Petang tadi, saya bersenam di taman.

This afternoon, I exercised in the park.

Breakdown of Petang tadi, saya bersenam di taman.

• saya: I
• di: in
• taman: the park
• bersenam: to exercise
• petang tadi: this afternoon

Questions & Answers about Petang tadi, saya bersenam di taman.

What does Petang tadi mean, and why is it placed at the beginning of the sentence?

Petang tadi literally means evening earlier but is used idiomatically as this afternoon (earlier today in the afternoon). In Malay, time expressions often come at the front to set the context, though you could also say Saya bersenam di taman petang tadi with the same meaning.

How does Malay express past tense? Why isn't there a word like did or an -ed ending?

Malay does not inflect verbs for tense. Instead, it relies on time markers such as tadi or semalam (yesterday) and context. The verb bersenam remains in its base form regardless of past or present; the presence of tadi tells us this happened in the past.

What does bersenam mean, and how does the ber- prefix function here?

Bersenam means to exercise. The prefix ber- is a verb-forming affix indicating an action or activity (often intransitive). The root senam is a noun meaning exercise or gymnastics.

Why is there no direct object after bersenam? Can you exercise something in Malay?

Bersenam is an intransitive verb, meaning to exercise oneself, so it does not take a direct object. If you practice a specific sport, you use a different verb, for example bermain bola (to play ball).

What is the role of di in di taman? Could you use a different preposition?

Di is the locative preposition in/at, so di taman means in the park. You could also say dalam taman for inside the park, but di is the general marker for location.

Why isn't there a word for the before taman?

Malay has no articles like the or a. Nouns stand alone, and definiteness is understood from context. To specify, you can add a demonstrative such as taman itu (that park) or taman ini (this park).

Why is saya used here? Are there alternatives like aku or kami?

Saya is the standard, neutral, formal first-person singular pronoun (I). Aku is informal and intimate and can be rude in the wrong context. Kami means we (excluding the listener), and kita means we (including the listener); using them would change the meaning.

How would you express I was exercising (progressive aspect) in Malay?

To mark the progressive aspect, insert sedang before the verb: Petang tadi, saya sedang bersenam di taman. Here sedang indicates that the action was ongoing.