Breakdown of Saya menelan ubat dengan air sejuk.
saya
I
air
the water
dengan
with
sejuk
cold
ubat
the medicine
menelan
to swallow
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Questions & Answers about Saya menelan ubat dengan air sejuk.
What is menelan and how does it differ from makan or memakan?
menelan means “to swallow.” It focuses on moving something (in this case, medicine) down the throat into the stomach. By contrast, makan means “to eat” in general, and memakan is its transitive form (“to eat something”). You wouldn’t use makan or memakan for swallowing pills or medicine.
What does the prefix meN- do in menelan?
The prefix meN- marks an active transitive verb. It attaches to the root telan (meaning “swallow”). Due to phonological rules, meN- + telan becomes menelan.
Why is air sejuk structured with the noun first and then the adjective?
In Malay, adjectives normally follow the noun they modify. So air sejuk literally is “water cold,” which we interpret as “cold water.”
What does dengan mean here?
dengan is a preposition meaning “with” or “using.” In this sentence, it tells us the instrument or medium used to swallow the medicine: dengan air sejuk = “with cold water.”
Can you omit Saya and just say Menelan ubat dengan air sejuk?
Yes. Subject pronouns like Saya are often dropped when context is clear. Menelan ubat dengan air sejuk still means “(I) swallow medicine with cold water,” but including Saya adds clarity or emphasis on the subject.
Could you move dengan air sejuk to the front for emphasis, like Dengan air sejuk saya menelan ubat?
You can, but it sounds more formal or poetic. The neutral, everyday order is Saya menelan ubat dengan air sejuk (SVO + adverbial). Fronting the adverbial puts stronger focus on the cold water.
What would happen if you said Saya menelan ubat sejuk instead?
That would imply “I swallow the cold medicine,” making sejuk modify ubat rather than air. The meaning shifts from “using cold water” to “using cold medicine.”
Could you use meneguk instead of menelan?
meneguk means “to sip” or “to gulp.” You could say Saya meneguk ubat dengan air sejuk, but that suggests you’re gulping down the medicine as a drink rather than swallowing a pill. menelan is more natural for pills/tablets.
What exactly is ubat in this sentence?
ubat is a general word for “medicine,” “drug” or “medication.” It can refer to pills, syrups, capsules, etc., depending on context.
How would you say “a glass of cold water” in Malay?
You can say segelas air sejuk. Here segelas means “a glass,” air is “water,” and sejuk is “cold.”