Buku terpakai itu murah.

Malay often leaves out the verb to be in simple present-tense sentences.

So instead of saying something like That used book is cheap with a separate word for is, Malay simply puts:

Buku terpakai itu + murah
that used book + cheap

This is very normal in Malay. Adjectives can act as the predicate directly.

In this sentence, terpakai means used or second-hand.

So buku terpakai means a used book or second-hand book.

A useful note: although ter- is a common Malay prefix with several functions, in terpakai this word is best learned as a set expression meaning used / second-hand when talking about goods.

In Malay, demonstratives like ini and itu usually come after the noun phrase they describe.

So:

• buku itu = that book
• buku terpakai itu = that used book

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

Not always.

Its basic meaning is that, but in real Malay it can also help make something sound specific or definite, a bit like the in English, depending on context.

So buku terpakai itu most naturally means that used book, but in some situations English might translate it more naturally as the used book.

Because murah is the predicate adjective: it tells you something about buku terpakai itu.

The structure is:

[subject / topic] + [description]

So:

• Buku terpakai itu = that used book
• murah = cheap

Together: That used book is cheap.

Notice that terpakai is inside the noun phrase, describing buku, while murah is the main statement about the whole noun phrase.

Because of how the sentence is built:

Buku terpakai itu forms one complete noun phrase: that used book
Then murah comes after it as the comment about that noun phrase.

A good way to see it is this:

• buku terpakai itu = the thing being talked about
• murah = what is being said about it

If both adjectives were part of the noun phrase, the sentence would need a different structure.

By itself, buku can be singular or plural depending on context.

So this sentence could theoretically refer to a used book or used books, but if there is no extra context, learners often understand it first as singular: that used book is cheap.

If Malay wants to mark plurality more clearly, it can use reduplication:

• buku-buku = books

But Malay does not always have to mark plural explicitly.

You would usually use tidak before the adjective:

Buku terpakai itu tidak murah.
That used book is not cheap.

This is a good example of an important pattern:

• tidak is used with verbs and adjectives
• bukan is used mainly with nouns and noun phrases

Since murah is an adjective, tidak is the correct negation here.

Not for the same meaning.

Buku terpakai itu murah is the natural way to say That used book is cheap.

If you say Itu buku terpakai, that can mean That is a used book or That’s a used book, where itu is acting more like that is in context.

But Itu buku terpakai murah does not work as the normal equivalent of the original sentence.

Yes, but it changes the meaning.

• buku murah itu = that cheap book
• buku terpakai itu murah = that used book is cheap

So in buku murah itu, murah is part of the noun phrase and describes the book directly.

In buku terpakai itu murah, murah is the predicate, telling us something about that used book.

This is an important distinction in Malay.

It is neutral and completely standard Malay.

You could use it in everyday conversation, in writing, or in a basic textbook example. Nothing about it sounds especially slangy or especially formal.

A simple learner-friendly pronunciation is:

Boo-koo ter-pa-kai ee-too moo-rah

A few quick notes:

• buku = boo-koo
• terpakai = ter-pa-kai
• itu = ee-too
• murah = moo-rah

Malay spelling is generally quite regular, so pronunciation is often easier than in English.