Polis memeriksa suspek itu.

Malay does not have articles like a/an and the. So polis can mean police, the police, or sometimes a police officer, depending on context.

In this sentence, Polis memeriksa suspek itu, polis is most naturally understood as the police or a police officer / police officers, depending on the situation.

It can be a little flexible in Malay.

Polis can refer to:

• the police as an institution
• a police officer
• police officers

Malay often does not mark singular vs. plural as clearly as English does unless the context makes it necessary. So this sentence could mean:

• The police are examining the suspect
• A police officer is examining the suspect

Context usually tells you which is intended.

This follows the normal Malay sentence pattern:

Subject + Verb + Object

So:

• Polis = subject
• memeriksa = verb
• suspek itu = object

This is very similar to basic English word order:

• The police examined the suspect
• The police are examining the suspect

The base word is periksa, which means examine, inspect, or check.

When Malay forms an active transitive verb, it often adds the prefix meN-. So:

• periksa = examine / inspection-related base
• memeriksa = to examine / to inspect / to check

This prefix is extremely common in Malay and often marks that the subject is actively doing something to an object.

The prefix meN- changes shape depending on the first sound of the root word. This is a normal sound pattern in Malay.

With periksa, the prefix appears as mem-, giving memeriksa.

Learners do not always need to memorize every sound rule immediately, but it is useful to know that:

• meN- is the basic prefix name
• its actual form changes in real words, such as mem-, men-, meng-, and meny-

So memeriksa is just the expected prefixed form of periksa.

In Malay, demonstratives like ini (this) and itu (that/the) usually come after the noun.

So:

• suspek itu = that suspect / the suspect
• rumah itu = that house
• orang itu = that person

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

It can mean either, depending on context.

In Malay, itu can function as:

• a true demonstrative: that suspect
• something closer to definiteness: the suspect

So in many sentences, suspek itu is best translated naturally as the suspect, even though the literal structure is closer to that suspect.

Malay verbs usually do not change form for tense the way English verbs do.

So memeriksa by itself does not tell you whether the action is:

• present: is examining
• past: examined / was examining
• future: will examine

The time is usually understood from context or from time words such as:

• semalam = yesterday
• sekarang = now
• esok = tomorrow

So Polis memeriksa suspek itu could be translated differently depending on context.

Yes. Memeriksa can cover several related English verbs, including:

• examine
• inspect
• check

The best translation depends on the context. If the police are carrying out a formal or careful examination, examine may fit best. If they are doing a quick check, check may sound more natural in English.

Suspek is a borrowed word, ultimately from English suspect. Malay has many loanwords, especially in legal, official, and modern vocabulary.

This is very common and completely normal in Malay. Many such borrowed words are fully naturalized and widely used.

Yes, but it means something slightly different.

• Polis memeriksa suspek itu = The police / a police officer is examining the suspect
• Polis itu memeriksa suspek = That police officer / that policeman is examining a suspect / the suspect (depending on context)

The position of itu matters:

• after polis → it describes polis
• after suspek → it describes suspek

No. Classifiers are not needed here.

Malay sometimes uses classifiers in expressions with numbers, for example:

• seorang polis = one police officer
• seorang suspek = one suspect

But in a simple sentence like Polis memeriksa suspek itu, no classifier is necessary.

A simple learner-friendly pronunciation is:

meh-meh-REEK-sah

More carefully, it is roughly:

• me
• me
• rik
• sa

The r is usually tapped or lightly rolled, not pronounced like a typical English r. The final a is pronounced clearly, more like ah than the reduced vowel often heard in English.