Questions & Answers about Harga ini satu dolar.
Why is there no word for is in Harga ini satu dolar?
Malay often leaves out the verb to be in simple sentences like this.
So:
- Harga ini satu dolar = This price is one dollar
This is completely normal in Malay. In sentences where English needs is / am / are, Malay often just puts the parts next to each other.
You can sometimes use ialah in more formal writing:
- Harga ini ialah satu dolar
But in everyday Malay, leaving it out is very common and natural.
Why does ini come after harga instead of before it?
In Malay, demonstratives like ini (this) and itu (that) usually come after the noun.
So:
- harga ini = this price
- buku ini = this book
- rumah itu = that house
This is one of the most important word-order differences from English.
What exactly does harga ini mean? Is it this price or the price of this?