Saya memanggil adik sebelum makan malam.

I call my younger sibling before dinner.

Breakdown of Saya memanggil adik sebelum makan malam.

• saya: I
• sebelum: before
• makan malam: the dinner
• adik: the younger sibling
• memanggil: to call

Questions & Answers about Saya memanggil adik sebelum makan malam.

Why does panggil become memanggil in this sentence?

Malay uses the me- prefix to turn many noun/verb roots into active transitive verbs. When you add me- to a root that begins with p, the initial p drops and becomes m. So panggil (call) → memanggil (to call someone).

How can I tell that the action happened in the past? Malay doesn’t change the verb form for tense, right?

Correct—Malay verbs don’t inflect for past, present, or future. You rely on:

• Time words (here sebelum = before).
• Context or additional particles like sudah or telah (both mean already).
  If you wanted to emphasize “already called,” you could say:
• Saya sudah memanggil adik sebelum makan malam.
• Saya telah memanggil adik sebelum makan malam.

Can I move sebelum makan malam to the front of the sentence?

Yes. Malay allows flexible placement of time phrases. Both are correct:

• Sebelum makan malam, saya memanggil adik.
• Saya memanggil adik sebelum makan malam.

What does adik mean? Does it always refer to a sibling?

Adik literally means younger sibling (younger brother or younger sister). In informal usage you can also call any younger person “adik” as a term of address (like “little one”), but in most contexts it means your own brother/sister.

Should I say adik saya to mean “my younger sibling”?

If the owner of adik isn’t clear from context, you normally add the possessive pronoun: adik saya = my sibling. If you’re already talking about your family, dropping saya is fine.

What’s the difference between memanggil and memanggilkan?

• memanggil = you call or summon someone yourself.
• memanggilkan = you get someone else to call or summon (you arrange for a third party).
  Example:
• Saya memanggil adik. (I called my sibling.)
• Saya memanggilkan doktor. (I asked someone to call the doctor for me.)

Could I just say Saya panggil adik sebelum makan malam in casual speech?

In very colloquial speech, especially in certain regions, people sometimes drop me- and say panggil in conversation. But in standard Malay you should use memanggil for clarity and correctness.

How would I turn this into a question or negative?

To ask “Did you call your sibling before dinner?” you can say:

• Adakah kamu memanggil adik sebelum makan malam? (formal)
• Kamu sudah memanggil adik sebelum makan malam? (less formal)
  To negate “I did not call my sibling before dinner”:
• Saya tidak memanggil adik sebelum makan malam.
• Or Saya tak panggil adik sebelum makan malam. in informal speech.