Breakdown of Tetamu duduk di ruang tamu sambil berbual perlahan.
duduk
to sit
di
in
berbual
to chat
perlahan
quietly
sambil
while
ruang tamu
the living room
tetamu
the guest
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Questions & Answers about Tetamu duduk di ruang tamu sambil berbual perlahan.
What does tetamu mean and is it singular or plural?
Tetamu means guest in English. It’s a number-neutral noun, so it can refer to one guest or multiple guests depending on context. To explicitly mark plurality you can use para tetamu (the guests).
Why is there no article like the before ruang tamu, and what does ruang tamu literally mean?
Malay has no articles. Ruang means space or room and tamu means guest, so ruang tamu literally translates to guest room, which corresponds to the English living room. Whether it’s the living room or a living room is understood from context.
What does di indicate in duduk di ruang tamu, and why not use ke?
The preposition di marks a static location (in/at). Here it tells us the guests are sitting in the living room. Ke is used with verbs of movement (for example, pergi ke ruang tamu to go to the living room).
What is the function of sambil in this sentence?
Sambil is a conjunction meaning while. It links two actions happening simultaneously. After sambil, you use the verb with any needed affixes: sambil berbual = while chatting.
Why is it berbual instead of just bual?
The prefix ber- forms intransitive verbs that describe engaging in an action. Berbual means to chat. The root bual on its own isn’t used as a standalone verb in Malay.
Why is perlahan used here instead of perlahan-perlahan or pelan-pelan, and is it an adjective or an adverb?
All three—perlahan, perlahan-perlahan, and pelan-pelan—mean slowly. Perlahan is concise and slightly more formal; the reduplicated forms add a nuance of gradualness or carefulness. In this sentence perlahan functions as an adverb modifying berbual. In Malay many adjectives can double as adverbs without any change.
Shouldn’t there be a word like sedang to show that the guests are in the middle of sitting and chatting?
Malay often infers aspect (ongoing vs. completed) from context. You can add sedang before a verb to explicitly mark a continuous action (e.g. tetamu sedang duduk…), but it’s optional. The sentence is natural without it.
Can the word order be changed for emphasis, for example starting with Di ruang tamu?
Yes. Malay allows flexible word order. You could say Di ruang tamu, tetamu duduk sambil berbual perlahan to highlight the location. A comma or slight pause signals that shift in focus.