Polis itu bersenjata.

In Malay, demonstratives like ini and itu normally come after the noun.

So:

• polis itu = that police officer / the police officer
• rumah itu = that house / the house

This is the normal Malay word order, unlike English, where that comes before the noun.

It can feel like either one in English, depending on context.

In many sentences, itu literally means that, but it also often helps mark something as specific or already identifiable, which can sound like the in English.

So polis itu bersenjata could be understood as:

• That police officer is armed
• The police officer is armed

The exact English translation depends on the situation.

Malay often leaves out the verb to be in simple sentences like this.

So instead of saying something equivalent to Police officer that is armed, Malay simply says:

• Polis itu bersenjata

This is very normal. In Malay, a noun can be followed directly by an adjective-like or descriptive predicate.

Compare:

• Rumah itu besar = That house is big
• Dia sakit = He/She is sick
• Polis itu bersenjata = That police officer is armed

Bersenjata means armed or equipped with weapons.

It is built from:

• senjata = weapon
• ber- = a common prefix

Together, bersenjata gives the idea of having weapons or being armed.

So the sentence describes the police officer as carrying or possessing a weapon or weapons.

The prefix ber- has several uses in Malay, but one common use is to mean something like:

• to have
• to wear
• to use
• to be provided with

In bersenjata, it turns senjata (weapon) into armed / having weapons.

A few similar examples:

• berbaju = wearing a shirt
• berkasut = wearing shoes
• berkeluarga = having a family / being married with a family
• berjanggut = bearded / having a beard

So bersenjata is not a direct word-for-word match to English, but the overall meaning is very natural: armed.

By itself, polis does not change form for singular and plural.

So polis can refer to:

• a police officer
• police officers
• sometimes the police in a general sense

The context tells you which meaning is intended.

In this sentence, polis itu bersenjata, the most natural reading is often that police officer is armed if you are talking about one person. But in the right context, it could also refer to a group.

Malay often does not mark plural unless it needs to.

Yes, polis bersenjata can mean armed police officer or armed police depending on context.

If you want to describe the noun more explicitly inside a noun phrase, Malay often uses yang:

• polis yang bersenjata = the police officer who is armed / armed police officer
• polis yang bersenjata itu = that armed police officer

So:

• Polis itu bersenjata = That police officer is armed
• polis yang bersenjata itu = that armed police officer

Yes, it could, depending on context.

The word polis can refer to:

• an individual police officer
• police officers as a group
• the police more generally

Because Malay often leaves number unstated, you have to rely on the situation.

If the speaker is pointing at one officer, then that police officer is armed is likely. If the speaker is talking about the police force or a group of officers, then the police are armed is also possible.

You do not always know from the sentence alone.

In textbook explanations, itu is often introduced as that, meaning something farther from the speaker. But in real Malay, itu also very often marks something as specific, known, or already mentioned.

So polis itu does not necessarily mean the officer is physically far away. It can simply mean that/the police officer we are talking about.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

• polis → PO-lis
• itu → EE-too
• bersenjata → roughly ber-sen-JA-ta

A fuller breakdown:

• po-lis
• i-tu
• ber-sen-ja-ta

The r in ber- is usually light, and Malay pronunciation is generally quite regular compared with English spelling.

It is neutral and standard.

Polis itu bersenjata is a normal, natural sentence in standard Malay. It would work in everyday speech, writing, or reporting.

If you wanted to be more specific, you could say things like:

• Polis itu membawa senjata = The police officer is carrying a weapon
• Polis itu mempunyai senjata = The police officer has a weapon

But bersenjata is the most natural compact way to say armed.