Anjing itu mengejar bola.

In Malay, demonstratives like ini (this) and itu (that) usually come after the noun.

So:

• anjing itu = that dog / the dog
• bola itu = that ball / the ball

This is a very common word order in Malay:

• rumah itu = that house
• orang itu = that person

So anjing itu is normal Malay word order, even though English puts that before the noun.

It can mean either, depending on context.

Malay does not have a word exactly like English the, so itu often helps make a noun feel specific. Because of that, anjing itu can be understood as:

• that dog
• the dog

In real use, context tells you which English translation sounds best.

So in a sentence like Anjing itu mengejar bola, a natural English translation might be:

• The dog is chasing a ball
• That dog is chasing a ball

Both can be possible.

Malay usually does not need a verb like English is/am/are in sentences like this.

English says:

• The dog is chasing the ball

Malay simply says:

• Anjing itu mengejar bola

The verb mengejar already expresses the action, so no separate is is needed.

This is normal in Malay. English often needs extra helper words, but Malay often does not.

Malay verbs usually do not change form for tense the way English verbs do.

So mengejar by itself does not specifically mean:

• chase
• chases
• chased
• is chasing
• will chase

The time is often understood from:

1. context
2. time words
3. the overall situation

For example:

• Anjing itu mengejar bola = the dog chases / is chasing / chased the ball, depending on context
• Semalam anjing itu mengejar bola = yesterday, the dog chased the ball
• Sekarang anjing itu mengejar bola = now, the dog is chasing the ball

So Malay is often less explicit about tense than English.

Yes. Mengejar comes from the root kejar, which means chase.

The verb form mengejar is built with the active verb prefix meN-:

• root: kejar
• derived verb: mengejar

This prefix is very common in Malay and often forms active verbs.

A useful beginner idea is:

• kejar = the basic root idea chase
• mengejar = to chase / chasing as a normal active verb in a sentence

So in Anjing itu mengejar bola, mengejar is the standard active verb form.

This happens because the meN- prefix changes form depending on the first sound of the root.

With roots beginning with k, the k is often dropped when the prefix is added.

So:

• kejar → mengejar

Not:

• mengkejar

This is part of a broader sound-change pattern in Malay verb formation. You do not need to memorize every detail at once, but it is good to notice that the prefix adapts to the root.

In standard Malay, Anjing itu mengejar bola is the normal and correct form.

Using just the root kejar without the prefix can sound:

• less standard
• more colloquial
• incomplete in formal grammar

So for learners, it is best to use:

• mengejar

rather than:

• kejar

in a sentence like this.

Malay does not normally use articles like English a/an/the.

So bola can mean:

• a ball
• the ball

depending on context.

That means Anjing itu mengejar bola could be understood as:

• the dog is chasing a ball
• the dog is chasing the ball

If Malay wants to make the noun clearly specific, it can use things like:

• bola itu = that ball / the ball

But very often, Malay simply leaves the noun bare:

• bola

This is completely normal.

Yes, this sentence uses the very common Subject–Verb–Object order.

• Anjing itu = subject
• mengejar = verb
• bola = object

So the structure is:

• Anjing itu
  • mengejar
    • bola
• The dog
  • chases/is chasing
    • the ball/a ball

That makes this sentence relatively easy for English speakers to follow.

Yes.

You can say:

• Anjing mengejar bola

That means something like:

• A dog is chasing a ball
• Dogs chase balls
• The dog is chasing a ball

depending on context

Adding itu makes anjing more specific:

• anjing = dog / a dog
• anjing itu = that dog / the dog

So itu is not always required, but it changes the feel of the noun.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

• Anjing ≈ an-jing
• itu ≈ ee-too
• mengejar ≈ meng-uh-jar or meng-eh-jar
• bola ≈ boh-lah

A rough full pronunciation might be:

• an-jing ee-too meng-eh-jar boh-lah

A few notes:

• j in Malay sounds like English j in jam
• ng sounds like the ng in sing
• r is often lightly trilled or tapped, depending on speaker and accent

Yes: anjing simply means dog, but culturally, the word can also be used as an insult in some contexts.

That does not affect this sentence, where it is just a normal noun meaning dog. But it is useful to know that tone and context matter.

So in Anjing itu mengejar bola, it is completely neutral: it just means the animal dog.