Learn Hardcore Malay: Bagasi beratnya memerlukan diskaun khusus di kaunter bayaran. - His/Her heavy luggage requires a special discount at the payment counter.

It marks berat (“heavy”) as a definite noun – “the heaviness” or “the weight.”
It also functions like a third-person possessive – “its heavy baggage.”
So bagasi beratnya literally means “its baggage’s weight” or more idiomatically “its heavy baggage.” You could rephrase with a relative clause: Bagasi yang berat memerlukan… (“Baggage that is heavy requires…”).

Could we drop -nya and just say Bagasi berat memerlukan diskaun khusus…?

Yes.
• Bagasi berat memerlukan… means “Heavy baggage requires…” in a general sense (indefinite).
• Bagasi beratnya memerlukan… refers to a specific baggage’s weight (definite/possessive).

Why is the adjective khusus placed after the noun diskaun?

Malay normally follows the pattern Noun + Adjective.
• diskaun khusus = “discount special” (i.e. “special discount”).
In English it’s Adjective + Noun, but in Malay it’s reversed.

How is the verb memerlukan formed and what do its parts mean?

memerlukan breaks down as:
• meN- (active verb prefix)
• perlu (root meaning “need”)
• -kan (suffix often used to make verbs transitive or causative)
Put together, memerlukan = “to require,” “to need something.”

What does kaunter bayaran mean? Is it the same as kaunter pembayaran?

• kaunter = “counter”
• bayaran = “payment” (noun form of bayar)
So kaunter bayaran = “payment counter.”
pembayaran is another noun form of “bayar,” so kaunter pembayaran also works. Both are understood, though kaunter bayaran is more commonly seen.

What is the function of di in di kaunter bayaran?

di is a locative preposition meaning “at,” “in,” or “on.”
Here it marks the place where the action happens:
“at the payment counter.”

Is diskaun a borrowed word? Are there native Malay alternatives?

Yes, diskaun is borrowed from English discount.
Native alternatives include:
• potongan harga (“price cut,” literally “cutting of price”)
• potongan (“deduction”)
All convey the idea of a discount.

How would you make the sentence negative?

Insert tidak before the verb:
Bagasi beratnya tidak memerlukan diskaun khusus di kaunter bayaran.
= “Its heavy baggage does not require a special discount at the payment counter.”

Can I reorder the sentence for emphasis?

Yes. Malay is flexible. For example:
• Di kaunter bayaran, bagasi beratnya memerlukan diskaun khusus. (emphasize location)
• Memerlukan diskaun khusus di kaunter bayaran bagasi beratnya. (poetic or stylized)
But the original order is the most neutral and common.