Learn Hardcore Malay: Saya beli sebuah buku antik di pasar.

Sebuah is a combination of the numeral satu (“one”) plus the classifier buah, functioning as an indefinite article. It quantifies a countable object—in this case buku—so sebuah buku antik means “an/one antique book.”

Could I use satu instead of sebuah? Would it change the meaning?

Yes. Satu buku antik is grammatically correct and still means “one antique book.” The difference is stylistic: sebuah is more natural in everyday speech because classifiers are preferred, while satu feels more like pure counting (“exactly one”).

Why is it buku antik and not antik buku?

In Malay, adjectives follow the noun they describe. So you say buku (book) first, then antik (antique), giving buku antik = “antique book.” Reversing them would not sound natural.

There’s no past-tense marker on beli—how do we know it’s past?

Malay verbs don’t inflect for tense. Time is inferred from context or optional time words. Here you understand it’s past because you’re narrating a completed action. To emphasize past you could add sudah or telah (e.g. Saya sudah beli…).

Can we say Saya membeli sebuah buku antik di pasar instead?

Absolutely. Membeli is the formal/standard form (root beli with the mem- prefix). It’s more common in writing or formal speech; colloquially, people often drop the prefix and say beli.

Why is it di pasar and not ke pasar?

Di indicates the location where the action takes place (“at/in the market”). Ke indicates direction (“to the market”). Since you’re buying at the market, you use di pasar.

Could we omit sebuah and just say Saya beli buku antik di pasar?

Yes. Dropping sebuah still conveys “I bought antique books at the market,” but it’s more general—either one or several books—whereas sebuah specifies exactly one.

What is the basic word order here?

Malay follows Subject-Verb-Object order:
– Saya (Subject)
– beli (Verb)
– sebuah buku antik (Object)
– di pasar (Adverbial phrase for location)