Breakdown of Pintu kiri itu rosak sekarang.
sekarang
now
adalah
to be
itu
that
rosak
broken
pintu
the door
kiri
left
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Malay grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Pintu kiri itu rosak sekarang.
What part of speech is rosak in this sentence? It looks like an adjective, but can it function as a verb?
In Malay, rosak is a stative verb (often called a verbal adjective). It describes a state of being “broken” and can function both as an adjective (“the broken door”) and as a predicate verb without needing adalah. Here it tells us the condition of the door.
Why is there no word for “is” in the sentence?
Malay normally omits the copula “is” in present-tense statements of condition. The structure is simply Subject + Predicate: Pintu kiri itu (the left door) + rosak (broken). If you want formality or emphasis you can insert adalah, but in everyday speech it’s dropped.
What does itu do? Why is it needed?
itu is a postposed demonstrative meaning “that.” It specifies which left door you’re talking about: pintu kiri itu = “that left door.” If you meant “this left door,” you’d use ini instead (pintu kiri ini).
Why isn’t kiri placed before pintu like in English (“left door”)?
In Malay, modifiers (adjectives, directions) follow the noun. So you say pintu kiri, not kiri pintu. The pattern is Noun + Modifier.
Could we say pintu itu kiri rosak sekarang instead?
No. The correct order is Noun + Modifier + Demonstrative + Predicate + Adverb. So pintu kiri itu stays together, then rosak, then sekarang. Moving kiri out of place breaks the noun phrase.
Why is sekarang at the end? Can it appear elsewhere?
Adverbs of time like sekarang (“now”) commonly go at the end, but they’re flexible. You can start the sentence with it—Sekarang, pintu kiri itu rosak—for emphasis. In casual speech, end-position is most usual.
How do I make the sentence negative—“the left door is not broken now”?
Insert tidak before the predicate:
Pintu kiri itu tidak rosak sekarang.
Here tidak negates the adjectival verb rosak.
How would you ask “Is the left door broken now?” in Malay?
Two common ways:
- Formal/question-word: Adakah pintu kiri itu rosak sekarang?
- Colloquial/rising intonation: Pintu kiri itu rosak sekarang?
How would you express “the left doors are broken now” (plural)?
Malay nouns aren’t marked for plural by default. You can clarify by context or reduplication:
- Pintu kiri itu rosak sekarang. (context: multiple doors)
- Pintu-pintu kiri itu rosak sekarang. (explicit plural)
What’s the difference between sekarang and kini?
Both mean “now” or “currently.” Sekarang is more colloquial and frequent in speech; kini is more formal or literary. You could say Pintu kiri itu rosak kini, but in daily conversation sekarang is preferred.
Why can you say pintu yang rosak itu (the door that is broken) but not pintu yang kiri itu?
The relative marker yang introduces verb or adjective clauses: yang rosak (“that is broken”). However, kiri is a classifier/directional modifier, not a verb or predicate adjective in this context. Directional words attach directly: pintu kiri itu, no yang needed.