Saya cuci sayur sebelum memasak kari.

I wash vegetables before cooking curry.

Breakdown of Saya cuci sayur sebelum memasak kari.

• saya: I
• sebelum: before
• memasak: to cook
• kari: the curry
• sayur: the vegetable
• cuci: to wash

Questions & Answers about Saya cuci sayur sebelum memasak kari.

Why is the verb cuci used instead of the fully affixed form mencuci?

In colloquial Malay, many common active verbs drop the me- prefix. So speakers often say cuci (wash) rather than mencuci in everyday conversation. In formal or written Malay you would typically use the full form:

• Formal: Saya mencuci sayur sebelum memasak kari.
• Colloquial: Saya cuci sayur sebelum masak kari.

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Why does masak sometimes appear as memasak, while cuci stays bare?

Both verbs can appear with or without me- in spoken Malay. The fully affixed forms—mencuci and memasak—are standard in formal writing. In informal speech you’ll often hear:

• Saya cuci sayur sebelum masak kari.
  But mixing styles (bare cuci
  • memasak) still conveys the meaning, even if it’s less consistent.

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What role does sebelum play in this sentence?

sebelum is a conjunction meaning before. It links two actions to show their temporal order:

1. Saya cuci sayur (main clause)
2. sebelum memasak kari (subordinate time clause)
   You can also front the time clause: “Sebelum memasak kari, saya cuci sayur.”

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Why is sayur used instead of sayuran or sayur-sayuran?

sayur already functions as a mass noun for “vegetables” in general.

• sayur-sayuran (reduplicated) adds emphasis or plurality but isn’t required.
• sayuran (with -an) is another noun form but also not strictly necessary.
  In everyday speech you simply say cuci sayur.

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How do you form a yes/no question for this sentence, e.g. “Did you wash the vegetables before cooking the curry?”

You have several options:

1. Use Adakah:
   – Adakah kamu cuci sayur sebelum memasak kari?
2. Use rising intonation (informal):
   – Kamu cuci sayur sebelum masak kari?
3. Add a question tag tak (informal):
   – Kamu cuci sayur sebelum masak kari, tak?
4. Emphasise completion with sudahkah:
   – Sudahkah kamu mencuci sayur sebelum memasak kari?

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Is Saya cuci sayur sebelum memasak kari strictly Subject–Verb–Object order?

Yes. Malay typically follows S–V–O. In your sentence:

• Subject: Saya
• Verb: cuci
• Object: sayur
  The time clause sebelum memasak kari comes after the object, but you can also move it to the front.

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What’s the difference between the pronouns saya and aku?

Both mean “I,” but:

• saya is formal/polite, used in writing or with strangers, elders, colleagues.
• aku is informal, used among close friends or family.
  In this cooking context, saya sounds polite and neutral.

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How does the me- prefix attach to roots like masak? Why not memmasak?

Malay has assimilation rules for me-:

• Root beginning with k drops the k and takes me- → masak → memasak
• Root beginning with c drops the t͡ʃ sound and takes me- → cuci → mencuci
  The doubling in memmasak does not occur; instead the initial consonant is dropped.