Dia memukul bulu tangkis.

He/She hits the shuttlecock.

Breakdown of Dia memukul bulu tangkis.

• dia: he/she
• bulu tangkis: the shuttlecock
• memukul: to hit

Questions & Answers about Dia memukul bulu tangkis.

What is the basic structure of Dia memukul bulu tangkis?

It follows the very common Malay pattern Subject + Verb + Object:

• Dia = subject
• memukul = verb
• bulu tangkis = object

So the sentence is built very straightforwardly: He/She hits the shuttlecock or He/She is hitting the shuttlecock, depending on context.

Why does dia not tell me whether it means he or she?

Because dia is gender-neutral in Malay. It can mean either he or she.

Malay usually does not force you to specify gender the way English does. If gender matters, it is normally understood from context, or the speaker adds extra information.

So:

• Dia datang. = He came / She came
• Dia memukul bulu tangkis. = He hit... / She hit...

Why is the verb memukul and not just pukul?

Pukul is the base word, meaning hit or strike.

memukul is the verb with the active prefix meN-, which is very common in standard Malay for transitive verbs, especially when they take a direct object.

So:

• pukul = the root
• memukul = to hit / hits / is hitting

In careful, standard Malay, memukul is the expected form in a sentence like this because there is a direct object: bulu tangkis.