Profesor itu mengajar di universiti.

Malay usually does not use articles like English a/an and the.

So a noun like profesor can mean professor, a professor, or the professor, depending on context.

In this sentence, itu helps make profesor itu more definite, so it often means that professor or the professor.

Itu literally means that, but after a noun it often works like a definiteness marker.

So:

• profesor = professor
• profesor itu = that professor / the professor

In many everyday contexts, English translates profesor itu as the professor, even though the literal meaning is closer to that professor.

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

So Malay says:

• profesor itu = that professor
• universiti ini = this university

This is normal Malay word order, even though it feels reversed compared with English.

The root word is ajar, which is related to teach or teaching.

The form mengajar is the active verb form, created with the prefix meN-. With ajar, that prefix becomes meng-, giving mengajar.

So:

• ajar = root
• mengajar = to teach / teaches / is teaching

This is a very common pattern in Malay: a root word becomes a verb by adding meN-.

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

So mengajar can mean:

• teaches
• is teaching
• was teaching
• will teach

The time is usually understood from context or shown with time words such as:

• sedang = currently
• semalam = yesterday
• esok = tomorrow

So by itself, Profesor itu mengajar di universiti is a general statement like The professor teaches at a university / is teaching at the university, depending on context.

Di here means at, in, or sometimes on, depending on the place.

In di universiti, it means at the university or in the university.

A very important spelling point:

• di as a preposition for location is written separately: di universiti
• di- as a passive verb prefix is written attached to the verb: for example, diajar

So di universiti must be two words.

Because di is used for a location, while ke is used for movement toward a destination.

Compare:

• Profesor itu mengajar di universiti. = The professor teaches at the university.
• Profesor itu pergi ke universiti. = The professor goes to the university.

So if someone is located there or works there, di is the correct choice.

Not always. In Malay, mengajar can be used without stating the object when the meaning is general.

So Profesor itu mengajar di universiti simply means the professor teaches at a university / at the university.

If you want to add the thing being taught, you can:

• Profesor itu mengajar bahasa Melayu di universiti. = The professor teaches Malay at the university.
• Profesor itu mengajar pelajar di universiti. = The professor teaches students at the university.

So the sentence is complete even without an object.

Mostly yes. The sentence follows a familiar pattern:

• Profesor itu = subject
• mengajar = verb
• di universiti = place phrase

So it is basically:

Subject + Verb + Place

That makes this sentence quite straightforward for English speakers, except for the fact that itu comes after the noun.

It is a loanword, ultimately related to English university, but adapted to Malay spelling.

Malay has many loanwords, especially in education, science, religion, and government.

So:

• English: university
• Malay: universiti

The spelling reflects Malay pronunciation patterns.

A rough guide is:

pro-FEH-sor ee-TOO meng-AH-jar dee oo-nee-ver-SEE-tee

A few notes:

• r in Malay is usually clearer than in many English accents.
• u is usually pronounced like oo in food.
• i is usually like ee in see.
• Stress in Malay is generally less strong and dramatic than in English.

So try to say it smoothly and evenly: Profesor itu mengajar di universiti.

Yes. Because Malay does not mark tense the same way English does, this sentence can match several English translations depending on context, such as:

• The professor teaches at the university.
• That professor teaches at the university.
• That professor is teaching at the university.

If the speaker wants to make the ongoing action clearer, they might say:

Profesor itu sedang mengajar di universiti.
= That professor is teaching at the university.

So the basic sentence is flexible, and context tells you which English version fits best.