Pada hari ketiga latihan renang, badan saya lebih kuat.

On the third day of swim training, my body is stronger.

Breakdown of Pada hari ketiga latihan renang, badan saya lebih kuat.

• adalah: to be
• lebih: more
• saya: my
• pada: on
• kuat: strong
• ketiga: third
• hari: day
• latihan: training
• renang: swim
• badan: body

Questions & Answers about Pada hari ketiga latihan renang, badan saya lebih kuat.

What does pada mean here, and is it necessary before a time expression like hari ketiga?

Pada is a preposition meaning on (referring to time). In formal or written Malay you include pada before a time phrase. In casual speech you often drop it and just say Hari ketiga latihan renang, but using pada makes the sentence clearer and more standard.

Why is it hari ketiga for “third day” instead of tiga hari?

Hari ketiga is an ordinal expression (“day 3”). Tiga hari is a cardinal expression meaning three days in total. If you want to point to a specific day in a sequence, use hari + ordinal.

How do you form ordinal numbers like ketiga in Malay?

You add the prefix ke- to the number root. Examples:
• pertama (1st) – irregular from satu
• kedua (2nd) – irregular from dua
• ketiga (3rd) – regular from tiga
• keempat (4th) – regular from empat
And so on: kelima, keenam, etc.

Why is latihan renang used instead of renang latihan for “swim training”?

Malay forms noun compounds as N1 + N2, where N1 is the main noun and N2 specifies it. Here, latihan (training) is the head noun, and renang (swimming) tells you the type of training. Swapping them (renang latihan) would sound odd.

Why is badan saya used for “my body” instead of saya badan?

Possession in Malay is shown by placing the noun first, then the possessor. So badan saya literally means “body of me” (my body). Putting the pronoun first (saya badan) would read as “I body,” which isn’t correct.

How does lebih kuat work as a comparative?

Lebih means more, and you place it before an adjective to compare. Kuat is strong, so lebih kuat means stronger (more strong).

Do I need to add daripada after lebih kuat to mean “stronger than”?

You only add daripada if you want to specify what you’re comparing against.
• With explicit comparand: badan saya lebih kuat daripada hari pertama
• Implicit (context makes “than what” clear): badan saya lebih kuat is fine on its own.

Why is there no past‐tense marker like sudah or telah in this sentence?

Malay verbs don’t conjugate for tense. You show time by using adverbs or time phrases (here, pada hari ketiga) or by adding aspect markers like sudah/telah if needed. The time phrase itself tells you it’s past.

Can I drop saya in badan saya lebih kuat?

Yes. Malay often omits pronouns when context is clear. You could simply say Badan lebih kuat if it’s obvious you mean your body. Including saya adds clarity or emphasis.

How would I write this sentence using a numeric ordinal like the digit 3?

Replace the spelled‐out ordinal ketiga with ke-3, keeping the hyphen after ke:
Pada hari ke-3 latihan renang, badan saya lebih kuat.