Klinik pergigian harus dibuka; kalau tidak, pemeriksaan gigi akan bermula lewat.

Malay normally does not use articles the way English does. So klinik pergigian can mean the dental clinic, a dental clinic, or just dental clinic, depending on context.

The same is true for pemeriksaan gigi: it could mean the dental examination, a dental examination, or dental examinations in a general sense.

Context usually tells you which one is meant.

Gigi means tooth or teeth.

Pergigian means something like dental or related to dentistry. In klinik pergigian, it functions like an adjective in English, even though Malay often uses nouns this way.

So:

• gigi = tooth/teeth
• pergigian = dental, dentistry-related

You may also hear klinik gigi, which is a more everyday way to say dental clinic. Klinik pergigian sounds a bit more formal.

Harus expresses obligation or necessity. Depending on context, it can be translated as must or should.

In this sentence, it is fairly strong, so must works well:

• Klinik pergigian harus dibuka = The dental clinic must be opened

Compared with similar words:

• harus = must/should, somewhat formal
• mesti = must, very common and strong
• perlu = need to, should, often slightly softer

So harus is correct, but mesti would also be very natural in many situations.

Dibuka is the passive form, built with the prefix di-.

• buka = open
• dibuka = be opened / opened

The sentence focuses on the clinic as the thing receiving the action:

• Klinik pergigian harus dibuka = The dental clinic must be opened

If you used membuka, you would need someone as the subject doing the action:

• Mereka harus membuka klinik pergigian = They must open the dental clinic

So dibuka is used because the clinic, not the person opening it, is the grammatical focus.

It can suggest both, and context decides.

In this sentence, dibuka most naturally means something like opened and made ready for operation or opened for service. It is not just about a door being opened; it is about the clinic being open so that the examination can start on time.

So the idea is closer to:

• The dental clinic must be open / must be opened for operation

Kalau tidak literally means if not, but in sentences like this it often means otherwise.

So:

• Klinik pergigian harus dibuka; kalau tidak, pemeriksaan gigi akan bermula lewat.
• The dental clinic must be opened; otherwise, the dental examination will start late.

It refers back to the first clause:

• If the clinic is not opened, then the examination will start late.

You could also use jika tidak, which is slightly more formal.

Pemeriksaan is a noun meaning examination, inspection, or check-up. It comes from the root periksa.

So:

• periksa = examine / inspect
• pemeriksaan = examination / inspection

Then gigi specifies what is being examined:

• pemeriksaan gigi = dental examination / tooth examination

This is a very common Malay pattern: a noun followed by another noun that narrows its meaning.

Compare:

• klinik pergigian = dental clinic
• pemeriksaan gigi = dental examination

Because memeriksa gigi is a verb phrase, while pemeriksaan gigi is a noun phrase.

• memeriksa gigi = to examine teeth
• pemeriksaan gigi = dental examination / the examination of teeth

In this sentence, the subject of the second clause is the examination itself, so a noun phrase is needed:

• pemeriksaan gigi akan bermula lewat
• the dental examination will start late

You could not use memeriksa gigi there without changing the structure of the sentence.

Akan is a future marker. It often corresponds to will in English.

So:

• bermula lewat = start late
• akan bermula lewat = will start late

Malay does not always need a future marker if the time is already clear from context, but akan makes the future consequence explicit and natural here.

Both mula and bermula can be used for start or begin, depending on style and context.

• mula = start, begin
• bermula = begin, start

In this sentence, akan bermula lewat sounds natural and slightly formal.

Also compare:

• memulakan = to start something

So:

• Pemeriksaan gigi akan bermula lewat = The dental examination will begin late
• Doktor akan memulakan pemeriksaan gigi lewat = The doctor will start the dental examination late

The first is intransitive; the second is transitive.

Because lewat is describing how or when the action happens: the examination starts late.

In Malay, words like this often come after the verb:

• bermula lewat = start late

This word order is very normal. English does the same here:

• will start late

So the placement is straightforward and natural.

The semicolon is not grammatically required, but it is a good punctuation choice because it connects two closely related clauses.

You could also write:

• Klinik pergigian harus dibuka. Kalau tidak, pemeriksaan gigi akan bermula lewat.
• Klinik pergigian harus dibuka, kalau tidak, pemeriksaan gigi akan bermula lewat.

The semicolon simply makes the relationship especially clear: first the requirement, then the consequence if it is not met.

Malay nouns usually do not show singular versus plural unless the speaker wants to make it explicit.

So pemeriksaan gigi could mean:

• the dental examination
• a dental examination
• dental examinations

In this sentence, because of akan bermula lewat, it most naturally sounds like a specific scheduled examination or a session of examinations. The exact number depends on context, not on the form of the noun itself.