Semangatnya masih kuat.

In this sentence, -nya most naturally means his/her.

So semangatnya = his spirit, her spirit, or sometimes their spirit, depending on context.

A useful thing to remember:

• -nya does not show gender
• it often works like his/her/the
• Malay relies on context to tell you exactly whose spirit it is

So if you only see semangatnya, you usually need the surrounding context to know whether it means his or her.

Malay often leaves out the verb to be in simple descriptive sentences.

So:

• Semangatnya = his/her spirit
• masih = still
• kuat = strong

Malay does not need a separate word for is here.
So Semangatnya masih kuat literally looks like His/Her spirit still strong, but in natural English we say His/Her spirit is still strong.

This is very normal in Malay.

Semangat is a broad word. Depending on context, it can mean:

• spirit
• enthusiasm
• motivation
• morale
• determination
• fighting spirit

So in this sentence, it does not have to mean only something spiritual or religious. It can simply mean that someone still has strong inner drive, energy, or morale.

Masih means still.

It shows that the situation continues from before up to now.

So:

• Semangatnya kuat = His/Her spirit is strong
• Semangatnya masih kuat = His/Her spirit is still strong

That small word gives a sense of continuation, often after time has passed or after difficulty.

This follows a very common Malay pattern:

subject + adverb + predicate

Here:

• Semangatnya = subject
• masih = adverb
• kuat = predicate adjective

So the structure is very natural.

English often needs is in the middle, but Malay does not:

• His spirit is still strong
• Semangatnya masih kuat

No. Kuat can describe both physical and non-physical strength.

For example, it can mean:

• physically strong
• mentally strong
• emotionally strong
• intense or powerful

With semangat, the meaning is clearly not physical muscle strength. It means something like:

• strong spirit
• strong morale
• strong determination

Yes, you could.

Both are understandable:

• Semangatnya masih kuat
• Semangat dia masih kuat

The difference is mainly in form:

• semangatnya is more compact
• semangat dia uses the separate pronoun dia

Very roughly:

• semangatnya can sound a bit smoother or slightly more written
• semangat dia can feel more explicit or conversational

Both are normal Malay.

Yes, sometimes -nya can make something more definite, a bit like the.

So in some contexts, semangatnya could be understood more like:

• the spirit
• that spirit

But in a sentence like this, the most common reading is possessive: his/her spirit.

The exact interpretation depends on context.

It is quite neutral and natural.

It works well in:

• everyday speech
• writing
• descriptions of a person’s condition or attitude

It does not sound especially slangy or especially stiff. It is a normal Malay sentence.

Yes, very easily.

Because semangat often refers to inner spirit, motivation, or morale, this sentence is commonly used for someone who:

• has gone through difficulty
• has not given up
• remains determined
• still has emotional energy

So it can carry a warm, encouraging tone, depending on context.