Breakdown of Bos mengingatkan saya hantar laporan sebelum mesyuarat.
sebelum
before
hantar
to send
laporan
the report
bos
the boss
mesyuarat
the meeting
saya
me
mengingatkan
to remind
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Questions & Answers about Bos mengingatkan saya hantar laporan sebelum mesyuarat.
Why is mengingatkan used instead of just ingat?
Because ingat means “to remember.” To say “to remind (someone),” Malay uses the causative form with the prefix meN- and suffix -kan, turning ingat into mengingatkan (“to make someone remember”).
Why is the pronoun saya placed directly after ingatkan?
Mengingatkan is a transitive verb that takes a direct object. Placing saya right after it means “remind me.” So Bos mengingatkan saya = “The boss reminded me.”
Why is hantar laporan in the bare form instead of menghantar laporan, and do we need untuk?
After certain verbs like ingatkan, Malay often uses the bare root verb (no meN-). Hantar is the root of menghantar. Adding untuk (“to”) is optional:
- Bare: Bos mengingatkan saya hantar laporan...
- With untuk: Bos mengingatkan saya untuk menghantar laporan...
- More formal with supaya/agar: Bos mengingatkan saya supaya menghantar laporan...
What does sebelum mean, and can I say sebelum daripada mesyuarat?
Sebelum means “before” and introduces a time clause. You may hear sebelum daripada mesyuarat, but it’s more common simply to say sebelum mesyuarat.
Why aren’t there articles like the or a in Malay?
Malay doesn’t use definite/indefinite articles. A noun alone can mean “a” or “the” depending on context. So bos can be “a boss” or “the boss.”
Can I replace saya with aku or other pronouns here?
Yes. Aku is informal: Bos ingatkan aku hantar laporan…. In formal or polite contexts, stick with saya. Other pronouns can replace saya if you change the meaning (e.g., dia = him/her).
Why is Bos capitalized at the start, and is it always capitalized?
Like English, Malay capitalizes the first word of a sentence. In the middle, bos is lowercase (common noun). Some writers capitalize Bos as a title or nickname, but that’s optional.
How do I say “my boss” in Malay?
Use bos saya. For example:
Bos saya mengingatkan saya hantar laporan sebelum mesyuarat.
Are there other Malay words for “meeting” besides mesyuarat?
Yes, depending on context:
- perjumpaan (gathering)
- perbincangan (discussion)
- sesi (session)
But mesyuarat is the standard term for a formal meeting.
How would you make this sentence more formal?
A formal version could be:
Bos saya mengingatkan saya agar menghantar laporan sebelum mesyuarat tersebut.
Here agar (“in order that”) and tersebut (“aforementioned”) raise the register.