Breakdown of Lampu di bilik saya malap, jadi cermin di dinding sukar dilihat.
adalah
to be
di
at
di
in
saya
my
bilik
the room
jadi
so
dinding
the wall
lampu
the light
malap
dim
cermin
the mirror
sukar
hard
dilihat
to be seen
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Questions & Answers about Lampu di bilik saya malap, jadi cermin di dinding sukar dilihat.
What does malap mean in this sentence?
malap is an adjective meaning “dim” or “low in brightness.” It describes lighting that is not very strong—similar to “remang-remang” in Malay.
Why is the location expressed as di bilik saya instead of another word order?
In Malay, you place the preposition di (meaning “in” or “at”) before a noun phrase.
- bilik saya means “my room.”
- di bilik saya literally “in my room.”
You cannot split di from its noun; it always attaches directly to the place.
How do I know that di is the locative preposition here and not the passive marker for a verb?
Context and spacing tell you which di you’re dealing with:
- As a preposition, di stands alone before a noun (e.g., di bilik).
- As a passive prefix, it attaches directly to a verb without a space (e.g., dilihat, diambil, dianugerahi).
What role does jadi play in the sentence?
jadi is a conjunction meaning “so” or “therefore.” It links cause and effect:
Lampu ... malap, jadi cermin ... sukar dilihat.
= The lamp is dim, so the mirror is hard to see.
Why is it sukar dilihat instead of sukar untuk dilihat?
Malay adjectives like sukar can directly take a passive verb:
- sukar dilihat (“hard to see”)
Adding untuk is optional for emphasis or style: - sukar untuk dilihat is also correct but slightly more formal.
Is sukar the same as susah? When do I use each?
Both mean “difficult/hard.”
- sukar is a bit more formal or literary.
- susah is more colloquial and common in daily speech.
You can swap them here without changing the meaning.
Why does Malay have no “the” before cermin or cermin di dinding?
Malay does not use articles like “a,” “an,” or “the.” Definiteness is understood from context.
If needed, you can add itu (“that”) after a noun for emphasis:
- cermin itu di dinding = “that mirror on the wall.”
Could you explain cermin di dinding? Does di always cover “on,” “at,” and “in”?
Yes. di is a general locative preposition for “in,” “at,” or “on.”
- cermin di dinding = “the mirror on/against the wall.”
If you want to emphasize “against” or “on top of,” you might add a verb like terpacak di or tersangkut di, but di dinding alone is standard for “on the wall.”