Learn Hardcore Malay: Sepupu saya menjaga beg kami agar tiada barang tertinggal. - My cousin takes care of our bags so that nothing is left behind.

Agar is a conjunction used to introduce a purpose clause. It corresponds to English “so that” or “in order that.” In “Sepupu saya menjaga beg kami agar tiada barang tertinggal,” it links the action (looking after our bags) to its purpose (so that nothing is left behind).

Can I replace agar with supaya? Is there any nuance?

Yes. Supaya also means “so that” and works interchangeably with agar. The difference is minimal: agar is slightly more formal or literary, while supaya is common in everyday speech.

What does tiada mean here, and how is it different from tidak?

In this context, tiada means “there is no” or “none.” It is the negation of ada (“to have”/“there is”). You could also say tidak ada or colloquially tak ada, but tiada is a single, more formal word.

Why is menjaga used instead of a passive form? What does it mean exactly?

Menjaga is the active form of the verb jaga (“to look after” or “to guard”), with the prefix me- marking it as transitive. Here, Sepupu saya is doing the action. If you insisted on a passive construction, you could say Beg kami dijaga oleh sepupu saya agar tiada barang tertinggal, but the active voice is more natural.

What is barang tertinggal? Why isn’t there a yang in between?

Barang tertinggal literally means “items left behind.” The prefix ter- on tinggal indicates a passive or accidental state (“ended up being left”). The relative pronoun yang is optional in short clauses, so tiada barang tertinggal and tiada barang yang tertinggal are both correct.

How does the ter- prefix in tertinggal differ from meninggalkan?

Tertinggal: passive/stative, implying something accidentally or unintentionally got left behind (“was left behind”).
Meninggalkan: active verb “to leave (something) behind,” implying a deliberate action by the subject.

Why is it beg kami and not beg-beg kami? How do you express plural in Malay?

Malay often indicates plurality through context rather than a form change. Beg kami can mean one or multiple bags. If you need to emphasize more than one, you can use reduplication (beg-beg kami) or add a numeral (e.g., tiga beg kami).

Why is the possessive saya placed after sepupu? Can I say sepupuku?

In standard Malay, the possessor pronoun follows the noun: sepupu saya (“my cousin”). The suffix form sepupuku exists but is old-fashioned or poetic. In everyday modern usage, you stick with sepupu saya.

What’s the difference between kita and kami? Could we have used kita instead of kami?

Kita includes both the speaker and the listener: “we (you and I).”
Kami excludes the listener: “we (just me and others, not you).”
Use kita if you want to include your conversation partner as part of that “we.”

Could this sentence be rephrased with untuk instead of agar?

Yes, but you’ll need to add a noun or verb like memastikan (“to ensure”). For example:
Sepupu saya menjaga beg kami untuk memastikan tiada barang (yang) tertinggal.
Here, untuk introduces the infinitive phrase “to ensure that nothing is left behind.”

What is the basic word order in this sentence?

Malay follows a Subject–Verb–Object (SVO) order. Here it is:
Subject: Sepupu saya
Verb: menjaga
Object: beg kami
Purpose clause: agar tiada barang tertinggal