Learn Hardcore Malay: Kedatangan bos ke pejabat membuat saya gembira. - The arrival of the boss at the office makes me happy.

kedatangan means “arrival.” It’s formed by adding the prefix ke- and suffix -an to the root verb datang (“to come”), turning the action of coming into a noun.

Why is ke used before pejabat, and how is it different from di?

ke indicates direction or movement toward something, so ke pejabat means “to the office.” By contrast, di marks location, so di pejabat means “at the office.” Use ke for movement, di for being at a place.

How does the verb membuat work here, and how do you form other verbs with the me- prefix?

membuat comes from the root buat (“to make/do”). When a root begins with b, the me- prefix becomes mem-, giving membuat (“to make”). In this sentence, membuat saya gembira = “makes me happy.” Other me- verbs follow similar patterns (e.g. tulis → menulis, pakai → memakai).

What part of speech is gembira, and how are adjectives used in Malay?

gembira is an adjective meaning “happy.” Malay adjectives don’t change for gender or number. They can:

Follow a noun to modify it (“rumah besar” = “big house”)
Follow the subject with no linking verb (“Saya gembira” = “I am happy”)
Follow causative verbs to show result (“membuat saya gembira”).

Why is saya used here for “me,” and can you use other pronouns?

saya is the standard first-person pronoun for both “I” and “me” in formal/neutral speech. You can substitute aku in casual or intimate contexts (“membuat aku gembira”), but aku is less polite in formal settings.

Could you rephrase the sentence using dengan instead of membuat, like Saya gembira dengan kedatangan bos ke pejabat? Are they the same?

Yes. Saya gembira dengan kedatangan bos ke pejabat means “I am happy with the boss’s arrival at the office.” Both sentences express the same idea. membuat turns the arrival into an active cause (“makes me happy”), whereas dengan simply links your happiness to its cause.

Is there a difference between kedatangan and ketibaan?

Both mean “arrival.” kedatangan (from datang) is more common in everyday speech, while ketibaan (from tiba) is slightly more formal or literary. In most cases you can use them interchangeably.

How do you express plural for words like bos or pejabat in Malay?

Malay nouns don’t change form for plural—context shows number. To be explicit you can:
• Reduplicate: bos-bos, pejabat-pejabat
• Add numerals/quantifiers: dua bos, banyak pejabat
• Use para for people: para bos (the bosses)