Breakdown of Saya menunggu awak di stesen kereta api.
saya
I
awak
you
di
at
menunggu
to wait
stesen kereta api
the train station
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Questions & Answers about Saya menunggu awak di stesen kereta api.
What does Saya mean, and when should I use it?
Saya means I. It’s a first-person singular pronoun used in polite or neutral contexts. Among very close friends or in informal settings, you might hear aku, but saya is universally understood and safe.
Why is the verb menunggu prefixed with me(n)-?
Malay uses affixes (like me(n)-, di-, ber-, etc.) to form verbs from root words. The root tunggu means wait, and adding men- (which becomes men- before certain consonants) yields menunggu, an active transitive verb meaning wait for. The prefix signals that the verb takes a direct object.
Why do we say menunggu awak and not menunggu untuk awak?
In Malay, transitive verbs with the me(n)- prefix directly take their object without an additional preposition. So you say menunggu awak (wait for you). Adding untuk (for) would be redundant and is not used in this construction.
What does awak mean, and can we use other words for you in Malay?
Awak is a second-person singular pronoun meaning you, widely used in Malaysia. Alternatives include kamu (common in Indonesian informal speech) and anda (more formal or polite in both Malaysia and Indonesia). Choose based on formality and regional norms.
What does di do in di stesen kereta api?
Di is a preposition indicating location (at, in, or on). Placed before a noun, it shows where an action happens. Here, di stesen kereta api means at the railway station.
Why is there no article like the or a before stesen kereta api?
Malay does not use articles such as the, a, or an. You simply say stesen kereta api for the railway station, a railway station, or just railway station, with context clarifying definiteness.
How are compound nouns like stesen kereta api formed in Malay?
Malay forms compounds by stringing nouns together without hyphens or linking words. For example, kereta means car/vehicle and api means fire, so kereta api literally is fire vehicle (i.e., train). Adding stesen before that gives stesen kereta api, meaning railway station.
Can I start the sentence with di stesen kereta api, like Di stesen kereta api, saya menunggu awak?
Yes. Malay allows you to front locative or topical elements for emphasis. Di stesen kereta api, saya menunggu awak is grammatical and shifts focus to the location while retaining the meaning I am waiting for you at the railway station.