Learn Hardcore Malay: Saya ingatkan awak bawa dokumen penting ke mesyuarat. - I remind you to bring the important document to the meeting.

Ingatkan here means “I thought” or “I assumed”, especially when you find out your assumption was wrong or incomplete. It’s formed from ingat (“to remember”) + the suffix -kan, which in this context turns it into a verb meaning “to assume (erroneously).” In contrast, plain ingat simply means “to remember.”

Why is bawa not in the meN- form (membawa)?

Malay uses a “bare” or un-affixed verb after certain auxiliary or mental-state verbs (e.g., boleh, mahu, suka, perlu, ingat(kan)). So instead of membawa, you use the root bawa. It’s like English “I want to go”, not “I want to to-go.”

What does awak mean, and how formal is it?

Awak means “you.” It’s a neutral-polite second-person pronoun, common in everyday speech. More formal would be anda, and more informal (or regional) might be kamu, kau, or ko.

What is the function of ke in ke mesyuarat? Why not di?

Ke indicates direction “to” a place: “to the meeting.” By contrast, di marks location “at” or “in”. Since you’re talking about bringing something to the meeting, you use ke mesyuarat.

Why is there no tense marker like past tense? How do we know it refers to a past assumption?

Malay does not inflect verbs for tense. Context, time adverbs, or certain verb choices convey timing. Here, ingatkan (meaning “I assumed”) already situates the thought in the past. If you need extra clarity, you can add words like sudah or telah.

Could we add sudah or telah before bawa to emphasize that the action was already done?

Yes. Saya ingatkan awak sudah bawa dokumen penting ke mesyuarat means “I thought you had already brought the important document to the meeting.” The addition highlights that you expected the action to be complete.

Why is bahawa or yang omitted between ingatkan and awak?

In spoken and informal Malay, conjunctions like bahawa (“that”) or yang can be dropped. You still get a complete complement clause:
“Saya ingatkan (bahawa) awak bawa…”

What’s the difference between “Saya ingat awak membawa dokumen…” and “Saya ingatkan awak bawa dokumen…”?

Saya ingat awak membawa… means “I remembered that you brought…” (you did bring it).
Saya ingatkan awak bawa… means “I assumed you would bring…” or “I thought you brought…” (but it turns out you didn’t).

How would you say “I remembered to bring the important document to the meeting” in Malay?

You could use:

Saya ingat untuk membawa dokumen penting ke mesyuarat.
Colloquially: Saya ingat nak bawa dokumen penting ke mesyuarat.
Or: Saya tidak lupa membawa dokumen penting ke mesyuarat.

Why is the adjective placed after the noun in dokumen penting instead of before?

In Malay, adjectives normally follow the nouns they modify. So dokumen (noun) + penting (adjective) = dokumen penting.