Saya lulus peperiksaan minggu lalu.

I passed the exam last week.

Breakdown of Saya lulus peperiksaan minggu lalu.

• saya: I
• minggu lalu: last week
• lulus: to pass
• peperiksaan: the exam

Questions & Answers about Saya lulus peperiksaan minggu lalu.

What does lulus mean here and is it transitive or intransitive?

lulus means to pass in the context of succeeding in an exam. It can be used transitively with an object—as in Dia lulus peperiksaan (He passed the exam)—and intransitively—as in Dia lulus (He passed).

How is past tense shown since lulus doesn’t change form?

Malay verbs don’t inflect for tense. You indicate time with adverbs or temporal phrases. Here, minggu lalu (last week) shows the past. You can also add the auxiliary telah or sudah before lulus for extra emphasis on completion.

Why is there no article before peperiksaan?

Malay does not use definite or indefinite articles like the or a/an. Nouns stand alone; context or classifiers clarify quantity or specificity. peperiksaan simply means “exam.”

Why is minggu lalu placed at the end? Can we move it?

Time expressions in Malay are flexible in position. Placing minggu lalu at the end is common, but you can also start the sentence with it for emphasis: Minggu lalu saya lulus peperiksaan.

What’s the difference between minggu lalu and minggu yang lalu?

Both mean last week. yang is a relative marker; minggu yang lalu is slightly more formal or emphatic. In everyday speech, people often drop yang, saying minggu lalu.

lulus and lalu look similar. Are they related?

They are different words. lulus (double -us) means to pass, whereas lalu (single) means past, then, or afterward. In minggu lalu, lalu combines with minggu to form last week.

Can we drop saya and just say Lulus peperiksaan minggu lalu?

Yes. In informal contexts, subjects are often implied: Lulus peperiksaan minggu lalu still means I passed the exam last week. In formal writing or to avoid ambiguity, it’s better to include saya.

How do you say “I didn’t pass the exam last week”?

Use the negator tidak before the verb: Saya tidak lulus peperiksaan minggu lalu. Colloquially, people might shorten tidak to tak: Saya tak lulus peperiksaan minggu lalu.

Can we add telah or sudah? If so, where?

Yes. Place telah or sudah before lulus to emphasize that the action is completed. For example:

• Saya telah lulus peperiksaan minggu lalu (more formal)
• Saya sudah lulus peperiksaan minggu lalu (more colloquial)

What’s the difference between peperiksaan and ujian?

Both translate to test or exam, but peperiksaan typically refers to formal or high-stakes exams (like final exams), while ujian often means smaller quizzes or routine checks.