Learn Hardcore Malay: Saya pernah merasa ketidakselesaan perut selepas makan terlalu cepat. - I have experienced stomach discomfort after eating too fast.

pernah literally means “ever” or “once” in English. It marks that the speaker has had the experience at least once in the past. Without pernah, you’d simply say “I felt stomach discomfort…”; with pernah, it’s “I have experienced stomach discomfort at some point.”

What is the structure of the word ketidakselesaan, and how does it translate?

ketidakselesaan is formed by the prefix ke-, the negative tidak (not), the adjective selesa (comfortable), and the suffix -an (nominaliser). So it literally means “the state of not being comfortable,” i.e. discomfort.

Why use ketidakselesaan perut instead of simply sakit perut?

sakit perut means “stomach pain,” while ketidakselesaan perut is more like “stomach discomfort.” The former is more common in everyday speech for a painful ache; the latter sounds a bit more formal or medical, covering sensations like bloating or indigestion too.

What’s the difference between merasa and the root rasa here?

merasa is the verb “to feel” in Indonesian/Malay; it’s the active form (me- + rasa). The root rasa can be a noun (“taste” or “feeling”) or a verb in casual speech (“feel”). Using merasa is standard, neutral Malay.

Why is there no tense change on merasa? How do we know it’s past?

Malay verbs don’t conjugate for tense. Instead, you use time markers or adverbs like pernah (have/ever) or telah (already). Here, pernah signals the past experience, so merasa remains unchanged.

What function does selepas serve here?

selepas means “after.” It’s a preposition that links two events: feeling discomfort and eating too quickly. It always comes before the verb or noun it relates to, e.g. selepas makan (“after eating”).

How does terlalu cepat fit into the sentence?

terlalu cepat means “too fast.” It’s an adverbial phrase modifying makan (to eat). Word order in Malay is flexible for adverbs, but the typical pattern is verb + adverb: makan terlalu cepat.

Why is the subject Saya not repeated before makan?

Once you introduce the subject Saya (I) at the beginning, you don’t need to restate it for every verb. Malay often omits repeated subjects when it’s clear who’s doing the action.

Is there a more colloquial way to say this sentence?

Yes. In casual speech you might say: Saya pernah rasa perut senak sebab makan terlalu cepat.
Here rasa replaces merasa, perut senak is a common way to say “stomach discomfort,” and sebab (“because”) stands in for selepas in this context.