Learn Hardcore Malay: Tolong jangan mengganggu kucing dia yang sedang tidur di bawah kereta. - Please do not disturb his/her cat that is sleeping under the car.

Here Tolong functions like English “please,” softening the command. While tolong can also mean “help me (do something)” (e.g. Tolong angkat ini “Help me lift this”), in negative imperatives or polite requests it simply means “please.”

Why is jangan used here instead of tidak?

Jangan is the negative imperative marker in Malay, used to tell someone not to do something (“don’t…”). Tidak negates statements or adjectives (“not,” “no”), but you cannot use tidak to form a negative command.

Why is the verb mengganggu prefixed with meN-?

Malay verbs typically use the meN- prefix for active transitive forms. The root is ganggu (“disturb”), and meng- (before g) is the form of meN- that attaches to speakers:
• meN- + ganggu → mengganggu (“to disturb”)

Could I say jangan ganggu instead of jangan mengganggu?

Yes, in colloquial speech many drop the meN- and simply say jangan ganggu kucing dia… It’s understood. In formal writing or careful speech, you’d keep mengganggu.

Why is it kucing dia instead of kucingnya?

Dia is a colloquial way to attach a 3rd-person pronoun to a noun (kucing dia “his/her cat”). Nya is the formal suffix: kucingnya. Both mean the same, but kucing dia is very common in everyday spoken Malay.

What is the role of sedang in sedang tidur?

Sedang marks the progressive aspect—actions that are “in progress.” So sedang tidur means “(is) sleeping” or “in the middle of sleeping.” Without sedang, tidur could be a habitual or general statement.

Why is yang used before sedang tidur?

Yang introduces a relative clause modifying kucing dia. It’s like English “that” or “which” in “the cat that is sleeping.” In Malay, relative clauses follow the noun and are always introduced by yang.

Could we drop yang and just say kucing dia sedang tidur di bawah kereta?

No. In Malay, relative clauses need yang to link the clause to the noun. Without yang, the sentence would sound ungrammatical or confusing.

How does the phrase di bawah kereta work?

Di is the locative preposition (“in/at/on/under”), and bawah means “under.” Together di bawah means “under” or “beneath.” Then kereta is the noun “car.” So di bawah kereta = “under the car.”

Why isn’t there a word for the before kucing or kereta?

Malay has no definite or indefinite articles like “a,” “an,” or “the.” Nouns stand alone, and context tells you if you mean “a cat,” “the cat,” or “cats.” In translations you often supply “the” or “a” in English even though Malay doesn’t use articles.