Learn Hardcore Malay: Tarikh akhir tugasan ini esok. - The deadline for this assignment is tomorrow.

Malay often drops the copula (linking verb) when stating identity, time or location. In English you’d say “The deadline for this assignment is tomorrow,” but in Malay you can simply say Tarikh akhir tugasan ini esok without inserting ialah or adalah.

Can I add adalah or ialah for clarity or formality?

Yes. Both versions are correct: • Tarikh akhir tugasan ini adalah esok.
• Tarikh akhir tugasan ini ialah esok.
Adding adalah (more neutral) or ialah (more formal/literary) makes the sentence slightly more emphatic or official, but is not necessary in everyday speech.

What is the literal breakdown of each word in Tarikh akhir tugasan ini esok?

• Tarikh = date
• akhir = end/last
• tugasan = assignment (from tugas + suffix -an)
• ini = this (demonstrative)
• esok = tomorrow
Put together it literally reads “date end assignment this tomorrow.”

Why does akhir come immediately after tarikh?

In Malay, adjectives follow the nouns they modify. Here akhir (“last” or “final”) describes tarikh (“date”), so the correct order is tarikh akhir (“deadline”).

Why is ini placed after tugasan instead of before it?

Malay demonstratives (ini, itu) behave like adjectives: they come after the noun. Thus tugasan ini = “this assignment.” You wouldn’t say ini tugasan for that meaning.

What role does esok play, and why is it at the end?

Esok is an adverb of time (“tomorrow”). Malay sentence order here is: Topic (the noun phrase) + Time adverb. So you state the topic (Tarikh akhir tugasan ini) and then the time at which it applies (esok).

Are tarikh akhir and tarikh tutup interchangeable?

Both mean “deadline,” but: • Tarikh akhir is more formal/standard in academic or official contexts.
• Tarikh tutup literally “closing date” and is common in events or registrations.
Informally, you’ll also hear the loanword deadline, but in pure Malay tarikh akhir is preferred for assignments.

Do I need prepositions like untuk or pada in this sentence?

No. Malay typically links related nouns without a preposition in compounds (so you get tarikh akhir tugasan). And when expressing “tomorrow,” you don’t need pada—just esok is enough. (If you do say pada, you’d need hari: pada esok hari, which is more formal/literary.)

Could I start the sentence with esok instead, like “Esok tarikh akhir tugasan ini”?

If you front the time adverb, you normally add a copula:
• Esok ialah tarikh akhir tugasan ini.
Saying just Esok tarikh akhir tugasan ini is understandable in casual speech but less common; the default order without a verb places esok at the end.

Why do we use tugasan instead of just tugas?

Tugas means “task,” whereas tugasan (with the suffix -an) means “assignment” or “an officially assigned task.” It’s a noun-forming suffix that adds a sense of “the act or result of doing the task,” so tugasan fits better for school or work assignments.