Jambatan itu dibina tahun lalu.

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

• jambatan itu = that bridge / sometimes the bridge
• rumah ini = this house

So the normal Malay pattern is:

noun + ini/itu

not the English-style this/that + noun.

dibina is a passive form of the verb.

• base/root: bina = build
• passive form: dibina = built / was built / is built, depending on context

The prefix di- is commonly used to form the passive in Malay when the thing receiving the action is the subject.

So in Jambatan itu dibina tahun lalu, the bridge is the focus, not the builder.

Yes. It is a passive sentence.

Malay passive here works like this:

• Jambatan itu = the thing affected by the action
• dibina = was built

A more active version would be something like:

• Mereka membina jambatan itu tahun lalu. = They built the bridge last year.

The passive version is used when the doer is unknown, unimportant, or simply not mentioned.

Malay does not usually need a separate word like English was in this kind of sentence.

English uses:

• The bridge was built last year

Malay can simply say:

• Jambatan itu dibina tahun lalu

The verb form plus context gives the meaning. Malay often does not use auxiliaries the way English does.

We know it is past because of tahun lalu.

• tahun = year
• lalu = past / last

So tahun lalu means last year.

Malay verbs usually do not change form for tense the way English verbs do. Instead, time is often shown by words like:

• semalam = yesterday
• dahulu = formerly
• sekarang = now
• esok = tomorrow
• tahun lalu = last year

Literally, itu means that. But in real usage, jambatan itu can often feel like the bridge when it refers to a specific bridge already known from context.

So depending on context, jambatan itu may be understood as:

• that bridge
• the bridge

This is very common in Malay. itu often helps mark something as specific.

Yes. You can add the doer, usually with oleh.

For example:

• Jambatan itu dibina oleh kerajaan tahun lalu.
• The bridge was built by the government last year.

Here:

• oleh = by

But Malay often leaves the doer out if it is obvious, unknown, or not important.

Yes. Malay allows some flexibility with time expressions.

You can say:

• Jambatan itu dibina tahun lalu.
• Tahun lalu, jambatan itu dibina.

Both are natural. Putting tahun lalu first gives it a little more emphasis.

Yes, tahun lalu is a normal and common way to say last year.

You may also hear:

• tahun lepas

This also means last year and is very common in everyday speech, especially in Malaysia.

So both are used, though tahun lalu may feel a bit more neutral or formal in some contexts.

No, that would not be correct in standard Malay for this meaning.

If you want a passive meaning like was built, you need dibina.

Compare:

• Jambatan itu dibina tahun lalu. = passive, correct
• Mereka membina jambatan itu tahun lalu. = active, correct
• Jambatan itu bina tahun lalu. = not correct for standard usage

So the prefix matters.

They come from the same root, bina, but they are used differently.

• membina = active verb, used when the subject is the doer
  
  • Mereka membina jambatan itu.
• dibina = passive verb, used when the subject receives the action
  
  • Jambatan itu dibina.

So:

• membina = build
• dibina = be built / was built

This active–passive contrast is very important in Malay.

Usually yes. Jambatan means bridge.

It is a straightforward noun here. In this sentence, there is nothing unusual about it grammatically; the main grammar point is really the passive verb dibina and the demonstrative itu.

It is generally neutral and perfectly normal standard Malay.

• Jambatan itu dibina tahun lalu. sounds natural in writing and speech.
• It is not especially slangy.
• It is not overly formal either.

If someone were speaking casually, they might choose tahun lepas instead of tahun lalu, but the sentence structure would still be normal.