Saya baca tajuk surat khabar di kedai.

I read the newspaper headline at the shop.

Breakdown of Saya baca tajuk surat khabar di kedai.

• saya: I
• di: at
• kedai: the shop
• baca: to read
• surat khabar: the newspaper
• tajuk: the headline

Questions & Answers about Saya baca tajuk surat khabar di kedai.

Why is the verb baca not in its full form membaca?

In colloquial and even semi-formal Malay, it’s very common to use the bare root verb (here baca) instead of the meN-prefix form (membaca). Both mean “to read.” The prefixed membaca is more typical in formal writing or when you need to add tense/aspect markers like telah (“has read”) or sedang (“is reading”).

How do you express “I read” in the past or perfect sense?

Malay verbs don’t change form for tense. To indicate past or completed action you add time/aspect words. For example:

• Saya sudah membaca tajuk… (“I have read the headline…”)
• Semalam saya baca tajuk… (“Yesterday I read the headline…”)

How do you express “I am reading” (progressive aspect)?

Insert sedang before the verb:
Saya sedang membaca tajuk surat khabar di kedai.
Here sedang + membaca = “am reading.”

How does the noun phrase tajuk surat khabar work? Why are there two nouns back-to-back?

Malay noun phrases are head-modifier: the main noun (head) comes first, then its qualifier.

• tajuk = “title” or “headline” (head)
• surat khabar = “newspaper” (modifier)
  Together: “headline of (a) newspaper.”

What’s the difference between tajuk and judul?

• tajuk is used for headlines, article titles, chapter headings, or news titles.
• judul is preferred for titles of books, films, songs, academic papers, etc.

Why aren’t there words like “the” or “a” before kedai?

Malay has no equivalent of the English definite/indefinite articles “the” or “a.” You simply say kedai for “(a/the) shop.” You add demonstratives or possessives if you need specificity:

• kedai itu = “that shop”
• kedai saya = “my shop”

Why is di used before kedai? Can I use ke instead?

• di marks a static location: di kedai = “at/in the shop.”
• ke marks movement toward: ke kedai = “to the shop.”

How do you make surat khabar or tajuk plural?

You can rely on context (often no plural marking is needed) or use reduplication for emphasis/informality:

• surat-surat khabar = “newspapers”
• tajuk-tajuk = “headlines”

How do you pronounce the kh in khabar?

In Malay, kh represents a voiceless velar stop similar to k, sometimes with slight aspiration. It’s not the Arabic /x/ sound. So pronounce kha-bar almost like ka-bar with a tiny puff of air.

Can the location phrase di kedai come at the beginning of the sentence?

Yes. Malay is flexible with adverbials. You can say:
Di kedai, saya baca tajuk surat khabar.
This simply puts emphasis on the location first; the meaning stays the same.