Saya lihat langit malam.

I see the night sky.

Breakdown of Saya lihat langit malam.

• saya: I
• lihat: to see
• langit: the sky
• malam: night

Questions & Answers about Saya lihat langit malam.

What does each word in the sentence Saya lihat langit malam mean?

Saya means I; lihat means see (or look at); langit means sky; and malam means night. In combination, the sentence translates to "I see/look at the night sky."

Why isn’t there an article like the before langit or malam?

Malay does not use articles such as the, a, or an. Nouns are usually stated without these articles unless additional context or specificity is needed.

How does the word order in this Malay sentence compare to English?

The sentence follows the Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) order—Saya (subject), lihat (verb), langit malam (object)—which is similar to the typical word order used in English.

Does the verb lihat change depending on the subject?

No, in Malay verbs do not conjugate based on the subject. The form lihat remains the same regardless of who is performing the action.

Can lihat mean both see and watch, and how do you determine the intended meaning?

Yes, lihat can be used to mean both see and look at. The intended nuance is usually determined by context. In this sentence, it implies a simple act of seeing or observing without any additional connotation of deliberate watching.

Is there any implication about the timing or setting because of the word malam?

Yes, malam means night, indicating that the observed sky is specifically a night sky. This provides a temporal setting and suggests that the observation is taking place during the evening or night.