Pengawal bersenjata itu sedang menunggu.

In Malay, itu usually comes after the noun phrase it modifies.

So:

• pengawal itu = that guard / the guard
• pengawal bersenjata itu = that armed guard / the armed guard

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

Malay normally puts descriptive words after the noun.

So:

• pengawal bersenjata = literally guard armed
• natural English: armed guard

This noun + description order is very common in Malay.

Bersenjata means armed.

It comes from:

• ber- = a common prefix with several uses
• senjata = weapon

So bersenjata literally suggests having a weapon or bearing arms.

In this sentence, it works like a description of pengawal.

Sedang shows that the action is in progress right now or around now.

So:

• menunggu = wait / waiting
• sedang menunggu = is waiting / is in the middle of waiting

It is similar to the English continuous idea in is waiting.

Yes, often you can.

• Pengawal bersenjata itu sedang menunggu. = The armed guard is waiting.
• Pengawal bersenjata itu menunggu. = can also mean The armed guard is waiting

Without sedang, the sentence is less explicitly focused on the ongoing nature of the action, but in many contexts it still sounds natural.

Tunggu is the base form: wait.

Menunggu is the active verb form made with the meN- prefix, which is very common in standard Malay when the subject is actively doing something.

Here:

• base: tunggu
• active form: menunggu

A sound change happens when meN- is added to a word beginning with t, so tunggu becomes menunggu, not mentunggu.

There is no separate word for is here.

English uses is waiting, but Malay does not need a verb equivalent to is in this structure. The idea is expressed with:

• sedang = ongoing action
• menunggu = wait

So sedang menunggu covers the meaning of is waiting.

Usually, no.

In Malay, menunggu can take its object directly.

For example:

• Saya menunggu bas. = I am waiting for the bus.
• Dia menunggu kawannya. = He/She is waiting for his/her friend.

So Malay often says wait someone/something where English says wait for someone/something.

In your sentence, no object is stated, so it simply means is waiting.

It can feel like either, depending on context.

Literally, itu often means that. But in real sentences, it also often helps mark something as specific/known, so it may be translated naturally as the.

So:

• pengawal bersenjata itu could be understood as that armed guard
• but in many contexts the best English translation is simply the armed guard

By itself, pengawal does not change form for singular vs. plural.

So pengawal can mean:

• guard
• guards

Context tells you which one is meant.

In this sentence, it is normally understood as singular because of the intended meaning. If you wanted to make plural clearer, Malay could use forms such as:

• para pengawal bersenjata itu sedang menunggu = the armed guards are waiting

The sentence follows a very common Malay pattern:

• Pengawal bersenjata itu = subject noun phrase
• sedang = aspect marker
• menunggu = verb

So the structure is:

subject + aspect marker + verb

This is one of the most useful basic patterns in Malay.

Not if you want the exact meaning The armed guard is waiting.

The most natural version is:

• Pengawal bersenjata itu sedang menunggu.

Why? Because bersenjata belongs inside the noun phrase describing pengawal, and itu comes after the whole noun phrase.

If you say:

• Pengawal itu bersenjata dan sedang menunggu.

that means:

• That guard is armed and is waiting.

That is a different structure.