Learn Hardcore Malay: Internet mesra kanak-kanak di rumah ini sepatutnya lebih laju, tetapi sambungan masih perlahan. - The child-friendly internet in this house is supposed to be faster, but the connection is still slow.

mesra kanak-kanak literally means “friendly to children.” In practice it’s equivalent to child-friendly. Here it is an adjective phrase modifying Internet, so Internet mesra kanak-kanak = “child-friendly Internet.”

You can similarly form:

mesra pengguna = user-friendly
mesra alam = eco-friendly

Why is sepatutnya used, and how does it differ from patut or seharusnya?

sepatutnya expresses an expectation or something that “should have been” the case.

patut (verb/adjective) means “should” in a more colloquial sense: Kau patut datang awal.
seharusnya is very close to sepatutnya, often more formal, and can also mean “ideally.”

In our sentence, sepatutnya lebih laju = “should be faster” (but apparently isn’t).

Why does the sentence say lebih laju instead of lebih cepat?

While both laju and cepat can translate as “fast,” there’s a subtle nuance:

cepat often describes actions (e.g. berjalan cepat, “walk quickly”).
laju is preferred for speeds or rates of flow (e.g. vehicles, wind, data).

Since we’re talking about Internet speed, lebih laju (“faster rate”) sounds more natural than lebih cepat.

What role does masih play in sambungan masih perlahan?

masih means “still” or “continuing to be.” It indicates that the condition hasn’t changed yet. So

sambungan masih perlahan = “the connection is still slow.”

What exactly is sambungan, and why not use koneksi or hubungan?

sambungan = “connection” in the sense of linking devices or networks.
koneksi is a direct loan from English and is understood, but more informal/colloquial.
hubungan usually refers to relationships or abstract connections (e.g. hubungan persaudaraan).

Thus, sambungan Internet is the standard way to say “Internet connection.”

Why is di rumah ini placed after Internet mesra kanak-kanak, and can we move it?

Malay allows flexible word order for adverbial phrases. di rumah ini is a locative phrase (“at this house”). You can place it:

At the front: Di rumah ini, Internet mesra kanak-kanak…
In the middle (as given): Internet mesra kanak-kanak di rumah ini…
At the end: Internet mesra kanak-kanak sepatutnya lebih laju di rumah ini.

All are grammatically correct; the emphasis shifts slightly depending on position.

Why doesn’t kanak-kanak carry a plural marker to mean “children”?

In Malay, many nouns, including kanak-kanak, are the same in singular and plural form. Context tells you if it means “child” or “children.” Here mesra kanak-kanak implies friendliness toward any or all children, so no extra marker is needed.