Learn Hardcore Malay: Dia ketawa apabila saya buat lawak.

Dia is the third-person singular pronoun in Malay. It can mean he, she, or even it, depending on context. Malay pronouns do not distinguish gender.

Why is there no gender indication for dia? How do we know if it’s “he” or “she”?

Malay does not mark gender in its pronouns. You rely on context or additional information to know whether dia refers to a male or a female.

What part of speech is ketawa, and why isn’t it inflected for tense?

Ketawa is a verb in its base form meaning to laugh. Malay verbs never change form for tense, person, or number. Time is indicated by context, adverbs, or auxiliary words rather than by verb conjugation.

How would I express a continuous action (“was laughing”) or a completed action (“had laughed”)?

– For continuous/progressive: add sedang before the verb, e.g. dia sedang ketawa (“he/she was laughing”).
– For completed/past perfect: use sudah or telah before or after the verb, e.g. dia sudah ketawa or dia ketawa sudah (“he/she has/had laughed”). You can also add time adverbs like tadi (“earlier”) for clarity.

What does apabila mean, and can I use other words for “when”?

Apabila means when and introduces a time clause. In casual speech, you can also use bila or masa, and in more formal/written contexts ketika is common. All carry roughly the same meaning.

Can I move the time clause around? For example, start with apabila?

Yes. Malay word order is flexible for subordinate clauses. You can say:
“Apabila saya buat lawak, dia ketawa.”
The meaning remains exactly the same.

What does buat mean here, and why not membuat?

Buat is the root verb for “make/do.” In everyday spoken Malay, speakers use the bare root (buat) instead of the formal prefix form (membuat). Membuat lawak would sound more formal or book-ish.

What does lawak mean, and why is there no article like “a” or “the”?

Lawak is a noun meaning joke or funny remark. Malay does not have definite or indefinite articles (no “a” or “the”). You simply use the noun on its own.

Are there other ways to say “make a joke” or “joke” in Malay?

Yes. Instead of buat lawak, you can use the intransitive verb bergurau, e.g. saya bergurau (“I’m joking”). Another colloquial option is melawak, especially when talking about comedians (“berlawan jenaka”).