Pemilik duduk di pejabat sekarang.

The owner sits in the office now.

Breakdown of Pemilik duduk di pejabat sekarang.

• sekarang: now
• duduk: to sit
• di: in
• pejabat: the office
• pemilik: the owner

Questions & Answers about Pemilik duduk di pejabat sekarang.

What does pemilik mean in this sentence, and why isn’t there an article like “the” before it?

Pemilik translates to “owner” in English. In Malay, there are no articles like “the” or “a,” so even though English might require “the owner,” Malay simply uses pemilik, leaving the definiteness to be inferred from context.

How is the present tense conveyed in this sentence?

Malay does not conjugate verbs to reflect tense. Instead, time adverbs provide temporal context. The word sekarang means “now,” which indicates that the action is happening in the present.

What role does the verb duduk play in this sentence?

Duduk means “sit” and functions as the main action verb. In Malay, verbs remain in their base form regardless of the time frame, so duduk covers what English expresses as “sits” or “is sitting.”

What function does the phrase di pejabat serve in the sentence?

The preposition di means “at” or “in,” and pejabat translates to “office.” Together, di pejabat specifies the location where the owner is sitting.

Why is sekarang placed at the end of the sentence, and is that placement significant?

Sekarang means “now” and serves as a time adverb. Placing it at the end follows a common word order in Malay (Subject-Verb-Place-Time), emphasizing the time of the action. Although Malay word order is flexible, this placement is typical for indicating when an action occurs.

Do Malay verbs require any additional markers for politeness or continuous action, as English sometimes uses continuous forms like “is sitting”?

No, Malay verbs remain in their base form regardless of formality or aspect. There is no need to add extra markers to indicate continuous action or politeness. The context (here provided by sekarang) is enough to convey that the owner is in the process of sitting at the office.