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Questions & Answers about Di jalan gelap ada bahaya.
What is the function of di in this sentence?
Di is a preposition indicating location, equivalent to in, on, or at in English. Here it tells us where something exists—“at/on/in the dark road.”
Why is there no word for the before jalan?
Malay does not use definite or indefinite articles (no the or a/an). Context alone tells you whether a noun is definite or indefinite.
Why does gelap come after jalan? Is that the normal adjective order?
Yes. In Malay, adjectives follow the noun they describe. So jalan gelap literally means “road dark” (i.e. “dark road”).
What does ada mean here? I’ve seen it used for have as in saya ada kucing.
Besides have, ada also works like the English existential “there is/are.” In “Di jalan gelap ada bahaya,” it means “there is danger.”
Is bahaya a noun or an adjective? Could it mean dangerous?
Bahaya is primarily a noun meaning “danger.” To form “dangerous,” you’d usually say “berbahaya.”
Can I switch the word order to “Ada bahaya di jalan gelap”?
Yes. “Ada bahaya di jalan gelap” is equally correct. Moving ada to the front emphasizes existence first (“There is danger…”), whereas the original puts more focus on the location.
Could I add yang before gelap, like “Di jalan yang gelap ada bahaya”?
Absolutely. Yang introduces a relative clause—“the road that is dark.” It’s more formal or explicit but not required if the meaning is clear without it.
How do I pronounce jalan gelap ada bahaya?
Break it into syllables:
- jalan = ja-lan
- gelap = ge-lap
- ada = a-da
- bahaya = ba-ha-ya
Stress is usually even; no single syllable is heavily emphasized.