Kesan itu masih jelas.

Kesan is a fairly flexible noun in Malay. Depending on context, it can mean:

• effect
• impact
• impression
• trace or mark

So in Kesan itu masih jelas, the exact English word depends on the context you were given, but grammatically it is simply the subject noun.

In Malay, demonstratives usually come after the noun.

So:

• kesan itu = that effect / that impression
• orang itu = that person
• rumah itu = that house

This is normal Malay word order. English puts that before the noun, but Malay usually places itu after it.

Yes, it can sometimes feel a bit like the in English.

Literally, itu means that, but in real use it often helps identify something already known, already mentioned, or obvious in context. So kesan itu may mean:

• that effect
• the effect
• that impression
• the impression

depending on the situation.

So even though itu is a demonstrative, it often helps make the noun sound definite.

Malay often leaves out the verb to be in simple descriptive sentences.

So:

• Kesan itu masih jelas literally looks like That effect still clear
• natural English: That effect is still clear

This is very normal in Malay. When a subject is followed by an adjective or descriptive phrase, you usually do not need a separate word for is.

It breaks down like this:

• Kesan itu = the subject noun phrase
• masih jelas = the predicate, describing the subject

More specifically:

• kesan itu = that/the effect
• masih = still
• jelas = clear / obvious / evident

So the pattern is:

noun phrase + adverb + adjective

This is a very common Malay sentence pattern.

Masih means still.

It shows that the condition continues up to the present point or another reference point. In this sentence, it tells you that the effect/impression remains clear.

You will often see masih before:

• adjectives: masih jelas = still clear
• verbs: masih bekerja = still working
• other descriptive words: masih ada = still exists / is still there

So masih usually comes before the word or phrase it modifies.

Usually, masih is the safest and most standard choice for still here.

• Kesan itu masih jelas = natural and standard
• Kesan itu masih lagi jelas = also possible, with a slightly more emphatic or conversational feel

But lagi by itself more often means again or more, so using only lagi here would not be the best default choice for a learner.

So if you want to say still clear, use masih jelas.

Jelas is an adjective. It commonly means:

• clear
• obvious
• evident
• distinct

In this sentence, it describes kesan itu.

Malay adjectives can come directly after the subject as part of the predicate, so jelas works very naturally here without any extra verb.

Kesan itu masih jelas is the normal, straightforward order.

Malay does allow some variation for emphasis, but the standard learner-friendly pattern is best kept as:

subject + masih + adjective

If you change the order too much, the sentence may sound literary, marked, or less natural in ordinary usage. So for everyday Malay, stick with Kesan itu masih jelas.

A few useful possibilities are:

• Kesan itu masih tidak jelas. = The effect/impression is still not clear.
• Kesan itu tidak lagi jelas. = The effect/impression is no longer clear.

This is a very useful contrast:

• masih jelas = still clear
• masih tidak jelas = still unclear
• tidak lagi jelas = no longer clear

So where you place the negative words changes the meaning.

Not directly. Malay does not mark tense the same way English does.

Kesan itu masih jelas does not contain a special past or present tense ending. Time is usually understood from:

• context
• time words
• aspect words like masih already, still, etc.

Here, masih gives the idea of continuation, which English usually expresses with is still.

A rough English-friendly pronunciation is:

kuh-sahn ee-too mah-seeh juh-lahs

A few notes:

• kesan: the first e is usually a weak vowel, like uh
• itu: ee-too
• masih: mah-seeh
• jelas: the j sounds like English j in job

As always, regional accents can vary a bit, but this will get you close to standard pronunciation.