Mereka saling memuji.

Saling shows a reciprocal action: the people involved do the action to one another.

So in Mereka saling memuji, saling tells you that the praising goes both ways within the group, not just in one direction.

A useful way to think of it is:

• memuji = to praise
• saling memuji = to praise each other

Puji is the root word, meaning praise.

MeN- is a very common Malay verb-forming prefix. When it attaches to puji, it becomes memuji, meaning to praise.

This prefix often changes shape depending on the first sound of the root word. Here:

• puji → memuji

The initial p drops after the prefix is added. This is a normal pattern in Malay morphology.

This happens because of how the meN- prefix interacts with certain consonants.

With roots beginning with p, the pattern is commonly:

• meN- + p... → mem..., and the p is dropped

So:

• puji → memuji
• pakai → memakai

This is one of the standard sound changes learners meet when studying Malay verb formation.

Yes, mereka is the normal third-person plural pronoun, so it means they.

A few useful notes:

• It does not mark gender, so it can mean they for men, women, or mixed groups.
• It is used for people, not usually for things.
• Malay does not distinguish they and them in the same way English does, because Malay pronouns do not change form for subject/object case the way English pronouns do.

In this sentence, mereka is the subject: they.

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

So Mereka saling memuji can mean something like:

• they praise each other
• they are praising each other
• they praised each other

The exact time usually comes from context or from extra time words, such as:

• semalam = yesterday
• sekarang = now
• esok = tomorrow

If needed, Malay can also use markers like sedang for ongoing action, but the basic verb form itself does not show tense.

The word order is:

• Mereka = subject
• saling = reciprocal marker
• memuji = verb

So the structure is basically:

Subject + saling + verb

This is a very natural pattern in Malay for actions done mutually:

• Mereka saling membantu = they help each other
• Kami saling mengenali = we know each other

Yes. Mereka memuji satu sama lain is also correct and means essentially the same thing: they praise one another / each other.

Both patterns are common:

• mereka saling memuji
• mereka memuji satu sama lain

A rough difference:

• saling + verb is often a bit more compact and elegant
• verb + satu sama lain is a little more explicit

In many contexts, they are interchangeable.

Not really. Saling normally requires a plural or collective subject, because reciprocity needs more than one participant.

Natural examples:

• Mereka saling memuji = they praise each other
• Kami saling membantu = we help each other

Less natural or impossible:

• Dia saling memuji
  This does not work, because dia means he/she, only one person.

So if you see saling, expect a meaning like each other, which usually requires two or more people.

In practical learning terms, it is best to think of saling as a separate word that modifies the verb and adds the meaning mutually / each other.

It is not attached to memuji as one single word. That is why Malay writes:

• saling memuji

not one combined form.

So learners should treat it as a separate reciprocal marker placed before the verb.

A simple learner-friendly pronunciation is:

• Mereka ≈ muh-REH-kah
• saling ≈ SAH-ling
• memuji ≈ muh-moo-JEE

A few notes:

• e in mereka is often a schwa-like sound, similar to the a in about
• j in memuji sounds like English j in jump
• Stress in Malay is usually not as strong or dramatic as in English

So the whole sentence sounds roughly like:

muh-REH-kah SAH-ling muh-moo-JEE

Yes, in context Malay can omit the subject if it is already clear.

So if everyone already knows who is being talked about, you may hear simply:

• Saling memuji.

However, in a standalone example for learners, Mereka saling memuji is clearer and more complete.

This is common in Malay: subjects can be dropped when the context makes them obvious.