Saya minum air dua kali pagi ini.

I drank water twice this morning.

Breakdown of Saya minum air dua kali pagi ini.

• saya: I
• air: the water
• minum: to drink
• pagi ini: this morning
• dua kali: twice

Questions & Answers about Saya minum air dua kali pagi ini.

Why isn’t minum conjugated for tense or person (like “drank” or “drinks”)?

Malay verbs remain in their base form regardless of tense or subject. Instead of verb conjugation, you show time with adverbs or time phrases. Here, pagi ini (“this morning”) tells you it happened in the past (or earlier today).

How does dua kali work to mean “twice”?

Kali means “time” or “occasion.” When preceded by a number, it expresses frequency: dua kali = “two times” = “twice,” tiga kali = “three times,” and so on.

Why is dua kali placed after air and before pagi ini? Could I move the parts around?

Typical sequence in Malay is: Subject – Verb – Object – Frequency – Time. So Saya minum air dua kali pagi ini.
However, Malay is flexible with time phrases. You can also say:
• Pagi ini saya minum air dua kali.
• Saya pagi ini minum air dua kali.
All are grammatically correct; the emphasis shifts slightly but the meaning stays the same.

Is it okay to drop Saya and just say Minum air dua kali pagi ini?

Yes. Malay often omits the subject pronoun when context makes it clear who’s performing the action. In a conversation where you’re obviously the drinker, Minum air dua kali pagi ini is perfectly acceptable.

What’s the difference between saying pagi ini and tadi pagi?

Both mean “this morning,” but:
• Pagi ini is neutral and can mean any time earlier or later today.
• Tadi pagi specifically means “earlier this morning.”
They’re often interchangeable, though tadi pagi emphasizes that the action happened earlier.

How would I say “I have already drunk water twice this morning”?

Add sudah or telah (both mean “already”) before minum or right after Saya:
• Saya sudah minum air dua kali pagi ini.
• Saya telah minum air dua kali pagi ini.

If I wanted to count actual containers of water (like glasses or bottles), do I still use dua kali?

No. Dua kali counts the action (“drank twice”). To count physical items you need a classifier:
• dua gelas air = “two glasses of water”
• dua botol air = “two bottles of water”

Can air ever mean something other than “water”?

In this context, air is the uncountable noun “water.” It can’t mean “air” (the element) or “drink” by itself. If you want to say “air” as in the element, you’d use udara.