Jenayah itu berlaku di bandar.

That crime happened in the city.

Breakdown of Jenayah itu berlaku di bandar.

• itu: that
• di: in
• bandar: the city
• berlaku: to happen

Questions & Answers about Jenayah itu berlaku di bandar.

Why is itu placed after jenayah, not before it?

In Malay, words like ini and itu usually come after the noun they describe.

• jenayah ini = this crime
• jenayah itu = that crime

This is normal Malay word order. So jenayah itu is the natural way to say that crime, and in context it can also feel like the crime.

Does itu mean that or the here?

It can work like either one, depending on context.

• Literally, itu means that
• But in many sentences, noun + itu is also used where English would simply say the ...

So jenayah itu could be understood as:

• that crime
• the crime

Malay does not have a direct article system like English a/an/the, so itu often helps make the noun sound specific.

Why is there no separate word meaning was or a past tense marker for happened?