Varnis melindungi kayu padu.

This sentence follows the most common Malay word order: Subject + Verb + Object.

• Varnis = subject
• melindungi = verb
• kayu padu = object

So it works like English Varnish protects solid wood.

Malay often keeps a straightforward SVO pattern in basic statements.

Melindungi means to protect.

It is built from the root word:

• lindung = protection / protect / shelter

With affixes added:

• meN- becomes me- / mem- / men- / meng- / mel- depending on the word
• -i is a suffix

So:

• lindung → melindungi

In this form, it is an active transitive verb, meaning it takes a direct object:

• melindungi kayu padu = protects solid wood

In normal complete sentences, Malay often uses an affixed verb rather than the bare root.

• lindung is the root
• melindungi is the fully formed verb used in standard sentence structure

Using lindung by itself would usually sound incomplete or dictionary-like in this context.
So Varnis melindungi kayu padu sounds natural, while Varnis lindung kayu padu does not.

The suffix -i often helps show that the action is directed toward something or someone.

Here, it helps form a verb meaning to protect something:

• melindungi kayu padu = protect solid wood

You do not need to translate -i as a separate word in English, but it is part of what makes the verb work naturally with an object.

Malay does not usually use articles like English a, an, or the.

So:

• varnis can mean varnish, the varnish, or a varnish
• kayu padu can mean solid wood, the solid wood, or some solid wood

The exact meaning depends on context.

That is very normal in Malay.

No, Malay verbs usually do not change form for tense the way English verbs do.

So melindungi by itself does not specifically mean only:

• protects
• is protecting
• does protect

The time is usually understood from context, or shown with time words such as:

• sedang = currently
• telah / sudah = already
• akan = will

Without a time marker, Varnis melindungi kayu padu is often understood as a general fact, like Varnish protects solid wood.

Kayu means wood.
Padu means solid, dense, or compact.

Together, kayu padu means solid wood.

So padu is describing kayu. In Malay, descriptive words often come after the noun:

• kayu padu = solid wood
• literally: wood solid

This is different from English, where adjectives usually come before the noun.

Because in Malay, adjectives usually follow the noun they describe.

Examples:

• rumah besar = big house
• bunga merah = red flower
• kayu padu = solid wood

So this is a very common Malay pattern:

• noun + adjective

Sometimes learners may think that, but kayu padu more directly means solid wood.

Depending on context, English translations can vary slightly, but solid wood is the safer and more literal match.

If someone specifically wants to talk about hardwood, that may be expressed differently depending on context and region.

Varnis is a borrowed word, ultimately related to the English word varnish.

Malay contains many borrowed words, especially for technical, scientific, commercial, and modern vocabulary.

Even though it is borrowed, it behaves like a normal Malay noun in the sentence:

• Varnis melindungi kayu padu

A simple learner-friendly pronunciation guide is:

• varnis ≈ VAHR-nees
• melindungi ≈ meh-lin-DOONG-ee
• kayu ≈ KAH-yoo
• padu ≈ PAH-doo

A few helpful points:

• Malay spelling is usually quite regular.
• u is usually pronounced like oo in food
• a is usually like a in father
• Stress is often fairly even, though the second-last syllable often sounds slightly more prominent.

Malay nouns usually do not have to change form for singular vs. plural.

So kayu can mean:

• wood
• woods
• pieces of wood

depending on context.

In this sentence, kayu padu is naturally understood as the material solid wood, so plural marking is not needed.

In standard Malay, melindungi is the correct form here, not melindung.

The root is lindung, but the normal active verb used with an object in this kind of sentence is:

• melindungi

So the standard sentence is:

• Varnis melindungi kayu padu.

By default, it sounds like a general statement or fact:

• Varnish protects solid wood

If you wanted to make it more clearly about a specific ongoing action, you could add a time/aspect marker, for example:

• Varnis sedang melindungi kayu padu itu. = The varnish is protecting that solid wood.

But without extra markers, the original sentence is best understood as a general truth or description.