Dia tinggal di negeri ini.

Yes. Dia can mean both he and she in Malay. Malay third-person pronouns usually do not mark gender, so you understand it from context.

A few useful notes:

• dia = he / she
• ia also means he / she, but is more formal and is used more in writing than in everyday speech
• If needed, speakers can clarify with context, names, or extra words

So Dia tinggal di negeri ini could mean either He lives in this state or She lives in this state, depending on context.

In this sentence, tinggal means to live / reside.

Malay tinggal can have several meanings depending on context, including:

• live / reside
• stay
• be left / remain

Here, because it is followed by a place expression (di negeri ini), the meaning is naturally live or reside.

Examples:

• Dia tinggal di Kuala Lumpur. = He/She lives in Kuala Lumpur.
• Saya tinggal di hotel itu semalam. = I stayed at that hotel last night.

So the exact English translation depends on context, but in this sentence it is most naturally lives.

Di here is a preposition meaning in / at / on, depending on context. In this sentence, it means in.

So:

• di negeri ini = in this state

A very important point for learners:

• di as a separate word is a preposition: di rumah, di sekolah, di sini
• di- attached to a verb is a passive prefix: ditulis, dibuka, dibaca

So spacing matters:

• di negeri = in the state
• ditinggali or didiami would be something completely different grammatically

Negeri can be tricky because its meaning depends on context.

Common meanings include:

• state (especially one of the states of Malaysia)
• region
• sometimes country in certain contexts or older/literary usage

In modern Malaysian usage, negeri often means state, especially in expressions like:

• Negeri Selangor
• Negeri Johor

By contrast:

• negara more clearly means country / nation

So in Dia tinggal di negeri ini, negeri will often be understood as state if the context is Malaysia. But in some contexts it could be understood more broadly as this region or even this land.

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

So:

• negeri ini = this state
• rumah ini = this house
• buku itu = that book

This is one of the most noticeable word-order differences from English.

Compare:

• English: this state
• Malay: negeri ini

So the structure is perfectly normal Malay: noun + ini/itu.

Yes. The sentence follows a very common Malay pattern:

Subject + Verb + Prepositional phrase

Breaking it down:

• Dia = subject
• tinggal = verb
• di negeri ini = location phrase

So:

• Dia tinggal di negeri ini.
• literally: He/She lives in this state.

This word order is very natural and common in Malay.

In many contexts, Malay can omit the subject if it is already clear from context. So yes, sometimes dia can be left out.

For example:

• Tinggal di negeri ini. = Lives in this state / is living in this state

However, as a complete stand-alone sentence, including dia makes it clearer and more natural if you want to say exactly who you mean.

So:

• Dia tinggal di negeri ini. = clear, complete sentence
• Tinggal di negeri ini. = possible in context, but more dependent on surrounding conversation

Usually di negeri ini is the most natural choice here.

Why?

• di is the normal preposition for location: in / at
• dalam often means inside, within, or sometimes in the context/scope of

So:

• di negeri ini = in this state
• dalam negeri ini can sound more like within this state or may be used in more specific stylistic contexts

For ordinary location, di negeri ini is the best and most natural expression.

It is natural and grammatically standard. It sounds like normal, correct Malay.

That said, how natural it feels depends a bit on context:

• If you are specifically talking about a state, then negeri ini is very natural
• If you mean a city, country, or place more generally, Malay would usually use a more specific noun

For example:

• Dia tinggal di bandar ini. = He/She lives in this city.
• Dia tinggal di negara ini. = He/She lives in this country.
• Dia tinggal di sini. = He/She lives here.

So the sentence is natural, especially when negeri is the intended place.

Yes, but the meaning or tone changes slightly.

• Dia tinggal di negeri ini
  The most neutral and common way to say He/She lives in this state.

• Dia menetap di negeri ini
  More formal, and often suggests settled or resides permanently.

• Dia tinggal dalam negeri ini
  Less natural for simple everyday location. It may sound more like within this state rather than just in this state.

So for everyday use, Dia tinggal di negeri ini is the best default choice.

A simple learner-friendly pronunciation guide would be:

Dia tinggal di negeri ini
dee-yah teeng-gahl dee nuh-guh-ree ee-nee

A few helpful notes:

• dia is usually pronounced roughly dee-yah
• tinggal has ng like in English sing
• negeri is commonly pronounced something like nuh-guh-ree
• ini is ee-nee

Pronunciation can vary somewhat by speaker and region, but this will be understood well.

Normally, dia refers to a person.

For things, Malay often avoids using a direct equivalent of English it in the same way English does. Often the noun is repeated, omitted, or rephrased.

So in this sentence:

• Dia tinggal di negeri ini strongly suggests a human subject: he/she lives in this state

If you were talking about an animal, dia may sometimes be used informally, especially if the speaker feels personal attachment, but for ordinary usage, think of dia mainly as he/she.

No. Malay verbs do not usually change form to mark tense the way English verbs do.

So tinggal can mean:

• live
• lives
• lived
• will live

The time is usually understood from context or added time words, such as:

• sekarang = now
• dulu = before / in the past
• esok = tomorrow

Examples:

• Dia tinggal di negeri ini sekarang. = He/She lives in this state now.
• Dia tinggal di negeri ini dulu. = He/She used to live in this state.
• Dia akan tinggal di negeri ini. = He/She will live in this state.

So in your sentence, the present meaning comes from context, not from a special verb ending.