Bil anggaran digunakan; dengan kata lain, bacaan sebenar tiada.

Yes. Bil is a common Malay borrowing from English bill. In everyday use, it usually means a bill or invoice, especially for things like electricity, water, phone service, and so on.

In this sentence, bil anggaran means something like an estimated bill.

Anggaran means estimate or estimated amount.

So:

• bil anggaran = estimated bill
• kos anggaran = estimated cost
• jumlah anggaran = estimated total

It comes from the idea of something being calculated approximately rather than based on exact data.

Because digunakan is a passive form, while menggunakan is an active form.

• menggunakan = to use / uses
• digunakan = is used / are used

So:

• Syarikat menggunakan bil anggaran.
  = The company uses an estimated bill.

• Bil anggaran digunakan.
  = An estimated bill is used.

In your sentence, the focus is on the bill being used, not on who uses it. That is why the passive form digunakan is natural here.

Yes, it can be.

Literally, it means An estimated bill is used or An estimated billing amount is used. In context, this is a short formal notice-style sentence, so Malay often leaves out extra words that English might include.

A fuller version could be something like:

• Bil anggaran digunakan untuk bil ini.
  = An estimated bill is used for this bill.

But in notices, labels, and utility statements, Malay often prefers the shorter form.

Dengan kata lain means in other words.

It is a fixed expression used to restate or clarify what was just said.

Examples:

• Dia tidak hadir; dengan kata lain, dia ponteng.
  = He was absent; in other words, he skipped class.

• Bil anggaran digunakan; dengan kata lain, bacaan sebenar tiada.
  = An estimated bill was used; in other words, there is no actual reading.

Bacaan means reading, and in this context it usually means a meter reading.

Sebenar means actual, real, or true.

So bacaan sebenar means:

• actual reading
• more specifically, in utility contexts, actual meter reading

This strongly suggests the sentence is talking about a utility bill that was estimated because no real meter reading was available.

Because in Malay, adjectives usually come after the noun.

So:

• bacaan sebenar = actual reading
• rumah besar = big house
• air sejuk = cold water

This is a very common word order difference between Malay and English.

Tiada means there is no, there are no, or not available / absent, depending on context.

So:

• bacaan sebenar tiada
  = there is no actual reading = the actual reading is unavailable

In formal notices, tiada is a compact and natural way to say something does not exist or is not present.

Because Malay often does not use a verb like is/are in the same way English does.

English:

• The actual reading is unavailable.
• There is no actual reading.

Malay can simply say:

• Bacaan sebenar tiada.

This is normal Malay structure. The meaning is understood from context, and tiada carries the idea of absence.

They are very close in meaning.

• tiada = there is no / absent / unavailable
• tidak ada = there is no / do not have / not available

In many cases, they are interchangeable. But there is a slight difference in tone:

• tiada often sounds more formal, written, or official
• tidak ada is often more common in everyday speech

So on a bill or official notice, tiada sounds very natural.

For example:

• Bacaan sebenar tiada.
  = formal, concise
• Bacaan sebenar tidak ada.
  = also understandable, a bit less formal

The semicolon separates two closely related parts:

1. Bil anggaran digunakan
2. dengan kata lain, bacaan sebenar tiada

The second part explains or restates the first one. In English, you might also see:

• An estimated bill was used; in other words, there is no actual reading.
• An estimated bill was used. In other words, there is no actual reading.

So the semicolon is just linking the statement with its explanation.

It sounds like official utility or billing language, not casual conversation.

Features that make it sound formal include:

• digunakan instead of a more conversational phrasing
• dengan kata lain
• tiada instead of tak ada or tidak ada

A more conversational way to explain the same idea might be:

• Bil ini dianggarkan sebab bacaan sebenar tak ada.
  = This bill is estimated because there is no actual reading.

But for a statement on a bill, the original version is perfectly natural.

Yes, depending on context.

Because bil anggaran can refer to an estimated bill or an estimated billed amount, English translation may vary slightly. In utility contexts, the intended meaning is usually:

• An estimated bill was used
• Estimated billing was used
• This bill is based on an estimate

The most natural English translation depends on how the company phrases such notices in English.

Usually, yes, especially in the context of a utility bill.

On a bill, phrases like:

• bacaan semasa
• bacaan terdahulu
• bacaan sebenar
• bacaan anggaran

are commonly understood as referring to a meter reading. So even without the word meter, the context makes it clear.

Not in the same way.

• sebenar is an adjective: actual / real
• sebenarnya is usually an adverb/discourse word: actually / in fact

So:

• bacaan sebenar = actual reading ✔
• bacaan sebenarnya = not correct for this meaning ✘

Compare:

• Ini bacaan sebenar.
  = This is the actual reading.
• Sebenarnya, bacaan belum diambil.
  = Actually, the reading has not been taken.

So in your sentence, sebenar is the correct form.

Yes. A more explicit version could be:

• Bil anggaran digunakan kerana bacaan sebenar tiada.
  = An estimated bill is used because there is no actual reading.

Or:

• Bil ini berdasarkan anggaran kerana bacaan sebenar tiada.
  = This bill is based on an estimate because there is no actual reading.

The original sentence is shorter and more notice-like, but these versions may be easier for learners to understand.