Saya mahu tinggal di sini selamanya.

Saya is the neutral, polite word for I in Malay. It is the safest choice in most situations, especially with people you do not know well, in writing, or in formal speech.

Aku also means I, but it is more casual and can sound too direct in the wrong context. It is common among close friends, in songs, literature, and emotional speech.

So:

• Saya mahu tinggal di sini selamanya. = neutral / polite
• Aku mahu tinggal di sini selamanya. = more casual / personal

For learners, saya is usually the better default.

Mahu means want to.

In everyday Malay, it is very close in meaning to:

• ingin = wish to / would like to
• nak = want to, informal spoken form

So these are all possible:

• Saya mahu tinggal di sini selamanya.
• Saya ingin tinggal di sini selamanya.
• Saya nak tinggal di sini selamanya.

The differences are mostly about tone:

• mahu: standard, common
• ingin: a little more formal or literary
• nak: very common in conversation, more informal

Tinggal has several meanings, so learners often notice it in different contexts.

In this sentence, tinggal means to live / reside:

• tinggal di sini = live here

But tinggal can also mean things like:

• to stay
• to remain / be left
• left over

For example:

• Saya tinggal di Kuala Lumpur. = I live in Kuala Lumpur.
• Tinggal dua orang saja. = Only two people are left.
• Masih tinggal sedikit. = A little is still left.

So the meaning depends on context.

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

So:

• di sini = here
• di rumah = at home
• di Malaysia = in Malaysia

This is different from di- used as a passive verb prefix, which is written together with the verb:

• ditulis = written
• dibuka = opened

A useful rule:

• if di means location, write it separately
• if di- marks a passive verb, write it together

Malay word order is often similar to English:

• Saya = I
• mahu = want
• tinggal = live
• di sini = here
• selamanya = forever

So the sentence follows a natural pattern:

subject + verb + place + time/adverb

Putting selamanya at the end sounds very natural because it modifies the whole idea of living here.

You may sometimes hear slightly different emphasis in other word orders, but Saya mahu tinggal di sini selamanya is the most straightforward and natural version.

Malay usually does not mark tense the way English does. This sentence does not have a specific tense marker.

Saya mahu tinggal di sini selamanya can mean something like:

• I want to live here forever
• I want to stay here forever

The time is understood from context. The idea of wanting usually points toward the present desire, and tinggal ... selamanya suggests an ongoing or future situation.

If you want to make time clearer, Malay can add time words such as:

• sekarang = now
• nanti = later
• pada masa depan = in the future

Selamanya usually means forever or for all time.

It is often used for strong feelings, permanent intentions, or dramatic emphasis. In real-life speech, it can be literal or emotional depending on context.

For example:

• Saya akan mencintaimu selamanya. = I will love you forever.
• Dia pergi selamanya. = He left forever.

In your sentence, it strongly expresses the idea of wanting to live there permanently.

A related word is selama, which means for in a duration sense:

• selama dua tahun = for two years

So do not confuse:

• selama = for a period of time
• selamanya = forever

Yes, in conversation, Malay often drops subjects when they are obvious from context.

So Mahu tinggal di sini selamanya can be understood as Want to live here forever or I want to live here forever, depending on the situation.

However, including saya makes the sentence clearer and more complete, especially for learners and in writing.

So:

• Saya mahu tinggal di sini selamanya. = clear, full sentence
• Mahu tinggal di sini selamanya. = possible in casual context

Yes. Tinggal can mean both live and stay, depending on context.

So this sentence could suggest either:

• wanting to live here permanently
• wanting to stay here for good

Because of selamanya, the sentence strongly leans toward a permanent sense, so live here forever is usually the most natural interpretation.

If you specifically want a temporary sense of stay, Malay often uses duduk, menginap, or just relies on context, depending on the situation.

Di sini is the standard and most direct way to say here when talking about location.

Malay has a three-way location system:

• di sini = here, near the speaker
• di situ = there, near the listener or previously mentioned
• di sana = over there, farther away

So in this sentence, di sini specifically means in this place here.

A very common spoken version would be:

Saya nak tinggal kat sini selamanya.

Changes:

• mahu → nak
• di → kat in casual speech

This is very natural in conversation, but less formal than the original.

So:

• Saya mahu tinggal di sini selamanya. = standard / neutral
• Saya nak tinggal kat sini selamanya. = casual spoken Malay

Both are correct in the right context.