Breakdown of Polis memeriksa kenderaan itu.
itu
that
memeriksa
to inspect
polis
the police
kenderaan
a vehicle
Questions & Answers about Polis memeriksa kenderaan itu.
Why is there no word for the or a before polis or kenderaan?
Malay often leaves articles out completely. Unlike English, it usually does not require words like the or a/an before nouns.
So:
- polis can mean police, the police, or sometimes a police officer / police officers, depending on context
- kenderaan can mean vehicle or the vehicle, again depending on context
In this sentence, itu helps make kenderaan definite, so kenderaan itu is that vehicle or sometimes the vehicle.
What exactly does itu do in this sentence?
Itu is a demonstrative, usually meaning that.
In Malay, demonstratives normally come after the noun, not before it. So:
- kenderaan itu = that vehicle
This is different from English, where we say that vehicle, with that before the noun.
Depending on context, itu can sometimes also sound like the in natural English translation, especially when the speaker is referring to a specific known thing.
Why is the word order Polis memeriksa kenderaan itu?