Learn Hardcore Malay: Malam tadi, saya membaca buku sejarah sebelum tidur. - Last night, I read a history book before sleeping.

malam means “night” and tadi marks “earlier” in the same day‐time period. Combined, malam tadi literally means “the night that has just passed,” i.e. last night.
By contrast, semalam is a single word for yesterday (covering the entire previous day, including its night). So if you want to be more specific about the night portion, you’d use malam tadi.

Why is there a comma after malam tadi?

In Malay, when you put a time or place phrase at the very start of a sentence (a fronted adverbial), it’s common—though not mandatory—to follow it with a comma. It helps to signal a pause and separate that phrase from the main clause:
Malam tadi, saya membaca buku sejarah sebelum tidur.

How do you express past tense in Malay, since membaca doesn’t change form?

Malay verbs don’t inflect for tense. Instead, you rely on time words (adverbials) and, if you like, aspect markers. In this sentence, tadi signals the past. If you want an explicit perfective feel (“have read”), you can add words like sudah or telah:
– Saya sudah membaca buku sejarah sebelum tidur.

Why is membaca used here instead of baca or membacakan?

– baca is the root form and often appears in commands (e.g. “Baca ini!”) or colloquially without prefix.
– membaca is the standard active, transitive form (“to read something”).
– membacakan (with suffix –kan) means “to read something to someone” (a causative sense).
Since the sentence simply means “I read a history book,” membaca is the correct neutral choice.

Where is the word for the before buku sejarah? Does Malay use articles?

Malay has no equivalent of the English definite article the. Nouns stand alone without a, an, or the. Definiteness is understood from context or added demonstratives:
– buku sejarah = “(a/the) history book”
– buku sejarah itu = “that history book”

What does saya mean here? Can I use aku or other pronouns?

saya is the first‐person pronoun for “I” in a neutral or polite register.
You can use other pronouns depending on formality and closeness:
– aku – informal/inimate
– kita, kami – “we” (inclusive/exclusive)
– dia, beliau – “he/she” (colloquial vs. polite)
In written or polite contexts, saya is safest.

In buku sejarah, which is the noun and which is the modifier? Why is it buku + sejarah?

Malay noun phrases are head‐first.
– buku (head noun = “book”)
– sejarah (post‐nominal noun acting like “history”)
Together they form “history book.” You don’t reverse the order (you wouldn’t say sejarah buku).

What is the function of sebelum tidur, and why is there no subject before tidur?

sebelum is a preposition meaning “before,” and tidur is the intransitive verb “to sleep.”
– sebelum tidur = “before sleeping.”
You omit a subject here because it’s understood to refer back to saya. If you wanted to be explicit, you could say sebelum saya tidur, but it’s common to drop it.

Can I rearrange the parts of the sentence, for example putting the time expression at the end?

Yes. Malay word order is fairly flexible with adverbials. You could say:
– Saya membaca buku sejarah sebelum tidur malam tadi.
– Saya malam tadi membaca buku sejarah sebelum tidur.
– Saya membaca buku sejarah malam tadi sebelum tidur.
All are understandable; starting with the time phrase (malam tadi) or the subject (saya) depends on what you want to emphasize.