Learn Hardcore Malay: Kilat pertama petang tadi menyambar pokok, namun sistem bertindak segera. - The first lightning this afternoon struck a tree, yet the system responded immediately.

• kilat refers specifically to the flash of lightning—the bright streak you see in the sky.
• petir usually denotes the sound of thunder that follows the lightning flash.
• In casual speech people sometimes mix them up, but technically kilat = lightning flash, petir = thunder.

Why is pertama placed after kilat instead of before it?

• In Malay the ordinal adjective (pertama, first) normally comes after the noun it modifies.
• kilat pertama literally follows the pattern [noun] + [ordinal adjective], meaning “the first lightning (flash).”

What does petang tadi mean, and why isn’t it tadi petang?

• petang tadi means “this (past) afternoon” or “earlier this afternoon.”
• Time expressions in Malay generally follow [time-of-day] + [tadi/nanti/etc.], so petang tadi is the standard order.
• tadi petang would be unusual and isn’t how native speakers phrase it.

What is the nuance of the verb menyambar, and what role does the prefix meN- play?

• menyambar means “to strike,” “to hit,” or “to flash across,” often used for lightning hitting something.
• The prefix meN- is a common Malay active-verb marker that attaches to verb roots:
– root sambar (grab, snatch) → menyambar (to strike, to seize suddenly).
• It makes the verb transitive, so it can take a direct object (here, pokok).

Why is namun used here, and how is it different from tapi or tetapi?

• namun means “however” or “nevertheless” and is fairly formal.
• tapi is the most common everyday word for “but.”
• tetapi is slightly more formal than tapi but still less formal than namun.
• Choosing namun here adds a slightly formal tone, suitable for news-like statements.

Can you explain sistem? Is it a Malay word or a loanword?

• sistem is a direct loanword from English system (or through other European languages).
• Malay frequently borrows technical and scientific terms from English.
• It follows Malay pronunciation rules and takes Malay affixes if needed (e.g., nem-Sistem).

How does bertindak segera work? What do ber- and segera do?

• bertindak = “to act” or “to take action.” Here ber- is an active-verb prefix meaning “to have/perform [root action].”
• Root tindak means “action” or “move.”
• segera means “immediately” or “at once.”
• Together bertindak segera translates as “acted immediately.” You can optionally say bertindak dengan segera, but dropping dengan is more concise and common.

Why is there no past tense marker in the sentence? How do we know it’s past?

• Malay doesn’t use verb conjugations to show tense. Instead, time is indicated by adverbials or context.
• Here tadi (earlier) makes it clear the event happened in the past.
• If you added telah (“already”) or sudah (“already”), it would also signal past, but they’re not necessary when a time word like tadi is present.

Why isn’t there an article before pokok? Shouldn’t it be “the tree”?

• Malay usually omits articles like “the” or “a.” Nouns stand alone without the, a, or an.
• pokok simply means “tree” or “a/the tree,” depending on context.
• If you want to specify one tree you could say sebuah pokok (a tree) or pokok itu (that tree), but it’s optional when context is clear.