Questions & Answers about Saya suka kucing tersebut.
What does suka mean in this sentence, and is it a verb?
suka is the verb meaning to like. In Malay, verbs don’t change form for person, number, or tense—suka remains the same whether the subject is I, you, he, or they.
Why isn’t there any tense marking on suka? How do I know when the action takes place?
Malay verbs, including suka, don’t inflect for tense. Time is understood from context or added time words.
• For present/general statements, simply use saya suka kucing tersebut.
• To specify past, add a word like semalam (yesterday) or sudah (already): Saya sudah suka kucing tersebut.
• For future, add nanti (later) or akan: Saya akan suka kucing tersebut.
What does tersebut mean, and why is it placed after kucing?
tersebut is a demonstrative meaning that or the aforementioned. In Malay, demonstratives follow the noun they modify, so kucing tersebut literally means that cat (the one just mentioned or indicated).
Can I replace tersebut with itu, and if so, what’s the difference?