Dua puak itu berbeza.

• dua = two
• puak = group, faction, camp, sometimes side
• itu = that / those
• berbeza = to be different, to differ

So the sentence is literally structured like two groups those differ, and naturally means those two groups are different.

In Malay, you often do not need a present-tense verb like am / is / are.

So instead of saying something like Those two groups are different, Malay can simply say:

Dua puak itu berbeza.

This is very normal. The word berbeza already works as the predicate, so no extra are is needed.

In Malay, demonstratives like ini and itu usually come after the noun phrase, not before it.

So:

• rumah itu = that house
• orang itu = that person
• dua puak itu = those two groups

This is one of the basic word-order differences from English. English says those two groups, but Malay says two groups those.

The prefix ber- often forms intransitive verbs or verbs describing a state or condition.

Here:

• beza is related to difference
• berbeza means to differ or to be different

So berbeza is the natural form to use in a sentence like this.

A learner might wonder whether beza by itself can be used. In informal speech, people do sometimes use beza, but berbeza is the safer and more standard form here.

Not always. Puak often means a faction, camp, or side, and it can sometimes sound political, divided, or slightly negative depending on context.

So:

• puak is good if you mean two opposing or distinct sides
• for a more neutral group, words like kumpulan may fit better in some contexts

In this sentence, puak suggests that the two groups are separate camps or factions, not just any two random groups.

Malay nouns usually do not change form for singular vs. plural.

So:

• puak can mean group or groups, depending on context
• dua already tells you there are two, so no special plural ending is needed

This is very common in Malay:

• seorang pelajar = one student
• dua pelajar = two students

The noun itself stays the same.

Yes, and that slightly changes the feel.

• Dua puak itu berbeza = Those two groups are different
• Kedua-dua puak itu berbeza = Both of those groups are different or The two groups differ

kedua-dua adds a stronger sense of both. It emphasizes the pair as a complete set.

So both are possible, but kedua-dua is more explicit.

Not necessarily. Berbeza by itself is enough if the comparison is already clear.

So:

• Dua puak itu berbeza = perfectly natural

If you want to be extra explicit, you could say:

• Dua puak itu berbeza antara satu sama lain

That means The two groups are different from each other.

The longer version is more emphatic, but the shorter sentence is completely fine.

Yes, often you can.

• berbeza = different / differ
• berlainan = different / distinct

So:

• Dua puak itu berbeza
• Dua puak itu berlainan

Both are understandable. Berbeza is extremely common and very natural. Berlainan can sound a little more formal or literary in some contexts.

Mostly yes, for normal usage.

The natural order is:

1. number
2. noun
3. demonstrative

So:

• dua puak itu

not normally:

• itu dua puak

Malay commonly places numbers before nouns and demonstratives after them, so this phrase follows standard Malay word order.