Berapa kali pegawai akan periksa pasport saya sebelum saya berlepas?

How many times will the officer check my passport before I depart?

Breakdown of Berapa kali pegawai akan periksa pasport saya sebelum saya berlepas?

• saya: I
• sebelum: before
• akan: will
• pasport: the passport
• pegawai: the officer
• berlepas: to depart
• berapa: how many
• kali: the time
• periksa: to check

Questions & Answers about Berapa kali pegawai akan periksa pasport saya sebelum saya berlepas?

Why is berapa kali used in this question?

The phrase berapa kali asks “how many times.” Berapa alone means “how much” or “how many” in general, but to specify frequency (i.e. “times”), you add kali.

Why is the verb written as periksa rather than memeriksa?

The root verb is memeriksa, which normally takes the meN- prefix. In everyday speech, speakers often drop the prefix and use the bare form periksa. The fully formal version would be “pegawai akan memeriksa pasport saya...”

What’s the function of akan in this sentence?

Akan is a future-tense marker meaning “will.” Malay verbs don’t change form for tense, so you use akan to show that the action happens in the future.

Why is the possessor placed after the noun in pasport saya? Could it be saya pasport?

In Malay, possession is shown by placing the possessor after the noun: pasport saya = “my passport.” Saya pasport would sound odd because saya means “I/me,” not “my.”

What does sebelum do in sebelum saya berlepas? Can I omit the second saya?

Sebelum means “before” and introduces a time clause. You can omit saya if the subject is clear: sebelum berlepas still means “before (I) depart.” Including saya simply makes it explicit.

What does berlepas mean, and could I use berangkat instead?

Berlepas literally means “to depart” or “to take off,” often for planes or ships. Berangkat also means “to depart” but is more general (e.g. leaving home). Both are correct; berlepas emphasizes the actual take-off.

Why is there no question word like adakah or apakah at the start?

Wh-questions in Malay (who, what, where, when, why, how, berapa) don’t require adakah or apakah. You simply begin with the question word—in this case berapa kali.

Could I change this into passive voice? How would that look?

Yes. In passive voice you’d say:
Berapa kali pasport saya akan diperiksa oleh pegawai sebelum saya berlepas?
Here diperiksa is the passive form (“be checked”) and oleh pegawai marks the agent.