Pusingan pertama bermula sekarang.

• pusingan = round, turn, or stage
• pertama = first
• bermula = begins / starts
• sekarang = now

So the sentence means something like The first round starts now.

In Malay, modifiers usually come after the noun.

So:

• pusingan pertama = first round
• literally, it looks like round first

This is normal Malay word order. English usually puts adjectives and ordinals before the noun, but Malay usually puts them after it.

Pertama is an ordinal number: first.

Some common ordinal forms are:

• pertama = first
• kedua = second
• ketiga = third

So pusingan pertama means the first round.

The base word is mula, meaning to start or begin.

With ber-, it becomes bermula, which functions as an intransitive verb meaning to begin or to start.

In this sentence:

• pusingan pertama bermula sekarang = the first round begins now

A useful point for learners: Malay does not change the verb for I start / he starts / they start the way English does. Bermula stays the same.

Yes, you may hear that, especially in more informal or spoken Malay.

• bermula sekarang sounds a bit more standard or formal
• mula sekarang is also understandable and common in everyday speech

So both can work, but bermula is a very natural choice in a sentence like this.

Malay does not usually use articles like a, an, or the.

So:

• pusingan pertama can mean the first round
• the exact English article is understood from context

That is why Malay can say simply Pusingan pertama without needing a separate word for the.

Malay verbs usually do not change form for tense the way English verbs do.

So bermula itself does not specifically mean:

• started
• starts
• will start

The time is understood from context or from time words like sekarang.

Here, sekarang means now, so the sentence means:

• starts now
• is starting now

In context, English would usually translate it as The first round starts now.

The structure is:

• Pusingan pertama = subject noun phrase
• bermula = verb
• sekarang = time adverb

So the pattern is roughly:

Subject + Verb + Time expression

That makes the sentence very straightforward:

• Pusingan pertama = the first round
• bermula = begins
• sekarang = now

Yes. Pusingan can mean different but related things depending on context, such as:

• round in a game or competition
• turn
• cycle
• rotation

In this sentence, the most natural meaning is round, as in the first round of a contest, game, or event.

Sekarang means now.

It is a common time word and can appear in different positions, although the position in this sentence is very natural:

• Pusingan pertama bermula sekarang = The first round starts now

You may also see sekarang in sentences like:

• Saya sibuk sekarang = I’m busy now
• Kita mula sekarang = We start now

A rough guide is:

pu-SING-an per-TA-ma ber-MU-la se-KA-rang

A few pronunciation notes:

• u is usually like oo in food
• e in words like pertama and sekarang is often a relaxed uh sound
• ng is like the ng in sing
• r is usually tapped or lightly rolled, not the English r

So a rough English-friendly version would be:

poo-SING-an per-TA-ma ber-MOO-la suh-KA-rang

It sounds neutral to slightly formal, and perfectly natural.

Using bermula gives it a slightly more polished or official feel, which suits announcements well. For example, it sounds appropriate in:

• competitions
• quiz shows
• events
• presentations
• games

So this sentence is a very natural announcement-style Malay sentence.