Pam basikal itu kecil.

That bicycle pump is small.

Breakdown of Pam basikal itu kecil.

• itu: that
• kecil: small
• pam basikal: a bicycle pump

Questions & Answers about Pam basikal itu kecil.

Why is there no word for is in Pam basikal itu kecil?

Malay often leaves out the verb to be in simple descriptive sentences.

So:

Pam basikal itu kecil
literally works like: that bicycle pump small

In natural English, we say That bicycle pump is small, but in Malay, the linking verb is usually not needed when one thing is being described by an adjective.

This is very common:

• Rumah itu besar = That house is big.
• Buku ini baru = This book is new.
• Pam basikal itu kecil = That bicycle pump is small.

Why does itu come after pam basikal instead of before it?

In Malay, demonstratives like ini and itu usually come after the noun phrase they describe.

So:

• pam basikal itu = that bicycle pump
• buku ini = this book
• kereta itu = that car

This is different from English, where this/that usually come before the noun.

Also notice that itu comes after the whole noun phrase pam basikal, not just after pam. So the full phrase means that bicycle pump, not just pump that.

What does pam basikal mean exactly? Is basikal acting like an adjective?