Learn Hardcore Malay: Sila lengkapkan tugasan sebelum tidur malam ini. - Please complete the assignment before sleeping tonight.

Sila is the polite imperative marker in Malay, equivalent to please in English. You place it at the beginning of a command or request to soften it and show respect. In spoken or very informal contexts, you might hear tolong instead, but sila is common in written instructions, workplaces, schools, and official notices.

Why is the verb lengkapkan used instead of just lengkap?

Lengkap is an adjective meaning complete or finished. Adding the suffix -kan turns it into a transitive verb that means to complete (something) or to make something complete. So:

lengkap = complete (adj.)
lengkapkan = complete (v.)
In this sentence it’s an imperative: please complete.

What does tugasan mean? How would you refer to more than one task or assignment?

Tugasan means task or assignment. It’s a countable noun, but Malay does not require a special plural suffix. To say assignments you can:
• use numerals or quantifiers: dua tugasan (two assignments), banyak tugasan (many assignments)
• optionally form a reduplicated plural: tugasan-tugasan, though this is more formal or literary.

How does sebelum function in this sentence?

Sebelum means before and introduces a time clause. It connects the main action (completing the assignment) with the time at which that action must finish (before going to bed tonight).

Why is malam ini placed after tidur, and could we place it elsewhere?

Here malam ini (tonight) modifies tidur (to sleep), so it directly follows the verb it describes: tidur malam ini = sleep tonight.
You could reorder the time phrases in Malay, but you must keep logical grouping:
• Sila lengkapkan tugasan malam ini sebelum tidur. (Please complete the assignment tonight before sleeping.)
• Sila lengkapkan tugasan sebelum tidur malam ini. (Please complete the assignment before going to bed tonight.)
Both are acceptable, though the original emphasizes finishing before the act of sleeping tonight.

Could you replace lengkapkan with selesaikan, and what’s the nuance?

Yes. Selesaikan (from selesai + -kan) also means to finish or to complete.
• lengkapkan tugasan focuses on making the assignment complete, perhaps filling in missing parts.
• selesaikan tugasan emphasizes finishing or resolving the assignment.
In everyday use they’re often interchangeable.

Is this sentence formal or informal? Are there alternatives?

This is fairly formal/polite because of sila and the standard vocabulary. In informal speech you might say:
• Tolong siapkan tugasan sebelum tidur malam ni.
Here tolong replaces sila, siapkan is another synonym for complete, and ni is the colloquial form of ini.