Dia bercakap dengan peguamnya.

he/she

Breakdown of Dia bercakap dengan peguamnya.

• dengan: with
• bercakap: to speak
• peguam: a lawyer

Questions & Answers about Dia bercakap dengan peguamnya.

Does dia mean he or she?

Yes — dia can mean either he or she. Malay third-person singular pronouns do not normally mark gender.

So:

• dia = he / she
• the exact gender usually comes from context

This is very common in Malay, and learners coming from English often notice it right away because English forces you to choose he or she, but Malay usually does not.

Why is it bercakap and not just cakap?

Cakap is the base word related to speaking / talking.
The form bercakap is a verb built with the prefix ber-.

In this sentence, bercakap means to speak / to talk.

A useful way to think about it:

• cakap = speech / talk / say / speak, depending on context
• bercakap = to talk / to speak

In everyday Malay, people may also use cakap by itself in speech, but bercakap is a clear and standard verb form.

What does the prefix ber- do here?