Sekiranya lif tidak berfungsi, tangga kecemasan hendaklah digunakan.

Sekiranya means if or in the event that.

It is similar to:

• jika = if
• kalau = if

But the tone is a bit different:

• sekiranya is more formal
• jika is neutral and common in writing
• kalau is more conversational

So in a notice or building instruction, sekiranya sounds very natural because it fits formal written Malay.

Yes. Lif is the standard Malay word for elevator or lift.

It comes from English lift, but in Malay spelling it becomes lif.

This is very common in Malay: English loanwords are often adapted to Malay spelling and pronunciation.

So:

• lif = elevator / lift

A native English speaker might expect a completely different word, but lif is normal and widely used.

Tidak berfungsi literally means not functioning or not operating.

That is slightly different from rosak, which means broken or damaged.

The nuance is:

• tidak berfungsi = not working right now, out of operation
• rosak = broken, damaged

For a lift, tidak berfungsi is often more appropriate in public notices because it covers any situation where the lift cannot be used, even if it is only temporarily unavailable.

So:

• lif tidak berfungsi = the lift is not working / out of service
• lif rosak = the lift is broken

Berfungsi means to function or to work.

The root is fungsi = function.

The prefix ber- often forms verbs in Malay. In this case:

• fungsi = function
• berfungsi = to function / to be functioning

So tidak berfungsi means is not functioning.

You do not need to translate ber- separately every time, but it is useful to notice that it often helps create verbs.

Tangga kecemasan means emergency stairs, emergency staircase, or sometimes fire escape stairs, depending on context.

Breakdown:

• tangga = stairs / staircase / ladder
• kecemasan = emergency

So literally it is emergency stairs.

In a building notice like this, it refers to the stairs people should use when the lift cannot be used.

Malay noun phrases are often structured as:

• main noun + describing word

So:

• tangga kecemasan = emergency stairs
• literally: stairs emergency

This is normal Malay word order.

Other similar examples:

• bilik mesyuarat = meeting room
• pintu belakang = back door
• kereta polis = police car

So the word order may feel reversed compared with English, but it is standard in Malay.

Hendaklah is a formal word used for instructions, rules, notices, and official statements.

In this sentence, it means something like:

• should be
• must be
• is to be

The exact English translation depends on tone, but in public notices it often feels fairly strong—closer to an instruction than a suggestion.

Compare:

• hendaklah = formal instruction / requirement
• perlu = need to
• mesti = must
• harus = should / ought to / must, depending on context

In signage and official notices, hendaklah is very common because it sounds formal and authoritative.

Digunakan is a passive form.

Breakdown:

• guna = use
• gunakan = use something / to use
• digunakan = be used

The prefix di- usually marks the passive in standard Malay.

So:

• tangga kecemasan hendaklah digunakan = the emergency stairs should/must be used

This sounds formal and impersonal, which is very common in notices.

Compare:

• Gunakan tangga kecemasan. = Use the emergency stairs.
  This is a direct command.

• Tangga kecemasan hendaklah digunakan. = The emergency stairs should/must be used.
  This is more formal and less direct.

The sentence does not name the person directly because Malay often leaves that understood from context.

In a building notice, the implied meaning is:

• occupants
• visitors
• anyone using the building
• you, in a general sense

So even though the sentence is passive, the meaning is clear: people should use the emergency stairs if the lift is not functioning.

This kind of impersonal style is very common in formal instructions.

Yes. A more everyday or direct version might be:

• Jika lif tidak berfungsi, gunakan tangga kecemasan.

That means the same thing, but the style is different:

• sekiranya → more formal
• jika → more neutral
• hendaklah digunakan → formal passive
• gunakan → direct instruction

So the original sentence sounds like a notice or official guideline, while the simpler version sounds more like plain practical advice.

Malay nouns usually do not change form for singular or plural.

So tangga can refer to:

• a staircase
• stairs in general
• stair access as a facility

Malay does have ways to show plurality, but it usually only does so when necessary.

For example:

• tangga = stairs / staircase
• tangga-tangga = stairs in a repeated or explicitly plural sense, but this would sound unnatural here

In this sentence, tangga kecemasan naturally means the emergency stairs as a facility, even though the noun itself is not marked plural.

The conditional clause can be moved.

For example:

• Sekiranya lif tidak berfungsi, tangga kecemasan hendaklah digunakan.
• Tangga kecemasan hendaklah digunakan sekiranya lif tidak berfungsi.

Both are grammatical.

The first version is often preferred because it presents the condition first:

• if the lift is not working...

Then it gives the instruction:

• ...the emergency stairs must be used

That order is especially natural in notices and instructions.

Yes, it is definitely formal.

Reasons:

• sekiranya is formal
• hendaklah is formal
• the passive digunakan is common in official writing

You might see this exact style in:

• building notices
• safety signs
• official instructions
• public announcements

In ordinary conversation, people would usually say something simpler, such as:

• Kalau lif tak berfungsi, guna tangga kecemasan.
• Jika lif rosak, guna tangga.

So the original is very natural for written formal Malay, but less natural for casual speech.

Yes, you could say lif tak berfungsi in everyday speech.

Difference:

• tidak = full, standard, formal form of not
• tak = shortened, informal spoken form

So:

• lif tidak berfungsi = formal / standard
• lif tak berfungsi = casual spoken Malay

In signage, instructions, and formal writing, tidak is the right choice.

A rough guide for an English speaker would be:

• Sekiranya ≈ suh-kee-RAHN-yuh
• lif ≈ leef
• tidak ≈ TEE-dahk
• berfungsi ≈ ber-foong-see
• tangga ≈ TAHNG-gah
• kecemasan ≈ kuh-chuh-MAH-sahn
• hendaklah ≈ hun-DAHK-lah
• digunakan ≈ dee-goo-NAH-kahn

A few useful pronunciation notes:

• c in Malay is usually pronounced like ch
• g is always a hard g, like in go
• Malay spelling is generally quite regular compared with English

So once you know the sound system, a sentence like this is quite readable.