Questions & Answers about Meja ini keras.
What does meja mean in this sentence?
Meja translates to table, indicating the piece of furniture being described.
What role does ini play in the sentence?
Ini is a demonstrative adjective meaning this, which specifies which table is being discussed.
Why is there no word for “is” in the sentence?
Malay typically omits the linking verb to be in simple descriptive statements. The adjective keras directly follows the subject without needing an additional verb like “is.”
What does keras mean here, and can it have other meanings?
In this context, keras means hard, referring to the table’s firmness or solidity. While keras generally means hard, in other contexts it might also imply being loud or intense, but here it clearly describes a physical quality.
How does the sentence structure Meja ini keras compare to English sentence structure?
The structure is typical for Malay. The noun meja comes first, modified by the demonstrative ini, followed directly by the descriptive adjective keras. Unlike English, which uses the linking verb “is” (as in “This table is hard”), Malay drops the verb, resulting in a more concise sentence.