Dia kata kucing itu comel.

he/she

Breakdown of Dia kata kucing itu comel.

• adalah: to be
• itu: that
• kucing: the cat

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?