elektrik itu ada di luar premis is also correct and natural.

The difference is mainly tone:

• berada = more formal, more written, more precise-sounding
• ada = more everyday and conversational

Both can mean is/exists/is located depending on context.

So:

• Meter elektrik itu berada di luar premis. = more formal
• Meter elektrik itu ada di luar premis. = more everyday

Yes, that can also sound natural, especially in speech or shorter written statements.

Malay often allows location to be expressed without an explicit verb like English is.

So all of these can work:

• Meter elektrik itu berada di luar premis.
• Meter elektrik itu ada di luar premis.
• Meter elektrik itu di luar premis.

The version with berada is the most formal of the three.

Because ialah and adalah are not normally used for ordinary physical location.

For location, Malay usually uses:

• ada
• berada
• or no overt verb at all

So you would say:

• Meter elektrik itu berada di luar premis.
• Meter elektrik itu ada di luar premis.

Not normally:

• Meter elektrik itu ialah di luar premis.

Very roughly:

• ialah/adalah are used more for identification, definitions, explanations, or formal linking
• ada/berada are used for existence and location

Because di here is a preposition meaning at/in/on, and prepositions are written separately.

So:

• di luar = outside
• di rumah = at home
• di sekolah = at school

This is different from the passive prefix di-, which is attached to a verb:

• dibuka = opened
• ditulis = written
• dibaca = read

A useful rule:

• di + place/location → usually separate
• di- + verb → attached

Because di marks a location, while ke marks movement toward a destination.

Here the sentence says where the meter is located, so you use di:

• di luar premis = outside the premises

If you said ke luar, that would suggest movement:

• pergi ke luar = go outside
• bawa ke luar = take outside

So:

• di luar = at/outside
• ke luar = to outside / outward

Premis usually means premises, property, site, or building/business premises, depending on context.

In this sentence, it means the area or building the meter belongs to, so outside the premises is a natural translation.

A few useful notes:

• premis is somewhat formal
• it is common in notices, regulations, contracts, and official language
• in everyday speech, people might use a more specific word if appropriate, such as rumah (house), kedai (shop), or bangunan (building)

Also, even though English premises looks plural, Malay premis is just a normal noun.

Because Malay does not need to mark every noun as definite.

In di luar premis, the phrase already makes sense as outside the premises or outside the property/site. The context usually tells you which premises are meant.

You could say:

• di luar premis itu

if you want to emphasize that particular premises/property. But in many situations it is unnecessary and can sound a bit heavier or repetitive.

So Malay often leaves a noun unmarked when the reference is already clear.

Yes, it sounds fairly formal because of berada and premis.

A more everyday version might be:

• Meter elektrik itu ada di luar.
• Meter elektrik itu ada di luar rumah.
• colloquially: Meter elektrik tu kat luar.

Some notes:

• itu often becomes tu in casual speech
• di may be replaced by kat in colloquial Malay for location
• premis may be replaced by a more specific everyday word like rumah, kedai, or bangunan

So the original sentence is perfectly good Malay, but it sounds a bit more official or written.

The structure is:

• Meter elektrik itu = subject noun phrase
• berada di luar premis = predicate saying where it is

So the sentence pattern is basically:

[thing] + [location statement]

More literally:

• Meter elektrik itu = that/the electric meter
• berada = is located
• di luar premis = outside the premises

This is a very common Malay pattern for describing location.