Breakdown of Saya memulakan kerjaya baru di pejabat ini.
saya
I
ini
this
di
in
baru
new
pejabat
the office
memulakan
to start
kerjaya
the career
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Questions & Answers about Saya memulakan kerjaya baru di pejabat ini.
Why is the verb used here memulakan instead of just mula?
Mula is the root word meaning “to begin” intransitively (you just begin). When you add the me-…-kan affixes around mula, it becomes memulakan, a transitive verb meaning “to start something.” In this sentence, you are starting a career, so you need the transitive form memulakan.
What is the difference between kerjaya, pekerjaan, and kerja?
- Kerjaya = career (the long-term professional path you build)
- Pekerjaan = a job or employment (more neutral, can be any work you do)
- Kerja = work in general (can mean “work,” “task,” or “job” in casual speech)
Here, kerjaya is correct because it emphasizes launching a new career.
Why is baru placed after kerjaya and not before it?
In Malay, adjectives typically follow the nouns they modify. So you say kerjaya baru (“career new”) just as you would say rumah besar (“house big”) for “big house.”
What does di pejabat ini literally mean, and why isn’t there a word for “the”?
- di = at/in
- pejabat = office
- ini = this
Literally, di pejabat ini = “at this office.” Malay does not have a direct equivalent for the English definite article the, so you simply use the noun plus ini (“this”) or itu (“that”) to specify.
Can saya be omitted in this sentence?
Yes. Malay often drops subject pronouns when the subject is clear from context. Saying Memulakan kerjaya baru di pejabat ini still makes sense, but including saya clarifies that I am the one doing the action and sounds more formal.
How do you express tense in Malay, since memulakan doesn’t change form?
Malay verbs do not inflect for tense. You rely on time markers (e.g., sudah for past, akan for future) or contextual clues.
- Past: Saya sudah memulakan kerjaya baru…
- Present/future: Saya akan memulakan kerjaya baru…
Without those markers, readers infer timing from context.
Could I instead say Saya memulai kerjaya baru di pejabat ini?
Memulai is the Indonesian form of the verb. In Standard Malay, you should use memulakan. Using memulai may sound Indonesian to Malay speakers.