Learn Hardcore Malay: Saya menggunakan basikal untuk pergi ke pasar.

In Malay, many verbs are constructed by adding affixes to a root. Here, the root is guna (meaning “use”), and by attaching the prefix meng- and the suffix -kan, the language forms menggunakan. This construction transforms the root into a transitive verb, indicating an action performed on an object—in this case, “using” a bicycle.

What role does the word untuk play in this sentence?

The word untuk serves as a preposition that expresses purpose. It translates roughly to “for” or “in order to,” linking the action of using the bicycle to its intended purpose, which is “going to the market.”

Why is the preposition ke used before pasar?

In Malay, ke is used to denote direction or destination, functioning similarly to the English “to.” Therefore, ke pasar means “to the market,” showing the target or endpoint of the movement.

Does the sentence follow the same basic sentence structure as English?

Yes, it does. The sentence follows a Subject-Verb-Object order. Saya is the subject, menggunakan is the verb, and basikal is the object. The phrase untuk pergi ke pasar acts as an adverbial clause indicating purpose, making the structure quite similar to its English counterpart.

How does Malay indicate tense in a sentence like this compared to English?

Malay verbs do not inflect for tense as they do in English. Instead, context or additional time-indicating words are used to convey when an action occurs. In this sentence, menggunakan stays the same regardless of whether the action is happening in the present, past, or future.

Is basikal a native Malay word or a borrowed term?

Basikal is a borrowed term, adapted from the English word “bicycle.” It’s commonly used in Malay and is an example of how loanwords are integrated into the language while retaining a similar meaning.