Breakdown of Roti manis dibuat di kedai kecil.
roti
the bread
di
at
kecil
small
kedai
the shop
manis
sweet
dibuat
to be made
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Questions & Answers about Roti manis dibuat di kedai kecil.
What does roti manis mean?
roti means bread and manis means sweet. Together, roti manis is literally sweet bread.
Why does the adjective manis come after the noun roti instead of before as in English?
In Malay, adjectives normally follow the noun they describe. So you say roti manis (bread sweet) rather than sweet bread.
What function does di- serve in dibuat, and how is it different from the di in di kedai kecil?
- di- in dibuat is a passive verb prefix that turns buat (to make) into is/are made.
- The di in di kedai kecil is a preposition meaning at or in.
How is tense expressed in dibuat? Is it past, present, or something else?
Malay verbs are not inflected for tense. dibuat can mean made, was made, or is made, depending on context or added time words (for example, sekarang for now, sudah for already).
Why is there no word for is or are in this Malay sentence?
In passive constructions, the verb prefix di- already conveys the idea of is/are. Malay does not require a separate copula like adalah in this case.
Does roti need a plural marker to mean breads, or does it stay the same?
Malay typically does not mark plurality with a suffix. roti can mean bread (general or uncountable) or breads (countable). Use numbers (for example, dua roti) or quantifiers (for example, banyak roti) to make the quantity clear.
Why isn’t there a yang before kecil in kedai kecil, and when would you use yang?
Attributive adjectives usually follow nouns directly, so kedai kecil means small shop. Use yang when you need a relative clause or extra emphasis, for example kedai yang kecil (the shop that is small).