Learn Hardcore Malay: Saya simpan pasportnya di dalam beg kecil supaya dia tidak lupa. - I keep his/her passport in a small bag so that he/she does not forget.

In standard Malay, verbs often carry the meN- prefix (so menyimpan). However, in everyday speech that prefix is frequently dropped after pronouns—hence saya simpan is perfectly normal. Malay verbs don’t change form for past, present or future; you rely on context or optional time words such as:

sudah/telah (already)
sedang (currently)
akan (will)

What does the suffix -nya mean in pasportnya?

The suffix -nya is a bound third-person pronoun attached to the noun. It makes pasport definite (“the passport”) and usually carries a possessive sense (“his/her passport”). Context tells you whether it’s simply “the passport” or specifically “his/her passport.”

Why is di dalam beg kecil used rather than just dalam beg kecil?

Both dalam and di dalam can mean “in/inside,” but adding the locative prefix di- (to get di dalam) makes the preposition explicit and unambiguous. In formal contexts di dalam is clearer, though in casual speech you might sometimes hear just dalam.

Why does kecil follow beg instead of preceding it?

In Malay, adjectives normally follow the nouns they modify. So beg kecil literally reads “bag small,” equivalent to English “small bag.” Placing the adjective first (kecil beg) would be ungrammatical in standard Malay.

What purpose does supaya serve here?

supaya means “so that” or “in order to.” It introduces a purpose clause explaining why you stored the passport in a small bag—to make sure “he/she does not forget.”

Why is tidak placed before lupa, and how can I express “will not forget”?

tidak is the general negator for verbs and adjectives, so tidak lupa means “does not forget.” To explicitly signal future you can add akan:

supaya dia tidak akan lupa (“so that he/she will not forget”)
But often tidak lupa alone suffices when the context makes the time frame clear.

Can I use agar instead of supaya?

Yes. agar and supaya are interchangeable in purpose clauses; both mean “so that.” For example,

Saya simpan pasportnya di dalam beg kecil agar dia tidak lupa.

Is it acceptable to say pasport dia instead of pasportnya?

In spoken and informal Malay, pasport dia (using the free pronoun dia after the noun) is common for “his/her passport.” In formal writing, the bound pronoun -nya (pasportnya) is preferred.