Pelawak itu terbahak-bahak.

In Malay, demonstratives like ini and itu usually come after the noun.

So:

• pelawak itu = that comedian / the comedian
• not itu pelawak in normal noun phrase order

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

In many contexts, itu can also make the noun feel definite, so pelawak itu may be understood as either:

• that comedian
• or simply the comedian, depending on context

Pelawak is generally gender-neutral. It can refer to a comedian of any gender unless the context makes it clear who is being talked about.

Malay usually does not mark gender as much as English does in everyday nouns.

Not quite. Terbahak-bahak is stronger and more vivid than just laugh.

It suggests:

• loud laughter
• hearty laughter
• bursting out laughing
• laughing uncontrollably

So it is closer to guffawed, laughed loudly, or burst out laughing than to a simple neutral laughed.

This is an example of reduplication, which is very common in Malay.

In Malay, repetition can add meanings like:

• intensity
• repeated action
• variety
• a more vivid or expressive sense

In bahak-bahak, the reduplication helps create the idea of loud, repeated, hearty laughter. It is part of a fixed expression, so learners should usually treat bahak-bahak as a set form rather than trying to analyze it too mechanically.

The prefix ter- often has several uses in Malay, including:

• accidental or unintentional action
• a state that happens spontaneously
• a completed or sudden occurrence
• superlative meaning in some adjectives

In terbahak-bahak, it gives the sense that the laughter burst out or happened spontaneously, often without restraint.

So terbahak-bahak does not sound like a calm, deliberate action. It sounds more like:

• suddenly burst into loud laughter
• couldn’t help laughing loudly

That would sound unnatural to most speakers. The usual expression is terbahak-bahak.

This is one of those cases where the word is commonly used in a particular fixed form. So it is best to learn terbahak-bahak as a whole vocabulary item.

It is written as one word: terbahak-bahak.

That is because the prefix ter- attaches to the reduplicated base as a single word.

So:

• correct: terbahak-bahak
• not: ter bahak-bahak

Malay often does not use a verb like to be in the same way English does.

In this sentence, the structure is simply:

• Pelawak itu = the comedian
• terbahak-bahak = burst out laughing / laughed loudly

So the sentence works perfectly without any separate word for is or was.

Tense is usually understood from context. On its own, the sentence could be read as present or past depending on the situation.

The basic order is:

Subject + predicate

Here:

• Pelawak itu = subject
• terbahak-bahak = predicate/verb phrase

So it follows a pattern similar to English:

• The comedian burst out laughing

Malay often has straightforward word order like this in simple sentences.

It can mean both, depending on context.

Malay itu often functions as:

• a true demonstrative: that
• or a marker of definiteness: the

So pelawak itu could mean:

• that comedian if you are pointing someone out or contrasting with another person
• the comedian if the person is already known in the conversation

Context tells you which reading is intended.

You would normally use tidak before the verb:

Pelawak itu tidak terbahak-bahak.

That means:

• The comedian did not burst out laughing
• or The comedian was not laughing loudly

For verbs and adjectives, tidak is the usual negator.

It is normal and natural Malay, but terbahak-bahak is somewhat expressive and vivid. It is not slang, but it is more colorful than a plain verb like ketawa.

So it feels:

• perfectly acceptable in standard Malay
• a bit expressive or descriptive
• common in storytelling, writing, and everyday speech

If you wanted a more neutral sentence, you might use ketawa instead, but terbahak-bahak gives a much stronger image.

A simple learner-friendly approximation is:

ter-ba-hak ba-hak

A few tips:

• ter- is usually pronounced lightly, not heavily stressed
• each a is generally like the a in father, not like the English name A
• h is pronounced
• the repeated part should sound rhythmic: bahak-bahak

Malay pronunciation is generally more regular than English spelling, so once you know the sounds, it is fairly predictable.