Putera itu tinggal di istana.

Itu is a demonstrative word. Its basic meaning is that, but in many sentences it also helps make a noun definite, so putera itu can mean either:

• that prince
• the prince

Which one sounds best depends on context.

That is the normal Malay pattern. Demonstratives usually come after the noun:

• putera itu = that/the prince
• istana itu = that/the palace

This is different from English, where that usually comes before the noun.

Yes, that is grammatically possible, but the meaning becomes less specific. Without itu, the noun is more general and depends more on context.

• Putera itu tinggal di istana = the/that prince lives in the palace
• Putera tinggal di istana = could be understood more generally, like a prince lives in a palace or the prince lives in a palace, depending on context

So itu helps point to a specific prince already known in the conversation.

Here, tinggal means live or reside. With a place after it, it usually refers to where someone lives.

It can also mean other things in other contexts, such as remain or be left, so context matters. But in tinggal di istana, the meaning is clearly live in the palace.

Di is a preposition meaning in, at, or sometimes on, depending on context. Here it marks location:

• di istana = in the palace / at the palace

Because this sentence describes where the prince lives, di is the correct choice.

Because di is for a location, while ke is for movement toward a place.

• tinggal di istana = live in the palace
• pergi ke istana = go to the palace

So if someone is already located there, use di, not ke.

Yes. In this sentence, di is a preposition, so it is written separately:

• di istana

This is different from the passive prefix di-, which is attached to a verb:

• ditulis = written
• dibuka = opened

A useful rule is:

• di
  • place = usually separate
• di-
  • verb = attached

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

So by itself, Putera itu tinggal di istana is often understood as present-time lives in the palace, but the exact time really comes from context or time words, such as:

• semalam = yesterday
• sekarang = now
• dulu = in the past
• akan = will

Without extra markers, Malay often leaves tense unstated.

No. Malay verbs do not agree with the subject in that way. The verb stays the same:

• Saya tinggal di istana = I live in the palace
• Putera itu tinggal di istana = The prince lives in the palace
• Mereka tinggal di istana = They live in the palace

So you do not need to change the verb for person or number.

Malay does not have articles that work exactly like English a and the. Instead, definiteness is often understood from context, or sometimes supported by words like itu.

So in this sentence:

• putera itu often feels like the prince or that prince
• istana can mean a palace, the palace, or just palace, depending on context

Malay often leaves this less explicit than English does.

Yes. This is a very normal pattern:

• Putera itu = subject
• tinggal = verb
• di istana = location phrase

So the structure is basically:

Subject + Verb + Place

That is one of the most common sentence patterns in Malay.

A simple English-friendly approximation is:

poo-tuh-rah ee-too ting-gahl dee ees-tah-nah

A few helpful notes:

• u is usually like oo in food
• i is usually like ee in see
• a is usually like a in father
• g in tinggal is a hard g, as in go

Malay pronunciation is generally more regular than English spelling.