Saya sampai ke rumah sebelum makan malam.

I arrive home before dinner.

Breakdown of Saya sampai ke rumah sebelum makan malam.

• saya: I
• ke: to
• sebelum: before
• rumah: the home
• makan malam: the dinner
• sampai: to arrive

Questions & Answers about Saya sampai ke rumah sebelum makan malam.

What does the sentence "Saya sampai ke rumah sebelum makan malam" mean in English?

It means "I arrived at home before dinner." In this sentence, saya translates to "I," sampai means "arrived," ke is a preposition like "to," rumah means "home" or "house," sebelum means "before," and makan malam means "dinner."

How does the preposition ke function in the sentence?

The word ke indicates direction or movement toward a destination. Here, it connects the verb sampai (arrived) with rumah (home), showing that the action of arriving occurred at that location.

How is the concept of time expressed in this sentence without using verb tenses as in English?

Malay does not change the form of verbs to show tense. Instead, timing is conveyed through context and time markers. In this sentence, sebelum makan malam (before dinner) tells us when the arriving happened, even though sampai doesn’t change its form.

Can the placement of the time phrase sebelum makan malam be altered in Malay, and will it change the meaning?

Yes, you can reposition the time phrase for emphasis or style. For example, saying "Sebelum makan malam, saya sampai ke rumah" still means "Before dinner, I arrived at home." The meaning remains clear, although emphasis shifts slightly to the time element.

Is there any difference between using sampai and another verb like datang to describe arriving?

Both sampai and datang can be used to indicate arrival. However, sampai often emphasizes that the destination has been reached, while datang is a more general term for coming or arriving. In this context, sampai ke rumah specifically stresses the completion of the journey to home before dinner.