Breakdown of Kedai di kanan jalan itu menjual buah segar.
itu
that
di
at
kedai
the shop
menjual
to sell
segar
fresh
buah
the fruit
jalan
the road
kanan
right
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Malay grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Kedai di kanan jalan itu menjual buah segar.
Why isn’t there an article like “the” before kedai?
Malay does not use definite or indefinite articles. Nouns stand alone, and specificity is shown by context or added words like ini (this) or itu (that).
What is the function of di in di kanan jalan itu?
di is a preposition indicating location (“in,” “on,” or “at”). Here it means “on the right (side) of.”
Why does itu come after jalan, not before?
In Malay, demonstratives (ini, itu) follow the noun they modify. So it’s jalan itu (“that road”), not itu jalan.
Can I drop itu from di kanan jalan itu? What changes?
Yes. Kedai di kanan jalan menjual buah segar is still correct. Dropping itu makes it slightly more general (“the shop on the right of the road”) rather than “that shop on the right of the road.”
Why is the order di kanan jalan instead of di jalan kanan?
The pattern is di + position word + noun when you describe sides. You could also say di sebelah kanan jalan, but colloquially Malays often shorten it to di kanan jalan.
Why does the adjective segar come after the noun buah?
Adjectives in Malay follow the noun they describe. So it’s buah segar (“fruit fresh”) rather than segar buah.
Why is buah translated as “fruit” (mass noun) and not “a fruit” or “fruits”? How is plurality marked?
Malay nouns do not change form for singular or plural. buah can mean one or many by context. To explicitly show plurality or variety, you can use reduplication: buah-buahan.
What tense is menjual, and how do we know it means “sells” (present)?
Malay verbs like menjual are uninflected for tense. The time frame is understood from context or added time words. Here, without any past or future markers, it defaults to a general or present-tense meaning.
Why is the verb jual prefixed with me- to become menjual?
me- is an active-voice prefix in Malay. The root jual means “sell,” and menjual turns it into the transitive verb “to sell” (subject actively doing the selling).