Breakdown of Saya berbisik kepada kucing saya di taman.
saya
I
di
in
kucing
the cat
kepada
to
taman
the park
berbisik
to whisper
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Questions & Answers about Saya berbisik kepada kucing saya di taman.
What does berbisik mean and how is it formed?
berbisik means “to whisper.” It’s built from the root bisik (“whisper”) plus the prefix ber-, which in Malay often turns a noun or root into an intransitive verb (i.e. an action you do yourself).
Why is kepada used here and what does it translate to?
kepada functions as the preposition “to” or “towards” and marks the recipient of the action. In Malay you generally say berbisik kepada orang (“whisper to someone”) rather than placing the person directly after the verb.
Why is saya used twice in the sentence?
The first saya is the subject pronoun “I.” The second saya is a possessive pronoun modifying kucing (“cat”), so kucing saya means “my cat.” Malay places the possessor after the noun.
Why isn’t the verb just bisik or membisik instead of berbisik?
– bisik by itself is the noun “whisper” or a root form, not a standalone verb.
– berbisik is the intransitive verb “to whisper (to someone).”
– membisik is a transitive form (using the prefix mem-), meaning “to whisper something (to someone).” You’d use membisik if you specify what you whispered: Saya membisik rahsia itu (“I whispered that secret”).
Is berbisik transitive or intransitive and how can I tell?
berbisik is intransitive because it doesn’t take a direct object. You whisper to someone (indirect object marked with kepada), but you don’t “whisper someone.” If you need a direct object (“whisper a message”), you switch to the transitive membisik form.
What does di taman mean, and why is there no “the” or “a” before taman?
di is the preposition “in/at/on,” and taman means “garden” or “park.” Malay has no articles like “the” or “a,” so di taman can mean “in the park” or “in a park,” with the exact sense derived from context or additional words (e.g. di taman itu = “in that park”).
How do you indicate past or future tense in Malay since there’s no tense marker here?
Malay verbs don’t inflect for tense. You add time words or particles:
- Past: sudah, telah, or a time adverb (e.g. semalam).
- Future: akan or a future time expression.
So “I whispered to my cat yesterday” could be Saya sudah berbisik kepada kucing saya semalam.
Could I say Aku berbisik kepada kucing aku di taman instead? What’s different?
Yes. aku is an informal pronoun (“I/me”) used in casual speech, while saya is neutral or polite. Both kucing aku and kucing saya mean “my cat,” but kucing aku sounds more colloquial.
How would I say “I whispered softly to my cat in the park”?
You can add an adverb like perlahan-perlahan (“slowly/softly”) or diam-diam (“quietly/secretly”):
Saya berbisik perlahan-perlahan kepada kucing saya di taman.
or
Saya diam-diam berbisik kepada kucing saya di taman.