Bernafas dengan perlahan.

In Malay, instructions and commands often omit the subject, just like English does in Sit down or Breathe slowly.

So Bernafas dengan perlahan is understood as:

• (You) breathe slowly

The you is implied. This is very normal in short directions, especially in medical, relaxation, or instructional contexts.

Yes, in context it is usually understood as an instruction or command: Breathe slowly.

Malay often uses the base wording of the action without needing extra words like please or you should. The tone depends a lot on context:

• from a doctor: an instruction
• in meditation: a calm direction
• in conversation: possibly advice

If you want to make it more polite, you could say:

• Sila bernafas dengan perlahan. = Please breathe slowly.

Bernafas means to breathe or to be breathing.

It comes from:

• nafas = breath
• ber- = a common prefix that often means to have, to use, or to do an action

So bernafas is the verb to breathe.

Dengan usually means with, but in sentences like this it often works like in a ... way.

So:

• dengan perlahan = slowly / in a slow manner

This is a very common Malay pattern:

• dengan cepat = quickly
• dengan senyap = quietly
• dengan berhati-hati = carefully

So although dengan often translates as with, here the best English meaning is slowly.

Malay does not form adverbs the way English often does with -ly.

Instead, Malay commonly uses:

• dengan + adjective/descriptor

So:

• perlahan = slow / slowly, depending on context
• dengan perlahan = slowly

This is one of the big differences from English: Malay words are often more flexible, and context tells you whether something is acting like an adjective or an adverb.

Yes. Perlahan-lahan is very common and often sounds more natural in everyday speech for slowly.

So these are both possible:

• Bernafas dengan perlahan.
• Bernafas perlahan-lahan.

Very roughly:

• dengan perlahan sounds a bit more structured or formal
• perlahan-lahan sounds very natural and common

Both are correct.

Yes, it can be possible in less formal or more conversational Malay, but Bernafas dengan perlahan is clearer and more standard for learners.

You may hear variations like:

• Bernafas perlahan-lahan.
• Bernafas dengan perlahan.

Using dengan is a safe choice when you want to express in a slow way.

They are different parts of speech:

• nafas = breath (noun)
• bernafas = to breathe (verb)

Examples:

• Tarik nafas. = Take a breath.
• Dia sukar bernafas. = He/She has difficulty breathing.

So in your sentence, bernafas is the action.

A simple learner-friendly pronunciation guide is:

• bernafas ≈ ber-NA-fas
• dengan ≈ DE-ngan
• perlahan ≈ per-LA-han

A few tips:

• r in Malay is usually lightly rolled or tapped
• ng in dengan is like the sound in sing
• stress in Malay is usually not as strong as in English, but saying NA in bernafas and LA in perlahan a bit more clearly will help

In Malay (especially Malaysian Malay), bernafas is the standard spelling.

You may also see bernapas, but that is associated with Indonesian spelling:

• Malay: nafas, bernafas
• Indonesian: napas, bernapas

They are related and easily understood across both languages, but for Malay, bernafas is the form to learn.

You can soften it by adding words like:

• Sila bernafas dengan perlahan. = Please breathe slowly.
• Cuba bernafas dengan perlahan. = Try to breathe slowly.
• Boleh bernafas dengan perlahan? = Can you breathe slowly?

These are useful when speaking to patients, children, or anyone you do not want to sound too direct with.

Yes, depending on context. Some common alternatives are:

• Tarik nafas perlahan-lahan. = Take a slow breath / Breathe in slowly.
• Bernafaslah dengan perlahan. = Breathe slowly.
  
  • The -lah makes it sound a bit smoother or more encouraging.
• Cuba bernafas perlahan-lahan. = Try breathing slowly.

So Bernafas dengan perlahan is correct, but it is not the only natural way to express the idea.