Learn Hardcore Malay: Saya menghadiri mesyuarat penting di pejabat hari ini. - I attend an important meeting at the office today.

menghadiri is formed from the root hadir meaning present/attend. The prefix me- turns the root into an active verb, and the suffix -i makes the verb transitive (i.e. the action is applied to an object). Together, they give us menghadiri, literally to attend.

Why don’t we use any article before mesyuarat penting?

Malay does not have equivalents of English “a” or “the.” mesyuarat penting can mean an important meeting or the important meeting depending on context. If you need to specify “that meeting,” you can add itu: mesyuarat penting itu (that important meeting).

Why is di used before pejabat? Could we say ke pejabat instead?

The preposition di means at/in, marking the location where something happens. So di pejabat means at the office.
By contrast, ke means to/toward, so ke pejabat means to the office. They are not interchangeable.

The sentence doesn’t have a past-tense marker. How do you express past tense in Malay?

Malay verbs are not inflected for tense. Tense is inferred from context or time words. Here, hari ini (today) implies the action took place today. To be explicit about the past, you can add sudah or telah before the verb:
• Saya sudah menghadiri…
• Saya telah menghadiri…

Can I say Saya hadir mesyuarat penting instead of menghadiri?

You could, but hadir by itself is usually intransitive (“to be present”), whereas menghadiri is the standard transitive verb for “to attend” an event or meeting. So Saya menghadiri mesyuarat penting is more natural.

Where can I place hari ini in the sentence?

Time expressions in Malay are flexible. You can say:
• Hari ini saya menghadiri mesyuarat penting di pejabat.
• Saya menghadiri mesyuarat penting di pejabat hari ini.
You may also see Saya hari ini menghadiri…, though that’s less common.

What’s the difference between mesyuarat and pertemuan?

• mesyuarat refers to a formal meeting (e.g. business, committee, official).
• pertemuan is more general—any meeting or encounter, formal or informal, planned or chance.

Is pejabat always singular? How do you say “offices” in Malay?

Malay nouns do not change form for number. pejabat can mean office or offices. To emphasize plurality, you can say banyak pejabat (many offices) or use reduplication: pejabat-pejabat (offices).