Mereka menjual barang asli.

Mereka is the Malay third-person plural pronoun: they / them.

Malay pronouns do not change form the way English pronouns do. So the same word can be used where English would use either they or them; the sentence structure tells you the role.

In Mereka menjual barang asli, mereka is the subject, so it means they.

A useful note: mereka is mainly used for people, and it sounds more standard/formal than some everyday spoken alternatives.

The base word is jual, meaning sell.

The form menjual has the prefix meN-, which often forms an active verb. In this case:

• jual = sell
• menjual = to sell / sell

So mereka menjual ... means they sell ...

This meN- prefix is extremely common in Malay and is one of the first verb patterns learners notice.

The prefix is often written generally as meN- because the final nasal sound changes depending on the first sound of the root word.

With jual, it becomes:

• meN- + jual -> menjual

You do not need to think of N as a separate letter in normal spelling; it is just a way grammars show that the prefix changes shape.

Other common variants include forms like mem-, men-, meng-, and meny-, depending on the root.

Barang means goods, items, or things, depending on context.

In this sentence, it most naturally means goods/items.

Malay nouns usually do not have to show singular vs. plural the way English does. So barang can sometimes be understood as:

• an item
• items
• goods

Context tells you which is intended. In a sentence about selling, goods or items is the most natural interpretation.

In Malay, adjectives usually come after the noun they describe.

So:

• barang asli = original/genuine goods
• literally: goods original/genuine

This is normal Malay word order. English usually puts adjectives before nouns, but Malay often places them after.

Asli can mean several related things, including:

• original
• genuine
• authentic
• sometimes native/indigenous, depending on context

In barang asli, the most natural meaning is genuine/authentic goods or original goods, not fake or imitation ones.

So the exact English translation can vary a little depending on context, but the core idea is the same.

Malay does not normally use articles like English a/an/the.

So barang asli could mean:

• original goods
• the original goods
• some genuine goods

The context decides which English article sounds best.

This is very common in Malay, so learners quickly get used to supplying a/the only when translating into English.

Malay verbs usually do not change form for tense the way English verbs do.

So menjual by itself does not specifically mark:

• present: sell / are selling
• past: sold
• future: will sell

The time is usually understood from context or from extra time words.

For example:

• Mereka sedang menjual barang asli. = They are selling genuine goods.
• Mereka telah menjual barang asli. = They have sold / sold genuine goods.
• Mereka akan menjual barang asli. = They will sell genuine goods.

Without a time marker, They sell genuine goods is often the safest basic translation.

It is an active sentence.

Why?

• Mereka = the doer
• menjual = active verb
• barang asli = the thing being sold

So the structure is:

subject + active verb + object

If you wanted a passive version, you could say something like:

• Barang asli dijual oleh mereka.

That means Genuine goods are sold by them or The genuine goods are sold by them.

Yes, but it sounds more standard and often a bit more formal than some colloquial spoken forms.

In casual conversation, speakers may also use alternatives such as:

• diorang
• dia orang

These are more informal and vary by region and speech style.

So mereka is absolutely correct and useful, especially in writing, standard speech, and learning materials.

One common way is to rely on context, intonation, or extra words.

For example:

• Merekalah yang menjual barang asli.
  = They are the ones who sell genuine goods.

The particle -lah can add emphasis or focus, though its effect depends on context.

In the original sentence, there is no special emphasis; it is just a straightforward statement.

A simple learner-friendly pronunciation guide is:

• mereka -> meh-REH-kah
• menjual -> men-JOO-ahl
• barang -> BAH-rang
• asli -> AHS-lee

A few helpful notes:

• Malay pronunciation is generally more regular than English spelling.
• The j in menjual sounds like English j in job.
• The ng in barang sounds like the ng in sing.

Exact pronunciation varies a little by region, but this will get you close.