Learn Hardcore Malay: Pelayan memberi saya garpu dan sudu yang bersih. - The waiter gives me a clean fork and spoon.

How does Malay structure a sentence with “give” when there are two objects? Why does saya come immediately after memberi and why isn’t there kepada?

Malay typically follows Subject–Verb–IndirectObject–DirectObject with ditransitive verbs like memberi (“to give”):
• Subject = Pelayan (“the waiter”)
• Verb = memberi (“gives/gave”)
• Indirect object = saya (“me”)
• Direct object = garpu dan sudu yang bersih (“the clean fork and spoon”)
When the recipient is a pronoun, you drop kepada and place it right after the verb. If the recipient were a noun, you’d normally say memberi … kepada … (e.g. Pelayan memberi garpu kepada pelanggan).

What’s the difference between the verbs beri and memberi? Can I use both?

Both come from the root beri (“to give”):
• beri is the bare root, common in colloquial speech (e.g. dia beri saya).
• memberi adds the prefix mem-, forming the standard active verb in formal or neutral contexts.
Use memberi in writing or polite speech; you’ll still understand beri in casual conversation.

What does yang do in garpu dan sudu yang bersih? Do I always need yang before an adjective?

yang functions like a relative pronoun (“that/which”), linking the noun phrase to its descriptor.
• garpu dan sudu yang bersih = “fork and spoon that are clean.”
In formal Malay you almost always use yang before adjectives or relative clauses. In very casual speech it can be dropped (e.g. garpu dan sudu bersih), but that’s less standard.

Why does the adjective bersih come after garpu dan sudu? In English adjectives go before nouns.

In Malay, adjectives follow the noun they modify. The pattern is:
Noun + Adjective
Examples:
• rumah besar = “big house”
• kereta merah = “red car”
So garpu dan sudu yang bersih naturally puts bersih at the end.

Does yang bersih describe both garpu and sudu, or just the spoon? How can I modify only one item?

In garpu dan sudu yang bersih, the relative clause yang bersih applies to the entire noun phrase “fork and spoon,” so both are understood to be clean.
To modify only one, repeat yang or split the phrase:
• garpu yang kotor dan sudu yang bersih (“a dirty fork and a clean spoon”)
• Garpu kotor, tetapi sudu bersih.

Why aren’t garpu and sudu marked for plural like in English? How do I know there’s more than one?

Malay doesn’t inflect most nouns for number. Plurality is shown by context or by adding quantifiers or numerals:
• dua garpu = “two forks”
• beberapa sudu = “several spoons”
Simply saying garpu dan sudu could mean one of each or more, depending on context.

Can I replace saya with aku, or omit it entirely? What’s the difference in tone?

• saya is neutral and polite, suitable for almost any situation.
• aku is very informal or intimate, used among close friends and can sound rude in formal settings.
You can omit saya if the recipient is clear from context, e.g. Pelayan memberi garpu dan sudu yang bersih (“The waiter gave a clean fork and spoon”), but then you lose “me.”

I don’t see words for “the” or “a” in this sentence. How do I express definiteness or indefiniteness in Malay?

Malay has no articles (“a,” “the”). Definiteness or indefiniteness comes from context or added words:
• Quantifiers (e.g. sebuah, dua, beberapa) for indefiniteness.
• Demonstratives (e.g. itu, ini) for definiteness: garpu itu = “the fork.”
In garpu dan sudu yang bersih, whether you mean “a clean fork and spoon” or “the clean fork and spoon” depends on what you’ve already discussed.