Basikal sewa itu ringan, jadi saya pun boleh naik bukit tanpa letih.

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Breakdown of Basikal sewa itu ringan, jadi saya pun boleh naik bukit tanpa letih.

• adalah: to be
• itu: that
• boleh: to be able

Questions & Answers about Basikal sewa itu ringan, jadi saya pun boleh naik bukit tanpa letih.

In Basikal sewa itu ringan, what does basikal sewa mean, and why is sewa placed after basikal?

In Malay, nouns can modify other nouns by following them. Here, sewa (“rent” or “rental”) modifies basikal (“bicycle”), so basikal sewa literally means “rental bicycle” or “bicycle for hire.” You might also see sewaan basikal or basikal sewaan (using the -an suffix), but basikal sewa is a concise, colloquial form.

What role does itu play in basikal sewa itu, as opposed to placing it before the noun?

itu is a demonstrative meaning “that.” In Malay, demonstratives (ini = “this,” itu = “that”) follow the noun they refer to: e.g. rumah ini (“this house”), kerusi itu (“that chair”). So basikal sewa itu = “that rental bicycle.”

Why does the sentence omit the verb “to be,” and why is the adjective ringan placed after the noun?

• Malay often drops the copula adalah (“is”) in everyday speech. The fully formal version would be Basikal sewa itu adalah ringan.
• Adjectives follow the noun they describe: buku baru (“new book”), rumah besar (“big house”), basikal ringan (“light bicycle”).