Sebaiknya dia datang awal.

Sebaiknya often means it would be best, it is better if, or should depending on context.

In Sebaiknya dia datang awal, it suggests advice rather than a strong obligation. So compared with English should, it often feels a bit softer and more like:

• It would be best if he/she came early
• He/She should come early

So yes, should is a good translation, but sebaiknya often carries the nuance of recommended or advisable, not strict necessity.

In this word, -nya is part of the fixed form sebaiknya and does not directly mean his/her.

A useful way to think about it is:

• baik = good
• sebaiknya = preferably / it would be best

In modern Malay, learners should usually treat sebaiknya as a complete expression. You do not normally break it down in everyday use when interpreting the sentence.

Malay often expresses ideas more compactly than English.

In English, you may need a structure like:

• It would be best if he came early

But in Malay, you can simply say:

• Sebaiknya dia datang awal

There is no need for a dummy subject like it, and no special word is needed for if in this structure.

Yes, Dia sebaiknya datang awal is also natural.

Compare the two:

• Sebaiknya dia datang awal = slightly more focused on the recommendation itself
• Dia sebaiknya datang awal = slightly more focused on dia

Both are correct and common. The first sounds a bit like Preferably, he/she should come early, while the second sounds more like He/She should come early.

Dia can mean either he or she.

Malay does not usually distinguish gender in third-person singular pronouns the way English does. So without context, dia datang awal could mean:

• he comes early
• she comes early

You need context to know which one is meant.

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

The verb datang stays the same. The time or meaning is understood from context and from other words in the sentence. In this sentence:

• sebaiknya gives the idea of advice or recommendation
• so datang is understood as something the person is being advised to do

That is why the sentence is interpreted as should come early or had better come early, not simply comes early.

Awal means early.

In this sentence, it functions like an adverb in English, telling us how/when the person should come:

• datang awal = come early

Malay often uses the same word without changing its form, where English might distinguish adjective and adverb differently.

The most natural order here is:

• dia = subject
• datang = verb
• awal = time-related description

So:

• dia datang awal = he/she comes early

Putting awal before datang would sound less natural in ordinary speech for this meaning. Malay commonly keeps the verb directly after the subject in simple sentences.

These words are similar but not identical:

• sebaiknya = it would be best / should / preferably
• patut = should / ought to
• perlu = need to
• harus = must / have to / should, often stronger or more formal

So:

• Sebaiknya dia datang awal = gentle advice
• Dia patut datang awal = he/she ought to come early
• Dia perlu datang awal = he/she needs to come early
• Dia harus datang awal = he/she must / really should come early

Among these, sebaiknya is often one of the softer and more polite ways to give advice.

It is generally neutral to slightly formal.

Sebaiknya is a very normal and polite word, and you will see it in speech, writing, instructions, and advice. It is not slang. In casual conversation, people might also use other forms depending on region and situation, but sebaiknya is perfectly natural and standard.

Yes.

Because sebaiknya expresses advice, the sentence usually refers to a future or intended action:

• Sebaiknya dia datang awal = He/She should come early

Even without a future word like akan, the recommendation naturally points to something that has not happened yet, or something that should happen in a given situation.

Yes, it can.

For example:

• Sebaiknya datang awal. = It would be best to come early.
• Sebaiknya jangan lewat. = It would be best not to be late.

In your sentence, adding dia simply makes clear who the advice is about.