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Questions & Answers about Dia kata kucing itu comel.
What does Dia mean? Is it gender-specific?
Dia is a third-person singular pronoun that can mean “he” or “she.” Malay pronouns do not indicate gender, so context tells you whether dia refers to a male or a female.
What does kata mean, and how is it different from berkata?
Kata means “say” or “said” and is the root form of the verb used colloquially in Malay. Berkata is a more formal form with the prefix ber-, but both translate as “to say.”
Why isn’t there a word for “is”? How do you express “is” in Malay?
Malay generally omits a copula for simple descriptions. You place the adjective directly after the noun (e.g., kucing comel = “cute cat”). A formal copula adalah exists but is usually left out in everyday speech.
Why is there no tense marker for kata? How is tense indicated in Malay?
Malay verbs do not change form for tense. Time is shown by context or by adding time words such as sudah (already) for past, sedang (currently) for progressive, or akan (will) for future.
What role does itu play after kucing?
Itu is a demonstrative meaning “that” or functioning like the definite article “the.” In Malay, demonstratives follow the noun, so kucing itu = “that cat” or “the cat.”
What does comel mean, and why is it at the end?
Comel means “cute.” Adjectives in Malay normally follow the noun they modify, hence kucing comel = “cute cat.”
Can I use ini instead of itu? What’s the difference?
Yes. Kucing ini means “this cat” (near the speaker), while kucing itu means “that cat” (farther away or previously mentioned).
Why isn’t there a word for “that” (like bahawa) between kata and kucing itu comel?
In Malay, the conjunction bahawa (“that”) is optional in reported speech. You can say Dia kata bahawa kucing itu comel, but most speakers simply drop bahawa for brevity.