Selain kopi, saya meminati teh hijau.

Selain means besides, apart from, or in addition to.

So Selain kopi sets up the idea apart from coffee or besides coffee. It tells you that coffee is one thing the speaker likes, and now they are adding another thing: teh hijau.

In other words, the sentence implies:

• the speaker likes coffee
• and the speaker also likes green tea

Malay often puts this kind of phrase at the start to set the context first.

So the sentence structure is roughly:

• Selain kopi = apart from coffee
• saya meminati teh hijau = I am fond of / I like green tea

This is very natural in Malay. English can do something similar:

• Apart from coffee, I like green tea.

You could also express the idea in other ways, but this fronted structure is normal and clear.

The comma helps separate the introductory phrase Selain kopi from the main clause saya meminati teh hijau.

It works like English:

• Apart from coffee, I like green tea.

In informal writing, Malaysians do not always use commas strictly, but here the comma is helpful and natural.

Both can be translated as like, but they are not exactly the same in tone.

• suka = the most common, everyday word for like
• meminati = more formal, stronger, and often closer to be interested in, be fond of, or be keen on

So:

• Saya suka teh hijau = I like green tea
• Saya meminati teh hijau = I am fond of / I have a strong liking for green tea

In everyday conversation, many learners will hear suka more often. meminati sounds a bit more polished or written.

Meminati comes from the root minat, which means interest.

The verb meminati is formed from:

• meN- prefix
• root minat
• suffix -i

As a whole, meminati means to be interested in or to like/favour something.

For a beginner, the most useful thing is to learn meminati as a complete vocabulary item rather than trying to analyze every affix in depth right away.

Because Selain kopi already gives that meaning.

It already tells us that coffee is one thing, and now another thing is being added. So the idea of also is built into the sentence.

That said, Malay speakers might also say:

• Selain kopi, saya juga suka teh hijau.

Here juga means also. This version is a little more explicit, but the original sentence works fine without it.

In Malay, adjectives usually come after the noun.

So:

• teh = tea
• hijau = green
• teh hijau = green tea

This is a very common word order in Malay:

• rumah besar = big house
• kereta merah = red car
• buku baru = new book

So teh hijau follows the normal Malay pattern: noun + adjective.

Malay generally does not use articles the way English does.

So:

• kopi can mean coffee, a coffee, or the coffee, depending on context
• teh hijau can mean green tea, a green tea, or the green tea, depending on context

The listener understands the intended meaning from the situation, not from articles.

This is one of the big differences between English and Malay.

Usually, yes.

Selain kopi normally implies that coffee is included, and green tea is another thing the speaker likes.

So the natural interpretation is:

• I like coffee, and besides that, I like green tea.

If you wanted to contrast the two instead, you would use a different structure. For example:

• Berbanding kopi, saya lebih meminati teh hijau. = Compared with coffee, I prefer green tea.
• Saya tidak meminati kopi, tetapi saya meminati teh hijau. = I do not like coffee, but I like green tea.

So selain is additive, not contrastive.

Yes, it is natural, but it sounds a bit more formal or written because of meminati.

A very everyday version would be:

• Selain kopi, saya suka teh hijau.
• Selain kopi, saya juga suka teh hijau.

The original sentence is still correct and natural, especially in writing or more careful speech.

In casual spoken Malay, subjects are sometimes omitted if the context is already clear. However, in a standalone sentence like this, keeping saya is best.

So:

• Selain kopi, saya meminati teh hijau. = clear and complete

If you drop saya, the sentence may sound incomplete unless the subject is already obvious from the conversation.

For learners, it is safest to keep saya.

Here, kopi is most naturally understood in a general sense: coffee as a drink.

So Selain kopi means:

• besides coffee
• apart from coffee as a beverage/category

It does not usually mean one specific cup of coffee unless the context makes that very clear.

Not perfectly.

A very literal breakdown would be:

• Selain = besides/apart from
• kopi = coffee
• saya = I
• meminati = am fond of / like
• teh hijau = green tea

But a natural English translation would be something like:

• Besides coffee, I like green tea.
• Apart from coffee, I am also fond of green tea.

So it is better to translate for meaning, not strictly word-for-word.