Questions & Answers about Dia bertanya tentang asal nama itu.
What does dia mean here? Is it he or she?
Dia can mean either he or she in Malay. Malay does not normally mark gender in third-person singular pronouns the way English does.
So:
- Dia bertanya... = He asked... or She asked...
You usually figure out the gender from context.
Why is it bertanya and not just tanya?
Tanya is the base word meaning ask or question.
The form bertanya uses the prefix ber-, which often makes a verb meaning to do the action. So:
- tanya = ask / question
- bertanya = to ask
In normal sentences, bertanya sounds more complete and natural as a verb:
- Dia bertanya = He/She asked
You may also hear tanya in casual speech, but bertanya is a standard written form.
What does tentang mean?