Sembilan orang sedang menunggu.

Orang literally means person, but after a number it also works like a classifier for people.

So:

• sembilan = nine
• orang = people/persons

Together, sembilan orang means nine people.

This is very common in Malay. With people, you normally use orang after the number:

• dua orang = two people
• lima orang = five people
• sepuluh orang = ten people

Because sembilan by itself is only the number nine. It does not automatically mean nine people.

If you want to count humans, Malay normally uses orang:

• sembilan orang = nine people

Without orang, the sentence would sound incomplete or unnatural in standard Malay unless the noun is already very clear from context and the speaker is being very informal.

Sedang marks an action that is in progress, similar to English be + -ing.

So:

• menunggu = wait / to wait
• sedang menunggu = be waiting / are waiting

In this sentence, sedang shows that the waiting is happening right now or at that time.

Compare:

• Sembilan orang menunggu. = Nine people wait / are waiting.
• Sembilan orang sedang menunggu. = Nine people are waiting.

In many situations, Malay can leave out sedang if the context already makes the timing clear.

Menunggu is the standard active verb form of tunggu.

The base/root is:

• tunggu = wait

With the meN- prefix, it becomes:

• menunggu = to wait / waiting

This is a very common Malay verb pattern. The prefixed form is the normal standard form in many sentences.

In casual speech, people often say tunggu, but in standard written Malay, menunggu is the better choice here.

Malay has a prefix often written as meN-, where the final nasal sound changes depending on the first sound of the root.

With tunggu, the form becomes:

• meN- + tunggu → menunggu

You do not need to memorize all the sound changes at once, but it helps to recognize that menunggu is built from the root tunggu.

So if you know tunggu, you can spot that menunggu is the related active verb.

No. Malay does not need a word equivalent to English are here.

English says:

• Nine people are waiting.

Malay says:

• Sembilan orang sedang menunggu.

There is no separate present-tense to be verb in this kind of sentence. Malay often expresses meaning without words like am/is/are.

Malay does not mark plural the way English usually does.

The number already shows that the noun is plural:

• sembilan orang = nine people

Because sembilan already tells us there is more than one person, no extra plural ending is needed.

This is very normal in Malay:

• tiga buku = three books
• empat kereta = four cars
• sembilan orang = nine people

Mostly yes in this sentence.

The structure is:

• Sembilan orang = subject noun phrase
• sedang = aspect marker
• menunggu = verb

So the pattern is roughly:

• [subject] + [aspect] + [verb]

That gives:

• Sembilan orang sedang menunggu.

This is quite close to English Nine people are waiting, though English needs are and Malay does not.

Yes, very often.

You can say:

• Sembilan orang menunggu.

This can still mean Nine people are waiting, especially if the context makes the time clear.

Adding sedang makes the ongoing action more explicit:

• Sembilan orang sedang menunggu. = Nine people are in the middle of waiting.

So sedang is useful, but not always required.

Yes. That is also natural, but the emphasis changes slightly.

• Sembilan orang sedang menunggu. = Nine people are waiting.
• Ada sembilan orang sedang menunggu. = There are nine people waiting.

Using ada makes it feel more like an existence statement: you are pointing out that such a group is there.

The simplest negative version is:

• Sembilan orang tidak menunggu. = Nine people are not waiting.

You may also hear:

• Sembilan orang tidak sedang menunggu.

This is grammatical, but often sounds a bit heavier because sedang does not always need to be kept in a negative sentence.

If you mean not waiting yet, then belum may be better:

• Sembilan orang belum menunggu.

But the most natural choice depends on the exact situation.

Often yes, but its role depends on the sentence.

It can be a normal noun:

• orang itu = that person

It can also function as a classifier after numbers:

• seorang = one person
• dua orang = two people
• sembilan orang = nine people

So in your sentence, orang is part of the counting expression for humans.

A simple approximate pronunciation is:

• Sembilan → sem-BEE-lan
• orang → OR-ang
• sedang → seh-DAHNG
• menunggu → meh-NOONG-goo

Very roughly as a full sentence:

sem-BEE-lan OR-ang seh-DAHNG meh-NOONG-goo

The exact vowel quality in Malay is a bit different from English, but this will get you close enough to be understood.