Restoran di tepi sungai itu mesra kanak-kanak.

to be

Breakdown of Restoran di tepi sungai itu mesra kanak-kanak.

• itu: that
• sungai: the river
• di tepi: by
• restoran: the restaurant
• mesra kanak-kanak: child-friendly

Questions & Answers about Restoran di tepi sungai itu mesra kanak-kanak.

What does di tepi mean in the phrase di tepi sungai and why is it structured that way?

di is a preposition meaning “at” or “on,” and tepi means “side.” Together di tepi literally means “at the side of” or “by.” So di tepi sungai translates as “by the riverbank.” The structure is always preposition + place noun in Malay.

Why is there no separate word for “is” in Restoran di tepi sungai itu mesra kanak-kanak?

Malay does not require a copula like “is” in the present tense. You simply place the noun phrase first, then the adjective. The sentence directly reads as “The riverside restaurant that one is child-friendly.” English speakers mentally supply “is.”

Why does the adjective mesra come after the noun instead of before it, like in English?

In Malay, adjectives that describe the subject (predicative adjectives) follow the subject without any linking verb. The pattern is: Subject + Adjective. Here, Restoran … mesra means “The restaurant is friendly.”

What exactly does mesra kanak-kanak mean? Does it literally translate to “friendly child”?

No, mesra kanak-kanak is an idiomatic phrase meaning “child-friendly.” mesra + [group] indicates “favourable to that group.” It does not mean the restaurant itself is a child.

How does the hyphen in kanak-kanak work? Why is the word duplicated?

Malay uses reduplication (repeating the word) to indicate plurality or a collective. kanak means “child,” so kanak-kanak means “children.” The hyphen is the standard way to show full reduplication.

Why is itu placed after sungai? What does it modify?

itu is a demonstrative meaning “that.” In Malay, demonstratives follow the noun they modify. Here, sungai itu means “that river.” So the whole subject is “the restaurant by that river.”

How would you say “this riverside restaurant” instead of “that riverside restaurant”?

You would replace itu with ini, which means “this.” So: Restoran di tepi sungai ini mesra kanak-kanak.

Are there other common collocations with mesra?

Yes. You can say:
• mesra alam (“environment-friendly”)
• mesra pelanggan (“customer-friendly”)
• mesra pengguna (“user-friendly”)
The pattern is always mesra + noun to mean “friendly/tolerant to [that noun].”