Questions & Answers about Dia memandu van ke bandar.
Why does dia mean both he and she?
In Malay, dia is a third-person singular pronoun that does not usually mark gender. So the same word can mean he, she, or sometimes even him/her depending on context.
Malay often leaves gender unspecified unless it is important. If you need to make it clear, context usually does the job, or a noun can be added, such as:
- lelaki itu = that man
- wanita itu = that woman
So in Dia memandu van ke bandar, dia could be either a man or a woman.
What does memandu mean, and why does it start with me-?
Memandu means to drive.
Its base word is pandu, which has the general idea of guiding / steering / driving. The prefix meN- is a very common Malay verb-forming prefix. It often creates an active verb.
So:
- pandu = guide / drive
- memandu = to drive / is driving / drives
The form changes depending on the first sound of the root word. With pandu, the prefix becomes mem-, giving memandu.
Does memandu mean drive, drives, or is driving?