Peguam itu membaca dokumen.

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

So:

• peguam itu = that lawyer / the lawyer
• dokumen itu = that document / the document

This is different from English, where that comes before the noun.

In many contexts, itu can also make a noun feel more definite, so peguam itu may be understood as the lawyer even though the literal structure looks like lawyer that.

Membaca is built from:

• baca = read
• mem- = a form of the active verb prefix meN-

So:

• baca = the root
• membaca = to read / reads / is reading in an active sentence

This prefix is very common in Malay. It often marks an active verb, especially in more standard or careful language.

Because baca starts with b, the prefix meN- becomes mem-, giving membaca.

Malay does not usually need a separate word like English is in this kind of sentence.

So membaca can cover meanings like:

• reads
• is reading
• sometimes just read, depending on context

Malay often leaves tense and aspect unstated unless the speaker wants to make them clear with time words or extra markers.

For example:

• Peguam itu membaca dokumen. = The lawyer reads / is reading the document.
• Peguam itu sedang membaca dokumen. = The lawyer is reading the document.

Here, sedang makes the ongoing action more explicit.

Usually, you know from context or from time words, not from a special verb ending.

Malay verbs do not change the way English verbs do. So membaca does not itself tell you whether it is present, past, or future.

Compare:

• Peguam itu membaca dokumen sekarang. = The lawyer is reading the document now.
• Peguam itu membaca dokumen semalam. = The lawyer read the document yesterday.
• Peguam itu akan membaca dokumen itu esok. = The lawyer will read that document tomorrow.

Without extra context, the sentence is often understood as present or general.

Malay does not have articles like English a/an/the.

So dokumen can mean:

• a document
• the document
• sometimes just document(s) in a general sense

The exact meaning depends on context.

In your sentence, dokumen is an object with no article, which is completely normal in Malay.

If the speaker wants to make it more clearly definite, they might say:

• dokumen itu = that document / the document

By itself, dokumen does not always show number clearly. It can mean document or documents, depending on context.

If you want to be more specific, Malay can show number in several ways:

• sebuah dokumen = one document
• beberapa dokumen = several documents
• dokumen-dokumen = documents

So in Peguam itu membaca dokumen, the object could be interpreted as a document or documents, depending on the situation.

Yes. This sentence follows the common Malay pattern:

• Subject + Verb + Object

So:

• Peguam itu = subject
• membaca = verb
• dokumen = object

That is very similar to English:

• The lawyer
  • reads/is reading
    • the document

This makes many simple Malay sentences feel familiar to English speakers.

Yes. Peguam membaca dokumen is grammatical.

The difference is that itu makes peguam more specific.

Compare:

• Peguam membaca dokumen. = A lawyer / lawyers / the lawyer read(s) a document/documents depending on context
• Peguam itu membaca dokumen. = That lawyer / the lawyer is reading a document

So itu helps identify which lawyer you mean.

Membaca is the normal standard Malay form and is very appropriate in writing and careful speech.

In casual spoken Malay, people may sometimes drop prefixes in certain contexts and say baca, but for learners, membaca is the safer and more standard form in a full sentence like this.

So:

• Peguam itu membaca dokumen. = standard, correct
• Peguam itu baca dokumen. = more colloquial/informal in some speech

If you are learning standard Malay, use membaca.

Peguam means lawyer.

A simple pronunciation guide is roughly:

• pe-gu-am

Malay pronunciation is usually fairly regular, and each vowel is normally pronounced.

A rough English-friendly guide might be:

• puh-goo-am

But it is best to listen to native audio if possible, because English spelling does not match Malay sounds perfectly.

Yes, in many contexts it can feel like either one in English.

Its core meaning is closer to that, but in actual sentences it often works like a marker of definiteness, so English may translate it as the.

For example:

• peguam itu could be translated as that lawyer
• but in many situations, the lawyer sounds more natural in English

So when you see itu, do not always force a literal that in translation. Often it is simply making the noun specific.