Saya makan nasi bersama dia.

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Breakdown of Saya makan nasi bersama dia.

• makan: to eat
• nasi: the rice
• bersama: with
• dia: him/her

Questions & Answers about Saya makan nasi bersama dia.

Is dia used for both he and she in Malay?

Yes, dia is gender-neutral and can mean both he or she. The context of the sentence usually tells you whether it refers to a male or a female.

Why is there no separate word for to or the in the sentence?

Malay does not use articles like the or a. Words like to (as in going towards a location) are also not needed in this specific sentence because the structure Saya makan nasi bersama dia directly means I eat rice together with him/her without any additional helper words.

What is the difference between dengan and bersama?

Both dengan and bersama can mean with in Malay. Dengan is very common in everyday speech and can have multiple functions such as with, by, or using. Bersama specifically means together with, which emphasizes doing something collectively. In Saya makan nasi bersama dia, it highlights that you are essentially sharing the activity with someone.

Can this sentence be used in past or future tense as well?

Yes. Malay does not have explicit verb conjugations for the past, present, or future. Saya makan nasi bersama dia can mean I ate rice with him/her (past), I eat rice with him/her (present), or I will eat rice with him/her (future). Context or time markers like semalam (yesterday) or nanti (later) can clarify the tense if needed.

How do I know if it’s I or me for saya in English?

In Malay, saya simply means I or me, depending on its grammatical role in the sentence. Since the pronoun does not change form, Malay speakers rely on context to determine whether it functions as a subject (I) or object (me). In this sentence, Saya is clearly the subject performing the action of eating.