Awak boleh simpan dokumen penting di laci meja.
You can store important documents in the desk drawer.
Breakdown of Awak boleh simpan dokumen penting di laci meja.
awak
you
di
in
boleh
to be able
penting
important
dokumen
the document
simpan
to store
laci meja
the desk drawer
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Questions & Answers about Awak boleh simpan dokumen penting di laci meja.
What does Awak mean and when is it used?
Awak is the informal second-person pronoun meaning you. It’s used among friends, family or when speaking to someone younger. For a more formal or polite tone, use Anda instead.
What role does boleh play in this sentence?
Boleh is a modal verb meaning can, may or be allowed to. It expresses permission or ability. After boleh, the main verb remains in its root form (unaffixed).
Why is simpan used instead of menyimpan?
When you have a modal verb like boleh, Malay takes the bare (root) form of the follow-up verb. So rather than menyimpan, you say simpan after boleh.
What does dokumen penting mean, and why is the adjective placed after the noun?
Dokumen means document and penting means important, so dokumen penting = important document. In Malay, adjectives always follow the nouns they describe.
Why doesn’t Malay use articles like the or a in this sentence?
Malay has no definite or indefinite articles. Context tells you whether something is specific or general. If you need to specify “that document,” you could add itu (that) after the noun.
How do I interpret di laci meja?
Di is the preposition in or at, laci is drawer, and meja is desk. So di laci meja literally means in the desk drawer. Note that di is always written separately from the noun.
Can I say di dalam laci meja instead?
Yes. Di dalam laci meja literally means inside the desk drawer. Adding dalam (inside) emphasizes the interior location, but di laci meja is perfectly natural and understood.
Why is it laci meja rather than meja laci?
Malay uses head noun + modifier order. Laci is the head noun (drawer) and meja modifies it (desk), so laci meja = drawer of desk. Reversing them would confuse the meaning.
How would I make this sentence more polite or formal?
Simply replace Awak with Anda:
Anda boleh simpan dokumen penting di laci meja.
How do I turn this into a question?
You can add the question particle kah to the modal verb or use rising intonation. For example:
Bolehkah awak simpan dokumen penting di laci meja?
or
Awak boleh simpan dokumen penting di laci meja?
How do I negate this sentence?
Place tidak (or colloquial tak) before boleh:
Awak tidak boleh simpan dokumen penting di laci meja.
This means you are not allowed to store important documents in the desk drawer.
Does dokumen become plural?
No. Malay nouns don’t change form for plural. Dokumen can mean one document or many, depending on context. If you want to stress “many documents,” you can say banyak dokumen.