Saya perlu pasport baharu sebelum saya tempah tiket.

I need a new passport before I book a ticket.

Breakdown of Saya perlu pasport baharu sebelum saya tempah tiket.

• saya: I
• sebelum: before
• perlu: to need
• baharu: new
• pasport: the passport
• tempah: to book
• tiket: the ticket

Questions & Answers about Saya perlu pasport baharu sebelum saya tempah tiket.

What does perlu mean, and how is it used in this sentence?

perlu is a modal verb meaning “need” or “must.” It’s placed directly after the subject (here saya) to indicate necessity. For example:

• Saya perlu makan. = “I need to eat.”

Why is pasport baharu structured with the noun first and the adjective second? Could it be baharu pasport?

In Malay, adjectives generally follow the noun they modify. So you say pasport baharu (“new passport”), not baharu pasport. Putting the adjective after the noun is the standard word order:

• Noun + Adjective

What’s the difference between baharu and baru?

Both mean “new,” but:

• baharu is slightly more formal or literary.
• baru is more common in everyday speech.
  You can often use them interchangeably, though official documents tend to prefer baharu.

Why is the pronoun saya repeated before tempah tiket? Is it necessary?

Repeating saya at the start of each clause clarifies who is doing the action. In casual speech you can drop the second saya if context is clear:

• Saya perlu pasport baharu sebelum tempah tiket.
  But including it is perfectly normal and avoids ambiguity.

What does tempah mean here? Can I use pesan instead?

tempah means “to book” or “to reserve” (tickets, hotel rooms, services). pesan also means “to order” or “to book,” especially in informal contexts. So you could say:

• Saya perlu pasport baharu sebelum saya pesan tiket.
  However, tempah is the more standard choice for formal reservations.

How is tense expressed in this Malay sentence?

Malay does not use verb conjugation for tense. Instead, time is understood from context or added time words. Here, “before I book” implies a future sequence. If you need to be explicit, you can add words like akan (will) or a time adverb:

• Saya perlu pasport baharu sebelum saya akan tempah tiket.

Can I switch the order of the clauses?

Yes. Malay allows flexibility:

• Sebelum saya tempah tiket, saya perlu pasport baharu.
  This still means “Before I book the ticket, I need a new passport,” with the subordinate clause first.