Dia suka dengar muzik cepat sebelum kerja.

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Questions & Answers about Dia suka dengar muzik cepat sebelum kerja.

Why is dengar used here instead of mendengar?
In Malay, the verb mendengar (to listen) often appears in its shorter form, dengar, especially in casual or spoken contexts. Both forms mean "to hear/listen." When you say saya suka dengar muzik, it’s generally understood as "I like listening to music." You can also use mendengar in more formal situations.
Is cepat functioning as an adjective or adverb in this sentence?
In this context, cepat describes the type of music—"fast music." So it's functioning more like an adjective, even though cepat can also act as an adverb in other contexts (for example, berjalan cepat means "walk quickly").
Why do we say sebelum kerja instead of sebelum bekerja?
Both sebelum kerja and sebelum bekerja are acceptable. Bekerja is the verb "to work," while kerja can be used as a noun ("work" or "job"). Malay allows some flexibility, so sebelum kerja is a more concise, informal phrasing meaning "before work." The more formal option, sebelum bekerja, focuses on the action of working.
Does dia refer to "he," "she," or "they"?
In Malay, the pronoun dia can mean "he" or "she," and the sentence context usually clarifies which one is meant. In everyday speech, dia is used for both genders. If context is unclear, you might specify by adding further description (e.g., lelaki for a male or perempuan for a female).
Is the word order important in Dia suka dengar muzik cepat sebelum kerja?
Generally, yes. The usual sentence structure in Malay is Subject-Verb-Object, so we have Dia (subject) suka (verb) dengar muzik cepat (object) sebelum kerja (time phrase). If you rearrange the sentence, it might sound awkward or change the emphasis. However, Malay is relatively flexible compared to English, so some variation is possible, but this word order is the most straightforward and natural.

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