Trak itu berhenti dekat kedai.

In Malay, demonstratives usually come after the noun, not before it.

• trak itu = that truck
• kedai ini = this shop

So the pattern is:

• noun + ini = this ...
• noun + itu = that ...

This is one of the first word-order differences English speakers notice.

It can mean either, depending on context.

Most literally, trak itu means that truck. But in real usage, Malay often uses itu in a way that can sound like the in English when the thing is already identifiable in the conversation.

So in context, trak itu might be understood as:

• that truck
• the truck

Malay does not have a separate word exactly equivalent to English the.

Malay verbs usually do not change form for tense. The verb berhenti stays the same whether you are talking about the past, present, or future.

Time is usually understood from:

• context
• time words such as semalam (yesterday), sekarang (now), esok (tomorrow)
• aspect markers such as sudah, sedang, or akan

So Trak itu berhenti dekat kedai could mean:

• the truck stopped near the shop
• the truck stops near the shop
• the truck is stopping near the shop

The surrounding context tells you which one is intended.

Berhenti means to stop.

The beginning ber- is a very common Malay prefix. It often forms intransitive verbs, especially actions done by the subject without a direct object.

In this sentence, berhenti is intransitive: the truck itself performs the action of stopping.

You do not need to break it apart every time you see it, but it is useful to know that ber- is a normal verb-forming prefix in Malay.

Good question. Both can relate to location, but they are not the same.

• di is a preposition meaning at / in / on
• dekat usually means near / close to, and in casual speech it can sometimes feel a bit like at/by

So:

• di kedai = at the shop
• dekat kedai = near the shop / by the shop

In your sentence, dekat kedai most naturally means near the shop, not necessarily inside it or exactly at it.

Most naturally, it means near the shop.

If you wanted to say the truck is specifically at the shop, Malay would more often use:

• di kedai = at the shop

So dekat kedai suggests proximity rather than exact location.

That said, in casual spoken Malay, dekat can sometimes be used a little more loosely, so context still matters.

Malay does not use articles the way English does. There is no direct equivalent that must appear before nouns in every sentence like a or the.

So kedai can mean:

• shop
• a shop
• the shop

The exact meaning depends on context.

If a speaker wants to be more specific, they can add other words, but very often Malay simply leaves the noun bare.

Yes. This sentence follows a very common Malay pattern:

• Subject + Verb + Location

So:

• Trak itu = subject
• berhenti = verb
• dekat kedai = location phrase

This is very natural Malay word order.

Trak is a loanword, ultimately from English truck.

Malay has many borrowed words, and trak is a standard, normal word. English speakers often find it easy to recognize.

Its pronunciation is adapted to Malay sound patterns, so you should pronounce it more cleanly and evenly than in English, without the strong English truck vowel quality.

You can add a time word or aspect marker. For example:

• Trak itu sudah berhenti dekat kedai. = the truck has stopped / already stopped near the shop
• Trak itu sedang berhenti dekat kedai. = the truck is stopping near the shop
• Trak itu akan berhenti dekat kedai. = the truck will stop near the shop
• Semalam, trak itu berhenti dekat kedai. = yesterday, the truck stopped near the shop

This is how Malay usually handles time, instead of changing the verb itself.

You could, but it changes the meaning.

• berhenti dekat kedai = stop near the shop
• berhenti di kedai = stop at the shop

So the difference is about location:

• dekat focuses on being nearby
• di places the action at that location

If your meaning is specifically near the shop, then dekat is the better choice.