Learn Hardcore Malay: Saya jimat belanja agar boleh beli buku penting. - I save on expenses so that I can buy an important book.

In this sentence, jimat acts as a verb meaning “to save” or “to economize.” Although the more formal verb forms are menjimat or the causative menjimatkan, colloquial Malay often uses the root jimat directly. So Saya jimat belanja literally means “I save (on) expenses.”

Why is belanja used after jimat, and what does belanja mean here?

Belanja is a noun meaning “spending,” “expenses,” or “expenditure.” When you say jimat belanja, you’re specifying what you’re saving on—your spending. Without belanja, jimat alone would simply mean “be thrifty” in a general sense.

Why do we use agar boleh instead of untuk membeli?

Agar means “so that” or “in order that,” and pairing it with boleh (“can”) highlights the goal of making something possible: “so that I can.” If you use untuk, you form untuk membeli (“to buy”), which also expresses purpose but without stressing capability. Both are correct, e.g.:

Saya jimat belanja agar boleh beli buku penting.
Saya jimat belanja untuk membeli buku penting.

What other words can replace agar in Malay purpose clauses?

You can substitute agar with supaya in most contexts; both mean “so that.” Supaya tends to feel more conversational:

Saya jimat belanja supaya boleh beli buku penting.
You could also use dengan (harapan) agar in very formal writing, but agar and supaya cover most daily needs.

Why is the adjective penting placed after buku, and how do we show plurality or definiteness?

In Malay, adjectives follow the noun they modify. So buku penting means “important book(s).” Malay doesn’t use articles (a/the) and usually doesn’t mark plurals; context fills in singular vs. plural. If you want to emphasize plurality, you can reduplicate: buku-buku penting.

Why is there no subject before boleh beli? Who is doing the buying?

Malay often omits the subject in subordinate clauses when it’s the same as in the main clause. Here, Saya (I) is implied in boleh beli, so it reads “so that (I) can buy.”

Why use beli instead of the more formal membeli?

Beli is the root or base form of the verb “to buy,” and it’s very common in speech and informal writing. Membeli is the affixed, more formal equivalent. Both are correct:

Informal: Saya jimat belanja agar boleh beli buku penting.
Formal: Saya menjimatkan perbelanjaan agar boleh membeli buku penting.

Could we rephrase the sentence using berjimat or menjimatkan?

Yes. Here are two alternatives:

Saya berjimat supaya boleh beli buku penting.
Berjimat is an intransitive verb meaning “to be thrifty.”
Saya menjimatkan belanja agar saya boleh beli buku penting.
Menjimatkan is the standard causative form, and adding saya before boleh is more explicit.

What’s the difference between boleh and dapat in this context?

Both boleh and dapat can mean “can” or “to be able to.” Boleh usually refers to permission or capability, while dapat often emphasizes the achievement or obtaining of something. You can say:

Saya jimat belanja agar boleh beli buku penting.
Saya jimat belanja agar dapat beli buku penting.
Both are natural, with dapat slightly tilting toward “in order to succeed in buying.”