Learn Hardcore Malay: Saya menyapa bos di pejabat pagi tadi. - I greeted the boss at the office this morning.

In Malay, to form an active transitive verb you add the mem- prefix to the root word. The root here is sapa (“greet”), and when you attach mem- it becomes menyapa. Because s is the initial consonant of sapa, the prefix mem- undergoes an assimilation rule and surfaces as meny-, giving menyapa.

There’s no “the” before bos or pejabat—why not?

Malay does not use definite or indefinite articles like the or a/an. Nouns stand alone, and context tells you whether you mean “a boss,” “the boss,” or “boss” in general.

What does the preposition di in di pejabat mean? Why can’t I use ke?

Di marks the location where an action happens (“at the office”). Ke marks movement or direction toward somewhere (“to the office”). Since the greeting took place while already in the office, you use di pejabat.

What is the difference between pagi tadi, tadi pagi, and pagi ini?

Pagi tadi and tadi pagi both mean “this morning” in the sense of “earlier today,” and you can use either word order.
Pagi ini also means “this morning,” but often implies the morning period is still ongoing or relates to plans within the same morning.

Why is the time phrase placed at the end? Can I move it?

Malay word order is fairly flexible for adverbs of time and place. While Saya menyapa bos di pejabat pagi tadi is natural, you could also say:

Pagi tadi, saya menyapa bos di pejabat.
Saya pagi tadi menyapa bos di pejabat.
Placing time or place at the beginning can add emphasis or vary the style.

Why isn’t there a preposition like kepada before bos?

With transitive verbs such as menyapa, the object typically follows directly without an extra preposition. You could say menyapa kepada bos for extra politeness or emphasis, but it’s not required.

Is bos a native Malay word?

Bos is actually borrowed from English. Malay often adopts English terms, especially for workplace or modern concepts.